Trainer Denis Hogan suspended for three months and fined €5,000 after winner tests positive for prohibited substances

Dual-purpose trainer Denis Hogan has had his licence suspended for three months and been fined €5,000 after Ballyadam Destiny tested positive for prohibited substances triamcinolone acetonide (TCA) and dexamethasone following his win at Galway last October. 

In a report published by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on Friday, the regulator’s chief veterinary officer Dr Lynn Hillyer stated that the substances were commonly used in equine veterinary practice but explained that Hogan had not adhered to the stand-down period of 40 days that had been recommended by his vet Donncha Houlihan. 

Hogan accepted the findings, but the IHRB has confirmed that he has lodged an appeal against the severity of the sanction. In the report, Hogan said that he had made a mistake with the recommended withdrawal times, but told the referrals panel, which convened on Monday and was chaired by Peter Allen, that he had since employed extra administration staff and put in place procedures to avoid a repeat occurrence. 

However, after referencing Hogan’s record, the panel stated that “the finding of prohibited substances in horses is something which the IHRB takes very, very seriously and indeed the members of the public themselves do”.

Hogan and Houlihan both previously featured in a similar referral when the vet shouldered the blame for Turbine testing positive for nandrolone after his win at Cork in 2019. That was the first time any racehorse had tested positive for anabolic steroids in Ireland, but Hogan escaped sanction on that occasion as Houlihan accepted responsibility, stating that Turbine had erroneously been administered Laurabolin – which contains nandrolone – while at his veterinary practice. 

On this occasion, the panel stated that Hogan had “met this case very fairly and has accepted the findings of the IHRB’s inspection. The duty does lie with the trainer to ensure that all procedures are carried out in accordance with the rules and regulations”.

It is the fourth time in five years that a Hogan-trained winner - one of which came in a point-to-point - has been disqualified after failing a post-race dope test.

His three-month suspension is slated to begin on August 1, but no appeal date has been finalised as of yet. Ballyadam Destiny was disqualified from his win, with the JP McManus-owned and Des McDonogh-trained Moving Water, who passed the post in second under Mark Walsh, promoted to first.

Sceptical: smart sprinter who helped raise Denis Hogan's profileCredit: Patrick McCann

The County Tipperary-based handler’s profile rose in recent years through the exploits of smart sprinters Make A Challenge and Sceptical, who was third in the 2020 Diamond Jubilee Stakes and then second in the July Cup. He has been spoken of as one of the most upwardly mobile young operators in the business, replicating his versatility during his riding career, when he partnered winners on the Flat and over jumps.

A multiple Group and Graded race-winning trainer, the 36-year-old initially announced his retirement from race-riding at the Galway races in 2020 before resuming later that year, but he has not ridden since the end of 2022. He has nine runners declared across Friday and Saturday. 

Hogan is also involved in a long-running IHRB investigation into a Dundalk claimer in March 2020 when his Tony The Gent beat stablemate Yuften. Tony The Gent was rated 17lb inferior to Yuften at the time, but was heavily backed into odds-on favouritism, while Yuften drifted from an opening show of 8-11 out to 6-4. 

After Tony The Gent beat Yuften into second, the stewards referred the case to the IHRB. The IHRB has confirmed that its investigation is complete and that the process of scheduling a hearing is now underway.

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