Top trainer Gavin Cromwell was fined €2,000 by the Naas stewards on Friday after being found in breach of “Non-Trier” rules.
The running and riding of the Cromwell-trained Tell Us This, a 250-1 shot who finished 15th in a maiden hurdle won by Tullyhill, was examined by the stewards who took a dim view of the efforts of jockey Ricky Doyle.
In addition to fining Cromwell, they suspended Doyle, winner of the 2021 Irish Grand National on the 150-1 shot Freewheelin Dylan, for 10 days and suspended the horses from racing for 42 days.
Doyle told the stewards his mount was a “raw” horse and that he ran in snatches.
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The jockey said “he got shuffled back a little further than he wished as they turned in and he ended up in a pocket. He added that his mount nodded at the second last, the others quickened too much for him and his horse finished to the best of his ability.”
At the inquiry, Cromwell stated that Tell Us This is not a straightforward horse and “every day is like his first day” but he thought he jumped well.
He also said he felt Doyle didn’t look to push the horse out close home but that perhaps he was “running onto horses in front of him.”
Tell Us This was examined by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board vet and found to be post-race normal. Samples were taken for analysis.
Cromwell, a Champion Hurdle winner with Espoir D’allen in 2019, is fourth in Ireland’s National Hunt trainer’s championship with 46 winners this season and approaching almost €700,000 in prizemoney.
He also has an impressive 26 per cent strike rate in Britain this season with eight winners from just 31 runners this season.
Among the Co Meath trainer’s best-known horses is Flooring Porter, twice winner of Cheltenham’s Stayers Hurdle.
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