Ipratropium is a bronchodilator, is actually allowed in Japan and he was
probably racing on it there. What's incredibly stupid is that they
either didn't familiarize themselves with the French drug laws or
thought they could get away with it for such a major race. It's
likely that he was training on it and they misjudged the time it
would take to be out of his system, but it's the owner's
responisibility to make sure there is plenty of time for it to clear.

American horse Brass Hat was disqualified from the Dubai WC under
similar circumstances, though for a different drug. At least in his case the trainer claims he was following Dubai guidelines for clearance time.

This seems to be something that happens when horses from countries with permissive drug policies race in countries that don't tolerate their use. These
horses are so dependent on drugs (or so their trainers beleive) that their connections risk disqualification rather than run without them.

Bob