(Editor’s Note : On handful of occasions over the years, beloved equine entertainer Mr. Ed has taken to CSTB to offer his innermost thoughts on the sport of kings.  Upon learning earlier today that a racehorse owned by Queen Elizabeth II had tested positive for morphine, Ed graciously forwarded the following excerpt from an item penned by the Guardian’s Tom Paley – GC)

Estimate (above, right), a five-year-old mare trained by Sir Michael Stoute, came second in the same race this year, and is one of five horses understood to have recorded a positive test for the banned substance. The palace said they believed the morphine had come via consumption of a contaminated feed product.

John Warren, the Queen’s bloodstock and racing adviser, said: “On Thursday 17 July the British Horseracing Authority announced that a number of post-race samples, obtained from recent race meetings, had been found to indicate the presence of morphine, which is a prohibited substance on race days. Five horses, under the care of various trainers, were affected.

“I can confirm that one of those horses was Estimate, the five-year-old mare trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by the Queen. Initial indications are that the positive test resulted from the consumption of a contaminated feed product. Sir Michael is working closely with the feed company involved to discover how the product may have become contaminated prior to delivery to his stables.”