Co Kildare trainer Katy Brown has said she has endured “a nightmare of a week” with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) after her horse Petrol Head was dramatically withdrawn from Thursday’s €270,000 Guinness Galway Hurdle just hours before the race.
Petrol Head had been well supported in betting down to 6-1 favouritism before the IHRB ordered he be taken out of the race after confirmation he’d failed a drugs test after winning his previous race at Bellewstown on July 6th.
A statement said that confirmation from LGC laboratories came at 11.0am and added: “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of a prohibited substance, and following the IHRB investigation into the matter, the directors of the IHRB have withdrawn Petrol Head from the Guinness Galway Hurdle under the provisions of Rule 21 of the rules of racing.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.”
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Brown, who said the prohibited substance found in Petrol Head was Clenbuterol, claimed the sport’s regulator didn’t want the horse to run in Ireland’s richest handicap hurdle and accused it of harassment.
She also said there’s “no connection whatsoever” between the horse and its former trainer, Ronan McNally, who got a record 12-year disqualification from the IHRB in 2023.
Petrol Head was part of a long-running IHRB investigation into Co Armagh-based McNally that resulted in the horse being disqualified from 10 races, including one win, due to the concealment of his ownership at that time.
The horse now races in the colours of the Orchard Garden syndicate and has won both his starts since being switched to Brown.
“There is no connection there. That horse was leased by the Orchard Garden syndicate. They own other horses with me as well, that have always been with me,” Brown said. “So, there’s no connection there, no connection whatsoever. Horseracing is full of rumours, that’s the way it’s always been.”
She added: “That horse has a profile. I’m not an eejit. I know rumours are going around and whatever.
“I’m looking at comments the whole time on betting sites, the ex-Ronan McNally trained; that horse has run twice for me and won twice. Why not say ‘has won two races for new trainer.’
“I can assure you, I trained winners before I got him and I’ll train winners after I get him. They just didn’t want that horse to run and that’s it. It’s as simple as that. And what they found in the sample, how it reads, it doesn’t match what was found and circumstances.”
Petrol Head won at Bellewstown to secure his place in Thursday’s big race where he was due to be ridden by Danny Gilligan.
“To be honest, I’ve had a nightmare of a week with the IHRB. They’ve been chasing me around the country. They’ve been harassing my staff.
“Obviously I know they were looking for medical records for the Galway Hurdle, all the way back to January. The lads that own that horse actually lease that horse off somebody and basically, we’ve been completely hard done by.
“They never told me until 12.0 that the horse couldn’t run, and basically all that showed up in that horse’s sample was Clenbuterol, which is a syrup. It actually showed up in a hair sample, not in the urine.
“The hair samples go back a while so therefore, I definitely didn’t give the horse anything anyway,” Brown commented.
“To be honest, they didn’t want that horse to run in that race, they were afraid he would win. I feel completely hard done by. I’d like to know how many other hair samples are being taken from that race.
“They obviously knew I was going for the Galway Hurdle after the horse ran in Bellewstown and they didn’t stop until they got some little inkling somewhere.
“I brought that horse to the beach on Monday down in Wexford. I was followed to the beach by the IHRB. I went to Lisadell vets with the horse, I was followed up there by the IHRB. You have no idea what’s been going on the last week.”
Petrol Head’s positive test came from the A-sample and Brown said she could request a B-sample test.
“I have until Tuesday to make my mind up. What it reads is reading a lot worse than it actually is,” she said.
An IHRB spokesman responded to Brown’s claims and said: “This is an ongoing investigation into a serious matter and the IHRB is satisfied that it has been, and will continue to be, conducted in a thorough and professional manner in accordance with our established procedures.”
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