TRAINER Ray Hackett has been fined a total of €4,250 by the Referrals Committee over the presence of a prohibited substance in a sample taken from a winner he trained at Thurles in March 2025.

The horse in question, Nowwhatdoyouthink, went on to win a Grade 3 chase and be Grade 1 placed for Hackett last season before being sold to join the yard of Gordon Elliott, for whom he finished fourth in the Galway Plate in July.

Following the gelding’s Thurles maiden hurdle win, he tested positive for cobalt. During a yard inspection, Hackett told the IHRB that Growvite Sheep was being administered to racehorses in his care to help maintain their condition. This product, available over the counter, contains cobalt and Hackett said he did not appreciate its use should be recorded in his medicines register. He told the Referrals Committee he no longer uses the supplement.

Successful appeals

Paddy Harnett was partially successful in appealing against a nine-day improper riding ban he received at Clonmel on September 16th. After hearing evidence from Harnett, who believed his saddle had slipped in the closing stages, the Appeals Body held that Harnett’s ofence was “of the severe end of careless rather than improper riding” and reduced the ban to six days.

Sam Coen also succeeded in having a suspension reduced by the Appeals Body. He was given a seven-day ban for weighing out with a defective back protector at Listowel. This was reduced to five days on appeal.

Co Clare trainer John F. O’Neill was fined a total of €2,000 and lost a point-to-point winner over a prohibited substance. A post-race sample taken from Balkito, winner of the open lightweight at the Galway Blazers meeting in May 2025, was found to contain furosemide, commonly known as Lasix. The race was awarded to Johnny Berry’s Five Star Getaway.