The Co Tipperary trainer Thomas Hogan was fined £3,000 by the Turf Club yesterday for attempting to administer a prohibited substance to his horse Dromineer at Downpatrick races 19 days ago.

The appeals and referrals committee decided that Hogan had attempted to give Atrovent to the horse through an inhaler. Atrovent contains ipratopium bromide which acts on the respiratory system.

In a separate case, the committee also cut jockey Eddie Ahern's ban for improper riding at Galway 12 days ago from 21 days to 10, beginning on Monday. At Galway, Ahern was judged to have struck fellow jockey Danny Grant with his whip during a race.

On the same day at Galway, Half Barrel was disqualified from first place in a handicap hurdle, but his trainer Val O'Brien's appeal against that decision was dismissed yesterday.

Heavy recent rain means that the meeting scheduled for Sligo on September 27th will now be run at Dundalk on the same day. A drainage programme is being implemented in Sligo.