Amateur jockey Liam Gilligan is set to appeal a 10-day ban imposed under ‘non-trier’ rules at Limerick in January after unsuccessfully arguing in a separate appeal that those rules are unfair.
An extensive and controversial reworking of the Rule 212 ‘non-trier’ law was introduced by racing’s regulator in 2017.
Central to it is an obligation on those involved in the running and riding of a horse to ensure the horse is seen “to a reasonable and informed member of the racing public” to have run on its merits.
Gilligan was banned under Rule 212 at Limerick on December 1st for his ride on the Noel Glynn-trained Onemoreknightihope, runner-up in an amateur handicap hurdle.
He lodged an appeal against his suspension but that was postponed on the back of the jockey arguing that various elements of Rule 212 were “unfair, unreasonable, arbitrary and irrational”.
Gilligan also argued the rules did not meet the requirements of the Irish Horseracing Industry Act 1994 “to make and enforce the rules of racing and in so doing to promote integrity and fair play in horse racing”.
A separate appeals body chaired by Mr Justice Raymond Groarke heard the case on Zoom late last month and on Tuesday confirmed the challenge had failed.
In its ruling it said: “ We accept the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s [IHRB] contention that it would undermine the entire scheme and purpose of the Rule if a rider could escape sanction even though he had not made and was not seen to have made the necessary effort, simply because he could establish, for whatever reason, that the horse probably would not have done any better if a proper effort had been made.”
No date has been set for Gilligan’s appeal against his 10-day suspension has been set although an IHRB spokesman said on Tuesday it is hoped to be arranged “pretty quickly”.
