“It shouldn't have happened,” O'Brien told the Racing Post. “There aren't many countries in the world where you could get away with that and not get a month's ban because to me that is dangerous riding. If the jockeys are allowed to do those things and are not given severe penalties, it will keep happening.”

Specifically, O'Brien blamed the Irish Horse Racing Board for not taking a stand against unsafe riding.

“It's worse in Ireland than anywhere else and it's letting Irish racing down,” O'Brien explained. “We had the whole world watching Leopardstown and it puts people off backing horses or following racing. I'm not just talking about the big days, I'm talking about every day. You have to be consistent.”

Read more at the Racing Post.

The post O’Brien: Jockey Shane Foley Should Have Been Given A Month’s Ban For Interference appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Byrne's trainee Viking Hoard was eased in a handicap hurdle at Tramore in October of 2018, and regulatory vets noticed the horse has a slow heart rate. A post-race test showed the horse had a “dangerous degree of sedation” in his system during the race, evidenced by the presence of over 100 times the International Screening Limit of Hydroxyethylpromazinehydroxide (HEPS), a metabolite of acepromazine.

Viking Hoard was heavily bet to lose on that day, but no evidence was found linking Byrne to those wagers. Byrne admitted to leaving the horse alone on two occasions for a total of approximately 25 minutes after arriving at Tramore, which the IHRB characterized as “neglect of the trainer” which may have allowed an unidentified third party to administer the drug to the horse.

“The damage was financial in the case of affected punters, and reputational in the case of the racing industry,” read a statement from the IHRB. “This case illustrates the specific and additional challenges and dangers to the integrity of racing posed by the widespread ability to back horses to lose races for significant returns. The desirability of this practice or how it might be better controlled within the available regulatory resources is worthy of further, constant review.”

Read more at the Racing Post.

The post Bet To Lose? Irish Trainer’s License Suspended Six Months Over Acepromazine Positive appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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