Jockey Adrian McCarthy has had his licence withdrawn for six months after testing positive for a metabolite of cocaine.
The disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority was told at a hearing that McCarthy was found to be 1,000 times over the threshold limit for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in a urine sample at Chelmsford on October 15, 2020.
McCarthy’s ban will run until April 21 inclusive as his suspension was backdated to October 22.
McCarthy said he was 'in a really bad place' at the time he tested positive, and said he is looking forward to making a return after receiving the support he needed.
"I just got into a bit of a rut. Drinking all the time, using drugs, cocaine, and trying to make things better. Obviously it doesn't make things better," he told the hearing.
"I'm in a lot better place now than I was before, I just want to get my head down and do what's right.
"We all make mistakes. I made a mistake, I regret it. I just have to look forward and work hard."
He added: "I was in a really bad place, didn't care about myself, didn't care about anything, didn't care about being here."
