One of Ireland’s most high-profile trainers, John ‘Shark’ Hanlon, has had his licence suspended for 10 months by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) for causing reputational damage to the sport.
The Co Kilkenny-based trainer has risen to prominence principally on the back of top-flight success for his bargain €850 purchase Hewick, including when the horse landed the King George VI Chase at Kempton last Christmas.
However, his colourful image was tarnished in June when film emerged on social media of a dead horse in a trailer being towed through Paulstown village in Kilkenny by Hanlon’s horsebox.
In the short clip, the horsebox carries sponsorship by the betting firm Boylesports and referencing ‘Team Hewick’. Hanlon signed a sponsorship deal with Boylesports in February.
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The trainer later explained a tarpaulin covering the carcass had blown off during transportation to a knackery in Co Carlow.
An IHRB investigation resulted in a referrals panel hearing chaired by Justice Tony Hunt being held last Friday. Their verdict was delivered on Thursday.
The panel decided Hanlon had been “grossly negligent” in the transportation of the carcass and had caused “significant prejudice to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of the sport of horse-racing.”
They also concluded that Hanlon’s appreciation of the matter should have been sharpened by the fact that the events occurred in the context of an RTÉ Prime Time Investigates programme relating to serious equine welfare issues being broadcast earlier that week.
“His general media prominence and his previous public commentary on the RTÉ broadcast no doubt contributed to the intense level of controversy and criticism that sprang from his apparent involvement in the subsequent Paulstown incident,” an IHRB statement outlined.
The panel also referred to previous cases such as the notorious image of trainer Gordon Elliott sitting on a dead horse and said: “The importance of proper respect for the carcass of the deceased animal ought to have been well-known to all trainers, including Mr Hanlon.”
They suspended Hanlon’s license for 10 months, although he can reapply for it after five months if complying with a series of conditions. The trainer has a week to lodge any appeal against the verdict. He was also fined €2,000 by the panel.
“There is going to be an appeal put in straight away, that is one thing, and I can’t say too much at this stage as my legal team have advised me not to say too much,” said Hanlon. “But we are very surprised and very disappointed with the results of the hearing.”
It is another hugely embarrassing incident for Irish racing with Hanlon joining Tony Martin on the suspended list of trainers. Luke W Comer had his restricted licence suspended for a year last week following the discovery of decomposed horse carcasses on his property in 2021.
Thursday’s referrals panel statement said: “It is by now well-established that the time for a lenient or tolerant approach to the treatment of deceased sport horses is long gone.
“The details of this case required more than the imposition of a purely financial sanction. The deterrence of preventable carelessness and lax standards by licensed trainers in matters capable of affecting the public standing of the sport is essential.
“Licensees are participants in a sport which receives significant public funding, and must also be cognisant of the deep affection that many people have for horses.
“The public are therefore entitled to hold legitimate expectations and concerns as to the humane and respectful treatment of both live and dead sport horses, and the IHRB must respond appropriately to those expectations and concerns by the meaningful enforcement of reasonable standards of conduct by licensed participants in the sport.”
Part of the conditions Hanlon must satisfy if he is to reapply for his licence is that he must withdraw from any training related activity for five months.
The trainer’s record with cheaply bought racehorses has seen him rise in prominence in recent years. His €600 buy out of Willie Mullins’s yard, Skyace, subsequently won a Grade One race in 2021.
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