The jockey tested positive one day in autumn last year but made no attempt to claim it was a one-off and has stated a convincing commitment to changing his life
The usual form, when a jockey tests positive for a metabolite of cocaine, is: “Moment of madness, won’t happen again,” and, however sincerely meant, the words lose their impact through familiarity. Thursday’s case involving Kieran Shoemark was entirely different. I came away very impressed by the 23-year-old, who has clearly had a very self-destructive streak at one time but stated a convincing commitment to changing his life.
Shoemark tested positive one day in autumn last year but made no attempt to claim it was a one-off. He told a disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority that he had suffered from alcoholism for several years and eventually found that drinking became a trigger for occasional drug use, leading to a more regular habit last year when he was sidelined by injury.
Related: Jockey suspended after extraordinary case of lead hidden in breeches
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