Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday that Estimate, winner of 2013's Ascot Gold Cup and runner-up this year, was one of five horses to have tested positive for morphine, allowed in training as a pain killer or sedative but banned on race days.
Initial indications were that the positive test was a result of the consumption of a contaminated feed product, with Dodson and Horrell saying on Wednesday it was launching an investigation along with an unnamed supplier.
It was believed the contamination could have been caused by naturally occurring poppy seeds, and it had recalled certain batch numbers of its Alfalfa Oil Plus as a precautionary measure.
"No positive test results have been recorded in any other Dodson and Horrell product currently in the market," the company said in a statement on the British Horseracing Association website (www.britishhorseracing.com).
"From information currently available to us, it appears that any contamination may have come from poppy seeds that occur naturally in the environment. Please note this does not affect the welfare of the animal."
Dodson and Horrell, horse and dog food manufacturer to the Queen since 2006, added that it did not think contamination occurred at its site.
The British Horseracing Authority announced last week that five horses under the care of various trainers had reported to show the presence of morphine in their 'A' samples.
It is thought five-year old mare Estimate will be disqualified from June's second-place finish at Royal Ascot and the Queen will have to pay back 80,625 pounds in prize money.
Estimate is not suspended from racing and is expected to appear at Glorious Goodwood next weekend.
(Reporting by Josh Reich, editing by Ed Osmond)
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