A COUNTY Durham race horse trainer who retired after being found guilty of violating animal welfare has won a top award - only to have it taken off him a few hours later.

Howard Johnson was initially named as the winner of Go Racing in Yorkshire’s Top Jumps Trainer, but officials quickly changed their mind and rescinded the award.

Mr Johnson from Billy Row near Crook, who has won the award for the past five years, won the latest accolade after saddling 14 winners at a trio of Yorkshire tracks last year.

Organisers withdrew it soon afterwards however due to the findings by the British Horse Racing Authority (BHRA) in August, and will not have a Top Jumps Trainer category in this year’s awards.

Graham Orange, spokesman for Go racing in Yorkshire admitted "it was a bit of an embarrassment" but said the committee had decided not to give the award.

The BHRA handed Mr Johnson a four-year global ban from racing after being found to show a "reckless disregard" for animal welfare rules.

They found him guilty of carrying out a banned denerving operation on one of his horses, Striking Article, and then entering the animal into eight races.

Mr Johnson said he knew the operation had been carried out but was not aware of it being against the sport’s rules.

Striking Article was put down after pulling up lame in a race at Musselburgh in February last year and it was discovered during a post-mortem examination that the operation had taken place.

Mr Johnson was also charged under a separate investigation in relation to the administration of laurabolin, an anabolic steroid containing nandrolone, to three other horses.

He was banned from four years in total but announced his retirement soon after it came into force.