Willie Mullins fined and Final Demand disqualified from Cheltenham Festival silver

In a decision published by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) disciplinary panel, Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins has been fined £1,100, and his charge Final Demand has been officially disqualified from second place in the 2026 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

The seven-year-old chaser finished second behind stablemate Kitzbuhel at the Cheltenham Festival on March 11.

However, subsequent testing revealed that the gelding competed with a Category B prohibited substance in his system.

Why Final Demand Was Disqualified & The Fine

Following a fast-track referral after admitted rule breaches, the independent disciplinary panel found that Final Demand ran with mepivacaine in his system, violating Rule (K)2.2.

Mepivacaine is a local anaesthetic commonly used in thoroughbred horses for therapeutic purposes and carries a published BHA detection time of 72 hours.

In addition, Mullins was found to have breached Rule (J)24.2 for failing to declare the administration of mepivacaine on the horse’s pre-race medical declaration forms.

Mullins accepted both charges, resulting in a total fine of £1,100 (£1,000 for the presence of the prohibited substance and £100 for the declaration failure) and the immediate forfeiture of Final Demand’s runner-up prize money.

Judicial Panel Chair Sarah Crowther KC noted:

“The BHA and Mr Mullins have agreed the proposed sanctions, which in my judgment are appropriate having regard to the Table of Penalties.”

Who Won the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase 2026?

The 2026 renewal of the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase was won by Kitzbuhel, also trained by Willie Mullins.

Ridden by jockey Harry Cobden, the 11/1 shot produced a tenacious performance to hold off the late-closing charge of Final Demand by three-quarters of a length at the line.

The victory remains officially unaffected by the ruling.

WATCH: Final Demand Finishing Second In The 2026 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

Which Horse is Now the New Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase Second (and Third)?

Following the official disqualification of Final Demand and the reallocation of finishing positions and prize money:

• 2nd Place: Salver (trained by Gary & Josh Moore), who originally crossed the line in third, has been promoted to official runner-up.
• 3rd Place: Oscars Brother (trained by Connor King) moves up into the vacant third-place position on the official score sheet.