LONDON: Former Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni has lodged an appeal to reduce the length of his eight-year suspension for doping offenses, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced yesterday.

The 37-year-old Emirati was found to have given banned anabolic steroids to 15 horses — who have been barred from racing for six months — at his stables at British racing headquarters in Newmarket, eastern England, at a BHA hearing last month.

Al Zarooni’s surprising decision to appeal will not be music to the ears of Godolphin’s founder, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who made it clear at the time of the revelations how ‘appalled and angry’ he was that he and Godolphin had been tainted by such a scandal.

The 63-year-old Sheikh — who was present at Newmarket last Saturday to see his crack Irish-trained colt Dawn Approach win the English 2000 Guineas — had ordered al Zarooni’s 200-horse stable to be locked down until further notice and was in no hurry to appoint a trainer as his replacement.

Al Zarooni, who had made a good start to his tenure as a Godolphin trainer with victory in last year’s Dubai World Cup and English St. Leger, looks to have little reason for optimism given the BHA’s stern assessment of his behavior when they released their full judgment last week. “This was a widespread systematic misuse of illegal substances which are absolutely prohibited under the rules,” they said.

“Nearly a quarter of the 45 horses tested at the stables had positive samples. These were horses in training, some of which were entered into races in April and May.