French-based trainer Andrea Marcialis, best known for conditioning this year's G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), has been banned from all racing activities for six months after stewards deemed that he and his sister, Elisabetta Marcialis, had taken advantage of 80-year-old trainer Jean-Claude Napoli and trained horses in his name, Racing Post reports.
An inspection of Napoli's stables in Cabries in August found 12 horses formerly connected to Marcialis or his owners, five of which were not registered as in-training with Napoli. Marcialis claimed in his hearing that the wrongdoing was his sister's and that he was not involved, while Napoli in his testimony said he regretted sharing his France Galop account details with Elisabetta.
Andrea and Elisabetta Marcialis, as well as six other ownership entities, have been banned from the sport from Jan. 1 through July 1, 2021.
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