Trainer banned for three years after 12 horses test positive in doping scandal
Luke Comer, the billionaire co-founder of Comer Group, one of Britain and Ireland’s largest property developers, has had his trainer’s licence suspended for three years by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) after 12 of his horses tested positive for anabolic steroids in October and November 2021.
Comer was found to be in breach of Ireland’s anti-doping rules after a nineday hearing in front of the IHRB’s referrals committee in May, details of which emerged on Thursday.
The doping scandal, which the committee described as “quite unprecedented” in Ireland, emerged after a hair sample from Comer’s He Knows No Fear tested positive for the anabolic agents methandienone and methyltestosterone after finishing fourth of 12 runners in a Listed race at Leopardstown in October 2021.
Investigators then conducted outof-competition tests on horses at Comer’s stable and found 11 more positives. All the horses concerned have been banned from racing for two years.
Comer, who told the hearing that he “only spends about three months of the year in Ireland”, denies that he or his staff were involved in administering steroids to the 12 horses.
He also told the hearing that he believed hay fertilised with contaminated pig slurry could have caused the positive tests.
However, the panel decided that this was “unlikely”, and while it did not conclude that the steroids had been administered deliberately, it held Comer, the licensed trainer, liable for the presence of prohibited at all times (PAAT) substances in the hair samples.
In addition to the three-year suspension of his licence, Comer, who is one of the wealthiest businessmen in Europe, was fined €5,000 for each of the dozen breaches of the anti-doping rules.
He was also fined €5,000 after telling the committee that he had “an unblemished record” as a trainer despite having “multiple breaches of the Rules in the past”, and faces a legal bill of around £644,000 after being ordered to pay 80% of the IHRB’s costs.
Meanwhile at Doncaster, fresh from his Group One victory with Fallen Angel in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes on Sunday, Karl Burke collected another significant prize with a juvenile filly at Doncaster on Thursday as Darnation quickened three lengths clear of See The Fire in the Group Two May Hill Stakes.
Darnation was a warm favourite after a Group Three win on heavy ground at Goodwood in August and she quickened well when Clifford Lee asked for an effort two furlongs out.
She was cut to around 16-1 for the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket next spring, in a market headed by Fallen Angel at around 7-1.
Burke, who saddled the subsequent six-time Group One winner Laurens to win the May Hill in 2017, feels that the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day at Longchamp next month could be the ideal end-of-season target for Darnation.
Sumo Sam is 10-1 (from 16-1) for the Fillies & Mares event on Champions Day at Ascot next month after a brave front-running success in the Park Hill Stakes.
Paul and Oliver Cole’s filly dug deep when challenged by Lmay inside the final quarter-mile and had enough left to hold the late challenge of One Evening by a length-and-a-half.
Trueshan up for the Cup
Just five runners will go to post for Friday’s Group Two Doncaster Cup, the feature event on the second day of the St Leger meeting at Town Moor, but four have a realistic chance on their best form and the top two in the market offer punters an interesting choice between one of the most consistent stayers of recent seasons and another that, when conditions are in his favour, has been one of the best.
Coltrane, last year’s winner of this race and successful in the Lonsdale Cup at York last time, is the horse that can be relied on to run up to his best, and has won three of his last seven starts and been placed in all seven.
He tends to come up a little short against Group One-class horses, however, and Trueshan (3.00), who gets a handy 3lb from Coltrane on Friday, is very much in that category when there is cut in the ground.
Alan King’s gelding has not been at his best in two runs so far this season but he was in front a long way out in the Sagaro at Ascot in May and beat Coltrane by a head at level weights in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day last October.
Doncaster 1.50 Nine of the 10 runners were winners last time out and but none showed as much promise as Local Hero, who travelled eye-catchingly well at Kempton last month before accelerating nearly six lengths clear in a useful time.
Doncaster 2.25Big Evs was undeniably disappointing when sent off at 5-1 for the Nunthorpe at York last month but he did well to match the fierce early pace set by the winner and will appreciate this return to slightly calmer waters.
Doncaster 3.35Bague D’Or, who ran an excellent race to finish second on his belated return to action, looks the best bet at around 4-1 as he steps back up to 14 furlongs.