John 'Shark' Hanlon© Photo Healy Racing
King George-winning trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon said he was “very disappointed” and intends to appeal against a 10-month ban imposed by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s referrals committee.
Hanlon, who handles last year’s Kempton hero Hewick, was found to have acted in a manner that “caused significant prejudice to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of the sport of racing” in the removal of a dead horse from his yard earlier this year.
The horse was carried on an open trailer which was towed by Hanlon’s branded horsebox, with the body left on display to the public after a tarpaulin became displaced during the journey.
A member of the public videoed the incident and it was widely circulated on social media, which attracted further media attention and led to the IHRB bringing charges against Hanlon, saying the conduct “attracted significant public opprobrium and adverse comment” both for the trainer personally and racing in general.
Hanlon told the PA news agency: “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.
“But we are very surprised and very disappointed with the results of the hearing.”
The referrals committee heard the case on August 30 and were satisfied Hanlon had breached rule 272(i) in that he was “grossly negligent in the supervision of the transport of the horse carcass on the day in question” and there was “high culpability” on his part.
They said inadequate measures had been taken to secure the tarpaulin before the journey began and “the importance of proper respect for the deceased animal ought to have been well-known to all trainers, including Mr Hanlon”.
The committee found that the consequences of the trainer’s “incompetence were significant and avoidable” and that a 10-month withdrawal of his licence and a €2,000 fine were merited.
However, following admissions from Hanlon on the morning of the hearing “regarding his conduct and the consequences thereof”, plus an unannounced inspection of his yard that showed no welfare issues and no relevant previous rule breaches, they left the door open to later halving his suspension.
The ruling stated: “The committee is disposed to consider a future application to conditionally suspend the last five months of the 10-month withdrawal sanction. The possible partial suspension of such a sanction to reflect mitigating factors is consistent with the previous approach of this committee.”
Hanlon must adhere to certain provisions during the initial period of suspension, including not knowingly participating in any training-related activities or gallops and not issuing instructions to any jockey or other trainer.
He is also prohibited from entering any weighing room, parade ring or any other area of a racecourse restricted to licensees of the IHRB.
