A CASE between Coolmore Stud and Glanbia over the alleged contamination of horse feed was stalled in the High Court on Monday.

Linley Investments, trading as Coolmore Castlehyde and Associated Stud Farms, has taken a case against Glanbia Foods following the detection of performance enhancing drug zilpaterol in some of Glanbia-owned Gain Equine Nutrition’s feed in October 2020.

A number of Coolmore-owned horses trained by Aidan O’Brien were withdrawn from races at ParisLongchamp on Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe day in 2020 following advance testing which indicated they would be disqualified if they had raced.

The stud is now suing Glanbia for damages.

Mutual consent

In Monday’s proceedings overseen by Mr Justice Denis McDonald, both parties in the commercial case consented to the case’s postponement.

The postponement was afforded to allow a verdict to be made in a separate but related case between Glanbia and its molasses supplier, ED&F Man Liquid Products Ireland Ltd.

Glanbia is awaiting a verdict in this case against ED&F, which was also heard in the High Court last month.

Glanbia is seeking €9 million in losses from ED&F and says it has obtained an order from the court to bring the molasses supplier in as a third party in the case versus Coolmore.

ED&F contests that it supplied the molasses, which laboratory tests showed to have been contaminated with the banned hormone in October 2020, on different terms and conditions than Glanbia claims, therefore arguing it is not liable to cover Glanbia’s losses.

A verdict on the case between the molasses supplier and feed merchant is expected shortly, with Mr Justice McDonald suggesting that the proceedings with Coolmore will continue two weeks after such a verdict is made.