Suspended Mahon fined after intimidating IHRB official during sampling procedure

Suspended trainer Stephen Mahon has been fined €500 and ordered to pay €250 towards Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board costs after being found guilty of behaving in an intimidating manner during a confrontation with the IHRB veterinary team during a sampling procedure at Tipperary in July.

On the day in question, Mahon had accompanied Stormey to the sampling area after the horse was selected for testing following his third-placed effort in a handicap chase.

Mahon had trained Stormey until he was suspended for four years after being found guilty in June under various regulations pertaining to the welfare of horses under his care, the registration of staff and bringing racing into disrepute. The horse was then transferred to Pat Kelly.

At Tipperary, Mahon, who had his four-year sanction reduced by six months on appeal in September, was acting as Kelly’s authorised representative, and a referrals committee that convened on November 3 considered four elements, including that he wasn’t wearing a shirt at the time, a point that was ultimately deemed irrelevant.

Stormey: horse at centre of Tipperary incidentCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

“There may be a question of taste involved and there might be particular circumstances where a particularly egregious breach of dress in some circumstances might lead to a breach of rules, but the committee does not feel that gives rise to any breach of circumstances in this case,” the report noted.

Mahon was also cleared of issues relating to Covid breaches, namely that he wasn’t wearing a snood that he had around his neck over his face and nose and that he was initially reluctant to leave the sampling area when requested to do so by the IHRB veterinary assistant, Avena O’Keeffe.

However, he was found guilty of behaving in an intimidating manner, which is covered under rule 272 (iii), by twice demanding to see the beaker that was due to be used for the sampling procedure.

Mahon argued he was under instruction from Kelly to see if there were “flies or other contaminants in the beaker”, although there was some contention over whether he was doing so to ascertain if there were tablets in there.

The panel accepted Mahon did not do so in a threatening manner, and it also accepted in mitigation that he was under stress at the time and that he hadn’t breached this particular rule before.

Stephen Mahon: fined over Tipperary incidentCredit: Alain Barr

In arriving at the €500 fine and €250 costs directive, the panel, which was chaired by Justice Frank Clarke, stated: “In the committee’s view, it is important that everybody involved in racing understands the need for racing officials going about their business on a raceday to be able to do so in an atmosphere that doesn’t convey any element of intimidation or the like.

"Everyone has a hard job to do but [the vets] also have a hard job to do and they are entitled to do it in circumstances where proper respect is shown to them. And therefore any offence of this type has to be regarded as potentially of some degree of seriousness.”

Of the particular offence, they added: “Objectively speaking, the particular circumstances of this case would in the committee’s view be towards the lower end of the range.”

Dundalk winner disqualified after claim confusion

It was also revealed on Monday that apprentice Mikey Sheehy has been fined €300 and disqualified from a winner and a third at Dundalk earlier this month due to riding with an incorrect claim.

Having recorded his 65th career success on Friday, October 29, the Kilkenny native should have seen his 5lb claim reduced to 3lb when riding at the meeting in question on Wednesday, November 3.

However, it wasn't until Sheehy outlined how many winners he had ridden to the clerk of the scales for the purpose of determining his claim for an apprentice-only race that the error was discovered. He had already ridden twice on the card with his previous 5lb claim.

Mikey Sheehy: stripped of a winner at Dundalk earlier this monthCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Part of the confusion appeared to arise due to Sheehy seeing his 5lb claim in the initial declarations on the HRI Ras website. The referrals committee noted this website is currently being updated to fully accommodate 48-hour declarations.

However, they concluded that the rider ought to have been alert to the change in his weight allowance before allowing the matter to escalate.

As a result, Sangria, trained by Joseph O'Brien, has been disqualified from the 6f nursery and the Kevin Prendergast-trained runner-up El Valle is now the winner.

Fourth-placed Art Of Unity, trained by Johnny Feane, has been promoted to third at the expense of the James Nash-trained Viv Vance in the 6f claiming race.

'No concerning betting patterns' in Call Me Freddie gamble

No action has been taken following the IHRB's investigation into the circumstances around Call Me Freddie's well-backed handicap hurdle win at Cork in May.

Having been available at 40-1 on the morning of the race, the Sam Curling-trained six-year-old struck as 11-4 favourite and had even been backed into as low as 13-8 before drifting slightly before the off.

Prior to the race, Call Me Freddie held form figures of 97090 and had been beaten a combined 330 lengths in his five starts for Curling. Rachael Blackmore was called up as a late replacement for the ride after previously booked rider Ian McCarthy was removed following incorrectly filling in Covid registration forms.

Call Me Freddie: well-backed winner at Cork in MayCredit: David Keane (racingpost.com/photos)

Senior Irish jumps handicapper Andrew 'Sandy' Shaw observed that the result was a significant improvement in form for Call Me Freddie, but, considering factors including the quality of the race and the ground conditions being in his favour, there were said to be "no issues arising from a handicapping point of view".

IHRB head of security Chris Gordon furnished a detailed report regarding betting patterns around the race. He observed that following consultation with a number of major bookmakers, none of the patterns were of concern.

The referrals committee noted all the evidence at hand and took no further action.

It was also revealed that trainer Anthony McCann has been fined €200 after an IHRB official observed a work rider returning from his gallop without a back protector during a stable inspection in May 2019.

McCann said the individual is no longer employed by him and, to the best of his knowledge, was wearing a back protector under his coat. He stated that he is aware of his responsibilities in this regard and makes sure his staff always wear safety gear.

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