"Really let down" Appeal of 10-month suspension by Hanlon

Trainer John "Shark" Hanlon, who won the King George Award, expressed his disappointment and plans to file an appeal against the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's referrals committee's 10-month penalty.

Hanlon, who trains last year's Kempton hero Hewick, was found to have removed a dead horse from his yard earlier this year in a way that 'made serious harm to the integrity, right conduct and good repute of the sport of racing'.

The horse was transported in an open trailer pulled by Hanlon's trademark horsebox, and the body was left for public seeing after a tarpaulin got loose during the trip.

The incident was captured on camera by a member of the public, and after it was extensively shared on social media, it garnered more media attention. As a result, the IHRB filed charges against Hanlon, stating that his actions "attracted significant public opprobrium and adverse comment" for both the trainer and racing as a whole.

"There will be an appeal put in straight away, that is one thing," Hanlon told the PA news agency. "At this stage, I can't say too much as my legal team has advised me not to say too much," Hanlon said.

"But we are very surprised and very disappointed with the results of the hearing."

On August 30, the referrals committee heard the case and found that Hanlon had violated rule 272(i) because he had "high culpability" and had been "grossly negligent in the supervision of the transport of the horse carcass on the day in question."

They concluded that insufficient steps had been made to secure the tarpaulin before the trip, and that "all trainers, including Mr. Hanlon, ought to have been well-aware of the importance of proper respect for the deceased animal."

 

The committee concluded that the trainer's "incompetence was significant and avoidable" and that a fine of EUR 2,000 and a 10-month license suspension were appropriate.

However, they left the door open to later halving his sentence after Hanlon made confessions "regarding his conduct and the consequences" on the morning of the hearing. An impromptu examination of his yard revealed no welfare issues or pertinent past rule violations.

The committee is willing to consider a future request to provisionally postpone the final five months of the 10-month withdrawal sentence, according to the ruling. This committee's prior methodology is compatible with the potential for a partial suspension of such a sentence to account for mitigating circumstances."

During the first phase of the suspension, Hanlon must abide by specific rules, such as not knowingly taking part in any training-related events or gallops and refraining from giving directions to any jockey or other trainer.

Additionally, he is not allowed to enter any parade rings, weigh rooms, or other areas of racetracks that are only accessible to IHRB license holders.