Shark Hanlon 'surprised and disappointed' at ten-month suspension over transport of dead horse in open trailer

King George-winning trainer Shark Hanlon has described himself as "surprised and very disappointed" after his licence was suspended for ten months and he was fined €2,000 for transporting a dead horse in an open trailer attached to one of his branded lorries, with the carcass fully visible to the public.

Footage of the incident, which occurred in June, subsequently emerged online and was widely shared on social media.

An Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's referrals committee labelled his conduct "grossly negligent" and "injurious to the good reputation of the sport" as it handed down the sanction.

Hanlon said he intends to appeal the decision, arguing the incident was an unfortunate accident, and has seven days from the publication of the decision to lodge such an action.

"We are going to appeal," said Hanlon. "I am surprised and very disappointed. It was one of those things and it's not like I intentionally set out to do what happened. I feel like I didn't do anything wrong and what happened was an accident."

Hanlon, who has had incredible success in recent seasons with bargain buy and stable star Hewick, including in last season's King George VI Chase at Kempton, has leave to apply for the final five months of the licence withdrawal to be suspended.

Having opened an investigation on June 16, two days after the incident occurred, the IHRB charged Hanlon with breaches of three rules, including acting in a manner prejudicial to the integrity of the sport and providing false or misleading information to IHRB officials.

The committee will consider a future application to conditionally suspend the final five months of the ten-month ban provided Hanlon adheres to certain provisions, including not knowingly participating in any training-related activities or gallops and not issuing instructions to any jockey or other trainer.

Hanlon is also prohibited from entering any weighing room, parade ring or any other area of a racecourse restricted to licensees of the IHRB.

The incident in question involved the trainer removing a deceased racehorse from his yard in Ballygorteen, County Kilkenny as he sought to transport it to a knackery in Carlow. The carcass was carried in an open trailer, drawn by a horsebox which was decorated with images identifying it as the property of the trainer.

While there had been attempts to conceal the carcass from public view by way of a tarpaulin, it was completely exposed by the time the trailer reached Paulstown and a driver took a video of the scene which was widely spread on social media.

Hanlon subsequently apologised for "any distress" the footage may have caused and explained that the piece of tarpaulin had come undone in transit.

'Entirely inadequate'

Chaired by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, the referrals committee concluded that Hanlon was "grossly negligent in the supervision of the transport of the horse carcass", and that attempts to cover it were "obviously entirely inadequate".

Shark Hanlon and his son Paddy with King George winner HewickCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

It was asserted that the trainer ought to have exercised caution as "any deficiencies in this process would have been magnified, as they actually were, by the large, personalised and readily identifiable markings on his horsebox" and the prejudice caused was "compounded by the wide dissemination on various social media platforms of the recording of these events".

The committee found that the consequences of the trainer's "incompetence were significant and avoidable" and that the case required a more significant sanction than purely financial.

The findings stated: "The public are entitled to hold legitimate expectations and concerns as to the humane and respectful treatment of both live and dead sport horses. The IHRB must respond appropriately to those expectations and concerns by the meaningful enforcement of reasonable standards of conduct by licensed participants in the sport."

A number of mitigating factors were considered.

Hanlon had no previous relevant rule breach and his admissions on the morning of the hearing were of assistance to the committee, although it was initially noted that his "obfuscation and inconsistency in the accounts given to investigating officials in the immediate aftermath" were aggravating factors.

An impromptu inspection of his yard by the IHRB and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine the day after the investigation was initiated demonstrated that his horses were properly treated and welfare matters were in order.

The outcome to the investigation comes on the same day that Hanlon defended his care of one of his former horses, Bedelia, after footage emerged of her in poor condition two months after leaving his yard.

Read more here:

Shark Hanlon apologises for 'any distress' caused after transit problem exposes dead horse  

'I'm disgusted, she left me looking a million dollars' - Shark Hanlon horrified at social media picture of filly 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.