BYRNES BAN OVER SEDATIVE
THE reputation of Irish racing has been damaged by the news trainer Charles Byrnes, a threetime Cheltenham Festival winner, was saddled with a six-month ban after one of his horses was ‘nobbled’ with a sedative.
A hearing of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board was told that betting patterns surrounding Viking Hoard, who was pulled up in a handicap hurdle at Tramore on October 18, 2018, showed a possible link to ‘an individual based in a distant part of the world associated with match-fixing and associated betting in connection with other sports’.
Viking Hoard, who drifted from 4/1 to 8/1 before the Tramore race, received reminders from jockey Kevin Brouder within a few strides of the start and jumping the first hurdle.
A lay bet risking €34,889 to win €3,200 demonstrated a degree of confidence the bet would be successful, according to the committee, which also was told of two other races involving Viking Hoard when similar bets were struck.
Viking Hoard was pulled up at Tramore after jumping six hurdles. A post-race veterinary examination showed he had a ‘slow heart rate’ and subsequently tested positive for Acepromazine (ACP), a fast-acting tranquiliser.
Lynn Hillyer, IHRB chief veterinary officer and head of antidoping, told the hearing the evidence showed that Viking Hoard was ‘subject to a dangerous degree of sedation during the race, which was masked until the rider was required to ask the gelding for an early effort in the race’.
In her opinion, the betting patterns were not coincidental, and Dr Hillyer concluded that the evidence demonstrated that Viking Hoard had been ‘nobbled’ prior to the race.
Hillyer also noted that the high concentration of the sedative not only impacted the performance of Viking Hoard, but posed a threat to ‘the integrity of the race and the health, safety and welfare of the animals, the rider, stable staff and other riders and animals in the race.’
Having considered the evidence, the IHRB referrals’ committee concluded Byrnes was ‘seriously negligent’ in his supervision of Viking Hoard on the day of the race and found him in breach of rule 96(a) as a prohibited substance was present in the post-race sample taken.
The committee decided that while there was no evidence linking Byrnes to the bets or the administration of the ACP, he had been negligent in his trainer duties as Viking Hoard was twice left unaccompanied at the racecourse which offered time windows that ‘facilitated what was clearly organised prerace doping of his charge’.
Limerick-based Byrnes, whose biggest wins in Britain included the Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival with Solwhit and the RSA Chase at the 2010 Festival with Weapon’s Amnesty, told the IHRB he intends to appeal the decision.
Byrnes made the headlines at Roscommon in August 2016 when he saddled three gambledon winners – War Anthem, Top Of The Town and Mr Smith.
While the winners had starting prices of 6/1, 5/4 and 7/4 respectively, a treble at early prices would have paid 4,334/1.
The gamble was reputed to have cost bookmakers a seven-figure sum.