IRISH RACING: Conor O' Dwyer, left, received a seven -day ban yesterday after being judged by the Leopardstown stewards to have made "insufficient effort" on Take Five in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle, writes Brian O'Connor.

Take Five, who raced in the same JP McManus colours as the winner, Farinel, finished eighth in the race but attracted the attention of the authorities.

They decided the racecourse had been used as a training ground, fined trainer John Kiely €500 and banned Take Five from racing for 42 days. O'Dwyer's ban begins on January 24th and goes to February 7th.

The 8,333 attendance was down over 2,000 on last year. Betting figures were also down.