Ronan McNally judgment can’t be just an exercise in low-hanging optics

Buried in the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board appeals body’s judgement that dismissed Ronan McNally’s appeal against a record disqualification for betting fraud and other offences was a sentence underlining the paradox at the heart of this saga.

Backing up a referrals panel verdict that delivered the Co Armagh trainer a record 12-year disqualification from the sport, the judgement referred to a pair of horses central to the IHRB’s long-running investigation.

“The committee accepted that the appellant tried to achieve a position whereby Dreal Deal and The Jam Man could get to a stage where they could race to their true ability without that ability being seen or discovered by the betting public,” it stated.

Whatever about the methods employed by McNally in reaching such a position, the reality is that trying to disguise the true ability of horses from the betting public is a pursuit as old as racing.

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For many it is the sport’s central appeal, one glorified in roguish folklore about famed gamblers such as the late Barney Curley, a man who barely talked to himself about plots never mind anyone else.

It mostly remains the case that no one in the know about a stroke ever complained about ethics, nor is it easy to shake the suspicion that those crying foul loudest might be indignant at simply being outside the loop.

Such concealment is all but institutionalised. Most horses have ordinary ability, run in ordinary handicaps that make up much of the programme, so trying to keep one step ahead of the handicapper is built into the system. Griping about it is like complaining about rain in January.

Only a tiny elite of owners and trainers can afford not to play that game to some extent and even some of those with the deepest of pockets play it anyway.

No one in modern times has got as big a penalty as McNally and earlier this year the Co Armagh man pointed out a corollary of that by saying he couldn’t see how he’s the worst person ever in Irish racing. It’s a fair point because it’s hard to describe his chicanery as unique.

Getting horses handicapped favourably by not trying very hard for a few races isn’t particular to anyone. Sharing information with friends about a going or non-going days is hardly unique. Economy with the truth of ownership arrangements is no solitary exercise either.

Where McNally perhaps stood out was in his blatant disregard for the rules, an attitude described as cavalier by the referrals panel. Those who operate by an unwritten decorum of trying not to rub official noses in it will have been almost offended by how overt some of his skulduggery was.

That McNally’s actions were flagrant rather than singular inevitably invite charges of the IHRB indulging in low-hanging optics. After all, it’s easier to get tough with an interloper from Armagh than some establishment figure from the bloodstock heartlands.

Persuading its constituency that isn’t the case is the regulator’s urgent task. Whether or not McNally’s ban is too much – and the final four years have been suspended – a new standard has been set. It is vital that is applied, and is seen to apply, across the board, no matter who’s involved.

The IHRB’s reputation and credibility has been put through the wringer in the last decade. Restoring it is a major job that make thorough investigations such as the McNally case necessary on any number of levels.

Some of the steps taken in pursuit of that judgement are encouraging in terms of serious policing.

Retrospective penalties, even when no action was taken on the day of the race, is a positive. So is throwing out winners found afterwards to have shown improved form. Glaring inferences from evidence weren’t ducked. It is essential that similar resolve is applied in future.

There are plenty operators far too canny to go about their shady business as conspicuously as McNally did. But what they’re doing is essentially no different and this new standard of deterrent must be all-encompassing.

Otherwise, accusations that authority turns a blind eye when it suits will stick even harder.

The regulator has to operate in the game as it is rather than precisely by a rule book that requires all horses and riders do their best all of the time. It’s a utopian ideal at odds with reality on the ground and makes for a murky environment requiring consistent and effective policing.

People may appreciate racing’s more surreptitious element, but they also need to be able to bet with some degree of confidence. That means a consistent level of accountability is essential.

McNally has been held accountable to an unprecedented extent. More sinister offences by others recently have resulted in comparatively lenient penalties. But if others feel considerably less sure of themselves due to this outcome it is no bad thing for the betting public generally.

Something for the Weekend

Aidan O’Brien has won the Saturday’s Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot with fillies before, including September in 2017. PEARLS AND RUBIES (2.30) made an eye-catching winning debut at Navan 12 days ago in a manner that suggests being upped in trip should suit.

In the following Jersey Stakes OLIVIA MARALDA (3.05) looks to have her ideal conditions in fast ground over seven furlongs. Her stamina got stretched in the 1,000 Guineas but the ex-Irish filly bounced back with a smooth success at Epsom and at double-digit odds she looks worth a flutter.