THE punters at the centre of the Ronan McNally investigation are believed to have won in the region of €20,000 when backing or laying McNally horses, and lost a similar amount when backing or laying horses from other yards.

These betting records, coupled with the ‘inside information’ links between the Cork-based punters and the Armagh-based trainer, are what led the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board to build their case against those involved in the alleged deception of punters, which this week saw McNally warned off for an unprecedented 12 years.