CHELTENHAM Festival Champion Hurdle favourite Yanworth, trained at Alan King’s Barbury Castle stables in Wiltshire, failed a drugs test after the race in March.

The seven-year-old finished seventh in the feature race on Day One of the Festival at Prestbury Park but when tested, showed traces of medication which had not cleared his system on the day of the race.

It has not yet been said what the banned substance was in Yanworth’s system, while trainer King is expected to face a disciplinary inquiry on Thursday.

The British Horseracing Authority is expected to release a statement today, with any penalty handed out likely to be a fine rather than a ban.

Yanworth, who is owned by JP McManus, ran again at the Grand National meeting in April and won the Aintree Hurdle.