O’Briens staying home

TRAINERS Aidan and Donnacha O’Brien will miss two weeks of racing following a Referrals Committee hearing on Monday.

The father and son entered the Curragh through the wrong gate on June 12th, the day of the Irish 2000 Guineas, inadvertently bypassing the health screening checks at the main entrance.

A spokesperson for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board told The Irish Field: “They arrived at the usual gate and were allowed in without a wristband, which shouldn’t have happened. It was unlike the Emmet Mullins case in that they had not been refused admission earlier. It was a mistake and they fully accepted the error.”

Curragh Racecourse CEO Pat Keogh told The Irish Times that a racecourse gate attendant had made a mistake in allowing the trainers access without checking if they had already been issued wristbands.

The Referrals Committee prohibited the two trainers from going racing for a fortnight and each of them was fined €2,500.

Donnacha O'Brien's ban began last Monday (July 13th) and, following submissions, Aidan O'Brien's racecourse ban starts on Monday, July 20th.

At a separate hearing, Sarah Bermingham, authorised representative for trainer Enda Bolger, was fined €150 and prohibited from attending a racecourse for two months for accessing Bellewstown on July 8th without completing the necessary requirements. The second month has been suspended.

TRI Equestrian and TRM extend Leopardstown support

TRI Equestrian and their sister brand, TRM, have extended their partnership with Leopardstown Racecourse to include next Sunday’s meeting at the Dublin track (July 23rd).

The Listed TRI Equestrian Silver Stakes will be the feature race, a race previously won by Irish Derby winner Trading Leather. This year’s entries include 2018 Irish Derby winner Latrobe, Lincoln winner Bowerman and the unbeaten Napa Valley.

Ballyhane Stakes retains 446 entries

A TOTAL of 446 juveniles have been left in the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes, to be run at Naas on Sunday, August 23rd. This will be the first running of the median auction race, which has prize money of €320,000, following an initial entry of 563 horses.

The maximum number of allowed runners is 20 but a consolation race will also be staged on the day.

Smart winner Mother Earth, Poetic Flare and Frenetic are among the eye-catching entries for the six-furlong contest.

Barrier trials return at Dundalk

IRISH Thoroughbred Marketing, with the backing of the Irish European Breeders’ Fund and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, is resuming barrier trials for unraced two-year-old and three-year-old horses at Dundalk Stadium on Wednesday, July 29th.

The trials are being staged to meet the strong demand from overseas for quality unraced thoroughbreds and will return on the new Polytrack surface at Dundalk, where they were first staged in 2018. Entries close next Friday.

Web: itm.ie.