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The Referrals Committee, Mr Justice Frank Clarke (Chair), Mr Michael Sheahan and Mr Marcus Magnier convened at the offices of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on Tuesday, 30 June 2026 to consider a referral from an IHRB Senior Racing Official in relation to the identification of Auntie Josie, trained by Michael Goff, who was due to run in the Galway Blazers (F) Loughrea, Point to Point on 17 May 2026.
On the day, the Acting Stewards received a report from Mr Anthony Ryan, IHRB Veterinary Officer, that he was unable to positively identify Auntie Josie from the passport presented. The Acting Stewards ordered the withdrawal of Auntie Josie in accordance with Regulation 22(ix) and referred the matter to a Senior Racing Official.
At the Referral Hearing, submissions were considered from Mr Goff.
In his submission, Mr Goff apologised for the errors which had led to the discrepancy with Auntie Josie’s passport and microchip number and gave a commitment to put in place procedures to mitigate against a recurrence.
Having considered the evidence, the Referrals Committee were satisfied that Mr Goff was in breach of Rule 85(vi) and Rule 90(ii) and taking account of Mr Goff’s acceptance of the breaches, they imposed a fine of €500.
The case was presented by Ms Christine Traynor BL, IHRB Head of Racing Regulation and Integrity.