News: Killultagh Thunder was disqualified from second place in a race at Punchestown nearly two years ago by an appeals and referrals committee at the Curragh yesterday.

In the latest case in the long-running morphine saga, trainer Willie Mullins had his fine of €130 waived.

The committee met to look into a report from BHP Laboratories in Limerick that a urine sample taken from the gelding after the contest on December 7th, 2002, tested positive for morphine.

Evidence was heard from Dermot Purcell, BHP Laboratories Limerick, and pharmacologists Dr Tom Barragry and Professor Tom Tobin.

The committee found Mullins to be in breach of Rule 148 (ii) and they imposed a fine of €130 and disqualified Killultagh Thunder.

However, the fine was waived as the committee were satisfied that the trainer had taken all reasonable precautions to avoid a transgression of the rule.

The two previous morphine cases to be heard by the committee resulted in disqualification, as did all those in Britain.

However, Mullins has already indicated that he will appeal to the British High Court over Be My Royal's disqualification from the 2002 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup. Mullins, and the connections of the other horses in the six cases still outstanding, are being supported with their legal costs by Connolly Red Mills, whose feedstuffs were the common denominator in the contaminated samples.