Luke W Comer, son of billionaire businessman Luke Comer, has had his licence to train racehorses suspended for 12 months by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB).
An IHRB referrals panel, chaired by Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland Siobhan Keegan, imposed the suspension on Thursday due to reputational damage to the sport arising from an incident in 2021 when decomposed horse carcasses were found on Comer’s property in Summerhill, Co Meath by Department of Agriculture inspectors.
The matter was brought to court in March of this year when Comer, who said he knew nothing about the matter but co-operated fully with officials, escaped a conviction and donated €20,000 to the ISPCA. The charges were struck out.
The IHRB subsequently examined the matter itself and argued to the referrals panel that individuals in racing are required to act in a manner that preserves the sport’s integrity and reputation.
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It said Comer’s connection to the discovered carcasses and subsequent media coverage, compounded by the court case, clearly violated the rules, causing significant harm to horseracing’s integrity and reputation.
Although Comer, whose restricted licence allows him train up to four horses in each code, denied direct involvement in the matter, the referrals body found he had failed to live up to a trainer’s obligations.
With the public response to the discovery described by the IHRB as “intense and critical”, the panel concluded the good reputation of racing had been damaged and that public confidence in horse welfare standards within the industry had been undermined.
Comer has had less than 60 runners in Ireland in just over five years and just a single winner in 2018.
His suspension comes after his father began a three-year suspension of his own licence last month having lost an appeal against penalties imposed by the IHRB on the back of a high-profile doping scandal that saw a dozen of his horses test positive for anabolic steroids.
Shortly after that suspension began, his son saddled a couple of runners owned by Comer Snr at the Curragh on Irish Oaks day. He hasn’t saddled runners since.
Thursday’s referrals panel heard that both Luke Comer and Luke W Comer were on the premises during the 2021 inspection.
A veterinary report carried out by the IHRB’s senior veterinary officer, Dr Lynn Hillyer, noted how horse bones discovered included skulls, jaw bones, and vertebrae. The remains indicated horses of various ages.
However, the inspection revealed that the carcasses’ age and disposal method could not be clearly determined due to the possibility of buried identity chips.
Luke Comer Jnr acknowledged a sanction was necessary but suggested a contribution of €10,000 each year for two years to the rehoming and retraining organisation Treo Eile was appropriate.
In handing out the suspension, the panel said a fine was an insufficient penalty but opted not to impose one so long as Comer contributed to Treo Eile, a not-for-profit that provides assistance to trainers and owners who wish to rehome and retrain racehorses.
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