The Referrals Committee, Mr. Laurence McFerran (Chairman), Mr. John Murphy and Dr. Paddy Molony convened in the Stewards Room, The Curragh Racecourse on Tuesday 6th June 2023, to consider the referral of Mr. Luke Comer (Trainer) in relation to the identification of Wado Cherokee which was due to run on 13th May 2023 at Navan in the Book Your Summer BBQ on June 11th Maiden.
On the day, the Raceday Stewards received a report from Dr. Lynn Hillyer, IHRB Veterinary Officer, that she was unable to positively identify Wado Cherokee from the markings and the microchip number contained on the passport for the horse and that the horse presented was in fact Shall I Walk. The Stewards ordered the withdrawal of Wado Cherokee in accordance with Rule 90 (iv) and referred the matter to a Senior Racing Official for further investigation. The matter was subsequently referred to a Referrals Committee for hearing.
At the Referral hearing, the committee considered evidence from Mr. J.T. Gorman, Authorised Representative of Mr. Luke Comer.
In his evidence, Mr. Gorman accepted full responsibility for the presentation of Shall I Walk instead of Wado Cherokee. Mr. Gorman stated that there were staffing difficulties in the yard on the morning of racing, that the two fillies were on the walker that morning at the same time and he had mistakenly placed the wrong filly on the transport travelling to Navan Racecourse.
Having considered the evidence, the Referrals Committee were satisfied that Mr. Comer was in breach of Rule 90(vi). Having considered Mr. Comer’s record in this regard, the Referrals Committee imposed a fine of €500.
The case was presented by Mr. Michael Daly, IHRB Regulatory Legal Advisor.
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