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The Referrals Committee, Mr Michael Hickey (Chairman), Mr Noel McCaffrey and Mr Marcus Magnier convened at the offices of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 to consider whether Mr Cormac Farrell (Trainer) was in breach of any Rules of Racing arising from a stable inspection carried out at his Training Establishment on 27 January by IHRB Officials.
On the day of the inspection, the inspection team noted that Variance had received an intra-articular administration of Adcortyl on 17 September 2025 and subsequently ran on 27 September 2025.
At the Referral Hearing, the Committee considered submissions from Mr Farrell, including his acceptance of the breach, his apology for incorrectly calculating the days between when Variance was treated and permitted to run and some personal circumstances at the time.
Having considered the evidence, the Referrals Committee found Mr Farrell in breach of Rule 87(ii)(c) and having regard for Mr Farrell’s cooperation and his submissions the Committee imposed a fine of €750. Furthermore, the Referrals Committee ordered that Variance be disqualified from division one of the Fitzpatrick’s Mercedes-Benz Maiden at The Curragh on Saturday, 27 September 2025.
The case was presented by Ms Hannah Smullen BL, instructed by Ms Christine Traynor, IHRB Head of Racing Regulation and Integrity.