The well-backed favourite for today’s Guinness Galway Hurdle, Petrol Head, has been withdrawn from the big race by order of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. The dramatic move comes after it was confirmed a prohibited substance was found in a sample taken from the Katy Brown trained horse after he won his last race at Bellewstown on July 6th.
Confirmation from LGC laboratories came at 11am this morning and an IHRB statement said: “As a result of his confirmation of a prohibited substance, and following the IHRB investigation into the matter, the directors of the IHRB have withdrawn Petrol Head from the Guinness Galway Hurdle under the provisions of Rule 21 of the rules of racing.
“The IHRB will not be commenting any further on the matter until the disciplinary process is complete.”
Petrol Head, who races in the colours of the Orchard Garden Syndicate, had been well supported in early betting markets on Thursday and was a general 6/1 favourite before his withdrawal.
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The eight-year-old horse was formerly trained by Co Armagh based Ronan McNally, who in 2023 was handed a record 12-year disqualification from the sport after a long-running IHRB investigation into the improvement in form of horses linked to him.
Prior to being trained by McNally, Petrol Head was in the care of another controversial figure, David Dunne. Last year Dunne received a two-year suspension of his license for his involvement in the case that saw McNally hit with his record ban, although the final 18 months of that suspension was suspended. He was sanctioned under rules covering the bringing of racing into disrepute.
In March of this year, Dunne was given a 15-month prison sentence for the assault and false imprisonment of a stable hand in 2021. He pleaded guilty to the offences which took place at his yard on May 15th, 2021, when the victim was aged 18.
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