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Twomey “Disappointed And Upset” Over Rosscarbery Disqualification

Paddy Twomey has admitted that the disqualification of Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) from third spot in Sunday's Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. after her rider Wayne Lordan weighed in 5lbs light took the gloss off the fact that he recorded his first Group 1 success in the race with La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}).

The trainer described himself as “disappointed and upset” that Rosscarbery, supplemented for the Curragh Group 1 at a cost of €30,000 to the filly's owner Robert Moran, missed out on prize-money and valuable black type due to what he described as an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) error.

Twomey believes that the finger of blame points to the clerk of the scales who, according to the trainer, told Lordan that he was 5lbs too heavy upon weighing out.

As a result, 5lbs of weight was taken out of the saddle cloth and Twomey is convinced that the same saddle that Lordan weighed out in was the one that returned to the weigh room after Rosscarbery ran a career-best to finish third behind her stablemate.

Twomey told TDN Europe on Monday, “I am very disappointed and upset over Rosscarbery being disqualified from finishing third in a Group 1. She is a filly on the up and what happened on the day was clearly an error on the part of the clerk of the scales. I am very upset by it.

“I enjoyed winning my first Group 1 but all I could think about for three or four hours afterwards was losing third in a Group 1. It has been referred to the IHRB and that's the latest.”

He added, “Robert was very sporting in supplementing the filly and she justified that decision by finishing third. Through no fault of the filly's, the owner's, the trainer's or the jockey's, she didn't get the chance to collect the prize money or the Group 1 black type that she deserved.

“He spent €30,000 to run this filly and never had the chance to earn that money back due to an error that was made by the clerk of the scales.”

It was just last month that Moran, speaking exclusively to TDN Europe, revealed that he contemplated wrapping up his ownership vehicle in Ireland after a number of bad experiences left him demoralised with racing.

Although Moran couldn't be contacted on Monday, Twomey explained how the American-based owner never had a chance of recouping the €30,000 stumped up to run Rosscarbery on Sunday, which bears the brunt of the frustration within the camp.

Twomey said, “We spoke at Limerick a couple of weeks ago and I told him [Moran] that I was thinking of supplementing. I changed my mind last Tuesday morning but, at two minutes to 12 [the latest supplementary stage], I put her in.

“I rang Robert at a minute past 12 to tell him I had spent €30,000 supplementing the filly. He said, 'that's fine,' so for Robert to be sent out without a chance of recouping that money is something that really upset me.”

Had Rosscarbery not been disqualified, she would have covered the cost of running in the Pretty Polly, with €30,000 on offer for finishing third. Instead, the Ger Lyons-trained Thunder Kiss (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) picked up the third-place prize money and black type while Rosscarbery left empty-handed.

Niall Cronin, communications manager for the IHRB, would not offer further comment on Monday.

Speaking immediately after racing on Sunday, he said, “Wayne Lordan weighed out at 138.1lbs and weighed back in at 133.5lbs.

“As a result there was an inquiry into the weighing-in procedures of the third-placed horse. As per rule 231, section 1, the horse had to be disqualified. The stewards have referred the matter on for further investigation. Mr Twomey is aware of that.”

Given the extensive ramifications the disqualification has to Rosscarbery's residual value as a broodmare, TDN Europe understands that Twomey and Moran are prepared to pursue legal options should their filly not be reinstated as the third home in Sunday's Group 1.

Speaking about future plans for Rosscarbery, and what it meant to notch a breakthrough Group 1 with La Petite Coco, Twomey said, “We know that 1m2f is a little on the sharp side for Rosscarbery and she'll be even better over 1m4f and should even get 1m6f.

“She proved she belongs at Group 1 level and we're going to have to map out a campaign for the second half of the season now. Hopefully we can win a Group 1 with her and, all of those races that Coco can run in, she could also. The likes of the G1 Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot could also suit. She's very versatile.”

He added, “I couldn't see anything beating La Petite Coco yesterday to be honest. When you can't get it done [first Group 1] for a while, it seems far away, so it was nice to get that under our belt.”

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Cotter Fined €27,500 For Cobalt Positive, Misconduct

Trainer Kieran Cotter was fined €27,500 by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Referrals Committee and must pay a further €7,500 in legal costs. One of his runners, Slade Runner (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}), tested positive for cobalt and the IHRB found further misconduct by the trainer following a yard inspection.

Slade Runner won a Dundalk handicap in January and returned a cobalt reading higher than the international threshold. After the cobalt positive, there was a joint inspection of Cotter's yard by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) and officers of the IHRB on Feb. 3. Cotter was found to be in breach of Rule 96(a), that disqualified the winner, Slade Runner, and that both the stake and prize-money were forfeited. The IHRB Committee fined Cotter €2,500 for this rule breach.

A number of charges were also brought against Cotter after the yard inspection, with the trainer in breach of a number of provisions under Rule 148:

No medicines register was maintained by the trainer prior to February of 2021 for any of his horses.
Used syringes and needles were left lying in a number of locations in the premises, with Cotter stating he had no knowledge of their presence and had not used them.
The presence also of a large number of unused syringes and needles in the barn.
The apparent general use of veterinary medicines, other than under veterinary supervision which suggested that Cotter was self-medicating some of the horses in his care.
The apparent administration via intravenous injection of medicines without veterinary oversight, contrary to proper procedures.
Reckless disregard to the potential effects or consequences to administering the cobalt drench to Slade Runner in particular.

Although the IHRB Referrals Committee did not find Cotter in breach of the rules for possession of illegal substances in his yard or in breach of Rule 273(xiii), they noted that his conduct was that of a serious nature. They imposed a €5,000 fine in respect of a breach of Rule 148(I), in reference that the trainer is responsible for everything connected with the welfare, training and running of all horses under the care of that trainer and that Slade Runner was administered cobalt the day before the race. A €20,000 fine was leveled against Cotter in respect to a breach of Rule 148(iii) in that he had failed to maintain his medicines register, failed to ensure that he and each of his staff having access to medicines were fully conversant with the rules and regulations relating to prohibited substances and that he had failed to be responsible for the safe keeping and administration of medicines having failed to securely lock the medicine cabinet.

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Darragh O’Loughlin Appointed New IHRB CEO

Darragh O'Loughlin has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB). O'Loughlin will begin serving in his new role on June 29. Previously, O'Loughlin was the Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union from 2013 until April of this year. He also served as a Council Member of the PSI (The Pharmacy Regulator) for six years and was a board member of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

Martin O'Donnell, Chairman of the IHRB, said, “Darragh brings an exceptional combination of regulatory expertise and long experience in sectoral development and advocacy as well as stakeholder engagement at the highest level in Ireland and the EU.

“Darragh combines proven strategic, organisational and people leadership with impressive regulatory credentials and extensive stakeholder engagement experience. We look forward to him leading the IHRB and our top-class committed team as we enter our next strategic planning phase. This will guide the organisation's priorities in addressing the evolving needs of Irish horse racing and ensuring the continued positive reputation of the sport and ongoing confidence for all stakeholders.”

O'Loughlin, a pharmacist by trade, added, “I am honoured to have been appointed to this vital role for horse racing and look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead. Ireland is rightly at the forefront of global horse racing and has an enviable reputation thanks to the great work of all stakeholders, including the excellent team at the IHRB, who have been acknowledged as best in class at what they do. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to ensure Irish horse racing and its reputation continue to thrive over the coming years.”

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Irish Raid Samples Test Negative For Prohibited Substances

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board confirmed on Tuesday that the hair and blood samples taken from Thoroughbreds at the County Kildare yard raided by Department of Agriculture Food & Marine (DAFM) two weeks ago all tested negative for substances classified as “prohibited at all times.”

“As this is part of an ongoing investigation working in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and other agencies, we cannot make any further comment at this time,” the IHRB's statement concluded.

According to racingpost.com, that yard was the operation of equine therapist John Warwick, and the DAFM confiscated from him animal medications not licensed for use in Ireland.

There are reported to have been four Thoroughbreds tested at the yard. Two arrived at the yard during the raid with trainer Liam Burke; one of those, Samos Island, was in that day at Fairyhouse but was withdrawn by the IHRB. Another arriving during the raid is trained by Ted Walsh, who said the horse had a tendon injury to be scanned. Jessica Harrington trains the last, which she said was to be receiving non-medical laser treatments on a tendon.