DENIS Hogan is making plans to ensure it is business as usual at his Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, yard during his three-month suspension which starts on September 1st.

Hogan was shocked by the decision to withdraw his licence following a prohibited substance rule breach. Having ignored veterinary advice and run a horse too soon after it had been treated with anti-inflammatories, the trainer was not surprised by the €5,000 fine he received.

However, the Referrals Committee took into account it was Hogan’s fourth time to fall foul of the medication rules and suspended him for three months.

Hogan, who is consistently among the top 20 trainers in the country under both codes, was not legally represented at the hearing and immediately lodged an appeal.

However, after a period of reflection, he accepted the ban and instead made a submission to the Appeals Panel to defer the start of the suspension until September 1st. That request was granted this week.

The trainer told The Irish Field: “I made a mistake and I’ve come to terms with the consequences of that. I will have to step back from the day-to-day operations during the suspension but we hope to keen the business going. We now have to find someone suitable to take over the licence and put that proposal to the Licensing Committee.”

Deferring the ban until September 1st means Hogan will be able to have runners at Galway, a meeting where he has traditionally done very well.

“My staff and owners have been very loyal during this difficult period, and I have to express my appreciation for the understanding shown by the Appeals Body,” he said. “I would also like to thank Ryan McElligott [chief executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association]. I couldn’t speak to anyone for days after the suspension, but Ryan called me and was very helpful. I have to compliment him and say he is a top man at his job.”

Hogan has been busy buying new stock at the recent store horse sales and at the horses-in-training sales in Newmarket. Last November Hogan sold winning pointer Mahon’s Way for £360,000 and he is hoping to do more in that area.

“It’s something we have been lucky at and I enjoy doing it, so I was keen to get some store horses this summer,” he said. “Obviously we want to have winners in our own name but trading is a big part of the business for most trainers.”

Hogan’s suspension also sets a precedent of a trainer having their licence withdrawn due to a handful of prohibited substance rule breaches over a number of years.

In May 2022 trainer Robert Tyner came close to having his licence suspended for a third breach of the prohibited substances rules in three years.

The Referrals Committee said: “We’ve taken into account your record but we view it as three breaches in three years and we take that as a serious offence. It had crossed our mind to suspend your licence but on this occasion we are not going to do that.”

One prominent trainer has lost three winners in the past five years over relatively minor post-race positive tests for prohibited substances.

Yesterday the IHRB published its half-yearly anti-doping report and it quoted CEO Darragh O’Loughlin saying: “We have no tolerance for any breaches of anti-doping rules. Swifter prosecution and stringent penalties will continue to demonstrate our seriousness.”