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Do you believe him? I mean leaving the horse twice unattended at the racecourse stables for a total of 20-25 shouldn’t be an every day procedure. And why was it this particular horse from this particular stable? Why weren’t there any other horses from other stables also drugged?
I simply think he is a cheat and he likes to line up gambles when they’re in the know and he got away pretty good with a six month ban.
I would not like to be a jockey racing over obstacles on a horse that had been aced. Whoever gave that horse ACP or knew about it is guilty of reckless endangerment of life.
Just read Kevin Blake’s blog on the ATR site. It is incredible that amongst Irish racecourses, only Leopardstown has CCTV installed in the stables. Not a good look for a major racing country.
I’m surprised that there isn’t more focus being placed on the Sedgefield run of Thosedaysaregone (also a late drifter laid by the Betfair account under scrutiny in the report).
Especially given the revelations from the report just published, you’d think the BHA would want to launch their own investigation here. It is now established as fact that Thosedaysaregone was laid by an overseas individual with links to fixing in sport. The jockey lost his irons in a fairly soft looking mid-race incident (unfortunately obscured by other horses in the Racing Post replay at the moment of losing his irons) and decided to pull up. Even before the Viking Hoard news, this felt like an incident which needed a look.
Make your own mind up: https://www.racingpost.com/results/57/sedgefield/2018-10-02/711250
I would tend to agree about the skullduggery in Irish racing. Not so sure about the UK although no doubt it goes on.
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.
^from the IHRB report.
It’s amazing that no other trainers have made any comments related to this case.
What’s the silence all about? I thought there would be some outrage or at least some concern about the missing surveillance at almost all Irish tracks (see Corks’ post).Coolmore invests dozens of millions a year and yet they can live with that….
What about Gigginstown? Just imagine everybody at an airport would have unrestricted access to the entire Ryanair fleet. No one would ever board one of their planes and I’m quite sure the O’Learys would react to that.But here, total silence…. I bet Jim Bolger could reveal some more concerning facts.
“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. ”
^from the IHRB report.
Meaning we can deflect for a little while longer, the alleged widespread doping of horses to win races. The proverbial is getting closer to the fan and when it hits….
If the sport cannot regulate itself then like Athletics and Cycling WADA are just around the corner. The repercussions of such an intervention will be catastrophic for uk and Irish racing, but maybe it will save the sport from itself. I really doubt that.
At the heart of everything should be the Horse and the Horse’s welfare but sadly it isn’t and furtherest from concerns were the effects on the horse and it’s wellbeing or at least they came a poor second or third to concerns about the much bandied ‘ integrity” phrase applied to reputations and sound betting.
Because rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic didn’t work either. The attempt image improving by renaming the Foxhunters in the middle of an economic collapse amply demonstrates this.
The relocation of the Irish drug testing unit to be under the same roof as the uk operation at Newmarket was ironic. Given that Newmarket and the jockey club was the epicentre of the sports biggest ever drugs scandal and subsequent “enquiry” is fitting.WADA are just around the corner. The repercussions of such an intervention will be catastrophic for uk and Irish racing,
Ach now, the Augean stables didn’t suffer too much from the damp.
Ach now, the Augean stables didn’t suffer too much from the damp.
Indeed.“If the sport cannot regulate itself then like Athletics and Cycling WADA are just around the corner. The repercussions of such an intervention will be catastrophic for uk and Irish racing, but maybe it will save the sport from itself.”
Id say no prominent trainers have come out to criticise because a pointing finger means 3 pointing back. There are a lot of big trainers all over the world who are not whiter than white when it comes to drugging horses.
Specifically in relation to Charles Byrnes, yes i think he does some pretty questionable things, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that his horses arent always trying their best, but this case at Tramore seems far to amateurish for an experienced trainer like Byrnes.
He would have known that giving the horse so much sedative, that it would fall foul of the testing limits. There are numerous ways to stop a horse winning without having to inject dangerous amounts of sedative into it.
For that reason i do think it is actually believable that the horse was injected by a 3rd party, who then sought to make money on the exchanges.
If it was purely Byrnes, I think he would have come up with a far more subtle plan to make sure the horse didnt win. Bring the horse in a state of unfitness, ask the jockey to sit and wait, run wide, get caught in traffic, make a few jumping errors etc
It is hard to believe that a clever man, just decided to inject massive amounts of sedative.
Agree with Wexfordman there – Byrnes surely far too shrewd with his ‘operations’ to attempt something so crass himself.
But my mind keeps coming back to Jim Bolger’s comments –
From the Irish Times ‘Last month, Jim Bolger, one of the most prominent trainers in the country, said in an interview that drugs are Irish racing’s number one problem.’
He meant (I think, perhaps not) performance enhancing issues but perhaps there is plenty happening on the other side of that coin.
Cormack
imo Bloody obvious what Bolger meant, Cormack.
Just got to look at trainer form and who consistently suddenly come to form at exactly the right times.
Doesn’t mean to say there’s not some of the other going on though.
Value Is EverythingNot putting cameras in racecourse stables seems such an obvious deterrent that makes me wonder are they complicit? Or at least have to ask do they want to find wrongdoing?
Is it in the IHRB’s interests for Irish racing to be thought of as the best and drug free?
Therefore is it in the IHRB’s best interests to ignore wrongdoing?
Value Is EverythingI have listened to podcasts about this subject. Tony Calvin was trying to defend the exchanges stating that there was a paper trail and so whoever laid the horse could be traced. That maybe so and if the case why have these people not been identified and banned. That bit was no discussed on the podcast, why I don’t know.
Surely if Betfair are aware the horse was doped why would they pay out or whoever lost their money because clearly it was an illegal act.
My main point is why are the Police not involved. Surely it is a crime. Whoever was/is involved have actually stolen money.
I think we all know the game is corrupt, to what extent is debateable but until the Police get involved and racing stops burying it’s head in the sand and bans culprits for life it will go only one way and that is down the pan.
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