Byrnes suspension should serve as 'wake-up call' to trainers says IHRB chief

IHRB chief executive Denis Egan believes the six-month suspension handed to Charles Byrnes due to negligence in the Viking Hoard case should act as a wake-up call to trainers about leaving horses unattended at racecourses, warning that they could be penalised in future.

Speaking during a Zoom press conference after the appeals panel announced its verdict on Thursday, Egan suggested the saga would not have occurred if Byrnes had not left his horse alone on two occasions at Tramore in October 2018.

"The reason we ended up with this particular case is because the trainer didn't do what he was supposed to do," he said. "We did what we had to do, we dealt with the case that came up."

Egan conceded the IHRB is no closer to identifying the individual who nobbled Viking Hoard and views the case as closed unless fresh evidence appears.

Viking Hoard: horse at the centre of the nobbling sagaCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

"There's no evidence that this has happened before, we take over 200 samples on an annual basis from horses who run unaccountably badly," he explained. "Of course, it could potentially happen again. We have no evidence that it has happened before or after Viking Hoard."

Stressing that horses being left unattended in racecourse stable yards is not common practice in the IHRB's experience, Egan added: "I think it's incumbent on everyone, and this case might be a wake-up call for trainers. You do not leave your horse unattended in the stable yard. If you do, you are responsible and there is a likelihood you will be penalised if somebody gets at the horse."

Byrnes was unavailable for comment when contacted by the Racing Post on Thursday, and it is unclear at this stage what will happen to horses like his JP McManus-owned Dublin Racing Festival winner Off You Go for the next six months. According to the IHRB, his son Cathal has not completed any modules in the course required for an individual to become a trainer.

Egan praised the work of the stewards who elected to test the horse on the day of the race at Tramore without any prior intelligence regarding the suspicious betting patterns.

The IHRB is still unaware of the specific identity of the layer in question. In an interview with RTE after Off You Go's Leopardstown victory, Byrnes expressed his frustration that Betfair "were not cooperating at all" and that only two people were interviewed in as many years.

Charles Byrnes: broke his silence on the Viking Hoard case after Off You Go won at the Dublin Racing FestivalCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

However, Egan said: "We have an excellent relationship with Betfair-Paddy Power and I want to pay tribute to them for their cooperation on an ongoing basis. They supply information to us and are always very willing to support us in any investigation and provide whatever information we need. We spoke to a number of people with regard to this investigation and two people were formally interviewed."

He added: "I think the fact the case was prosecuted, that the positive substance was found, is good for Irish racing from the point of view the matter was dealt with. I don't believe it has damaged Irish racing, I think it gives comfort that there are procedures in place to deal with such matters."

Egan, who hailed the result of the investigation as "excellent from the point of view of doing something that could have gone under the radar", added: "In a perfect world, of course we'd like to have found out who administered the substance to the horse and the person who laid the bet, but unfortunately we don't know who administered the substance and the person who laid the bet is outside the jurisdiction as such."

Lynn Hillyer: 'We've got a tremendous opportunity now to show what we believe to be true, that Irish racing is clean'Credit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

IHRB chief veterinary officer and head of anti-doping Dr Lynn Hillyer said she viewed the Viking Hoard case as a one-off. She said: "The horse arrived at 1.04pm, the race went off at 2.35pm.

"If you take the horse has gone to the parade ring at something like 2.00pm, the animal was in the racecourse stables for something like 40-45 minutes, of which we know for 20-25 minutes he was left unattended. The proportion of that time is what the panel [factored in their decision making]."

Hillyer added of the IHRB's progress since the Viking Hoard case: "I think things have moved on as you'd expect them to in two and a half years and I'm looking forward to things moving on even more this year.

"We've got a tremendous opportunity now to show what we believe to be true, that Irish racing is clean. I don't like reading these headlines any more than anyone else."

Read more

'Inexcusable behaviour' - Charles Byrnes loses six-month ban appeal

Acceptable rather than satisfactory outcome because whodunnit remains a mystery

Read the explosive evidence from the investigation into the Charles Byrnes case

Charles Byrnes given six-month ban after runner is 'nobbled' with sedative

Members' Club: 'white label' customers no longer able to place lay bets on Betfair exchange

Members' Club: BHA reveals Viking Hoard tested negative at Sedgefield 16 days before Tramore run

Members' Club: Comment – a disturbing case that leaves many vital questions unanswered

'It's the number one problem in Irish racing' – Bolger demands more drug testing

Not fair: Charles Byrnes unhappy at treatment by BHA over British runners

Byrnes: bumper gambles were necessary as training is 'a loss-making business'

Members can click here to download the digital newspaper every evening from 9pm. Not a member? Click here to sign up and enjoy the digital newspaper every day