Goffs €50,000 Bonus Series expanded

THE number of nominated races in the Goffs €50,000 Bonus Series has been expanded to 46.

There are 10 €50,000 bonuses to be won by graduates of last year’s Goffs Orby Sale (Book 1 & 2) and none of them have yet been won. The series will conclude on Goffs Millions Day at the Curragh on Saturday, September 28th, and, in the event that all 10 bonuses have not been won, the outstanding amount will be added to the Goffs Million and Goffs 500 prize money.

Details of the 46 races are available from the Goffs website and they are also clearly marked in the Irish Racing Calendar.

Goffs CEO Henry Beeby said: “The Goffs €50,000 Bonuses have been assigned by Goffs with the support of Horse Racing Ireland to give as many opportunities to win as possible.

“While some came very close in the initial 12 races announced at the start of the season, we still have 10 €50,000 bonuses up for grabs and therefore the number of races over the key summer months of the flat season have been increased to maximise the chances for all connections.”

Comer appeal heard

TRAINER Luke Comer’s appeal against a three-year suspension and over €800,000 in financial penalties opened on Wednesday and closed yesterday. The appeal was heard by a panel comprised of Mr Justice Peter Kelly (chairman), Dr Paddy Molony and Laurence McFerran.

Comer was represented by barristers Martin Hayden and Frank Crean, instructed by solicitor Andrew Coonan. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board represented by barristers Ronan Kennedy and Caoimhe Daly, instructed by DAC Beachcroft Solicitors. One witness was called to give evidence on behalf of Comer.

A spokesperson for the IHRB said: “Following the adjournment of the hearing on Friday, the panel has retired to consider the submissions from counsel for both sides and will deliver their decision in due course.”

Grangemore Stud is Breeder of the Month

GUY O’Callaghan of Grangemore Stud on the Curragh has won the Connolly’s Red Mills Breeder of the Month award for May. He bred Group 2 winner Charyn, who finished second in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes last Saturday.

Gladiatorus dies at stud

DUAL Group 1 winner Gladiatorus has died at Windmill View Stud in Kiltormer, Co Galway. The 19-year-old stallion succumbed to a chronic bout of laminitis over the weekend.

Chiefly remembered for his commanding all-the-way win in the 2009 Dubai Duty Free over nine furlongs on turf at Nad Al Sheba, Gladiatorus won another Group 1 in Italy that year. He stood in Italy and England before moving to John Lynch’s Windmill Farm Stud where he covered small books of National Hunt mares.

New date for Gowran

GOWRAN Park has been allocated a replacement flat card for Monday afternoon, June 17th, to replace the meeting lost last Wednesday due to waterlogging.

King and Rothwell lose positive test ‘winners’

TRAINERS Aengus King and Philip Rothwell both lost a winner this week due to failed drug tests. The King-trained Miss Cunning tested positive for harpagoside, the main active constituent of ‘Devil’s Claw’, a medicinal plant sometimes used as a herbal alternative to phenylbutazone. King told the Referrals Committee he used the supplement regularly but only post-race and the positive test occurred as a result of a mix-up of feed buckets. He was fined €750 and the race won by Miss Cunning at Cork in April 2023 was awarded to A Shin Undine.

Rothwell was fined €1,000 and had his November 2023 winner Duffys Getaway disqualified due to the presence of the painkiller and anti-inflammatory TCA in a post-race sample. Rothwell told the Referrals Committee that the horse has been treated with TCA by his own vet and then a second treatment 28 days later from a local equine hospital. The Fairyhouse race won by Duffys Getaway was awarded to Kiln Time.

Tim Vaughan avoids ban

TIM Vaughan, who trains in Wales, was fined £1,000 and given a suspended six-month sentence by the British Horseracing Authority’s independent judiciary panel this week. Vaughan was held responsible for a positive post-race test by his winner Bells Of Peterboro. The horse tested positive for TCA, a synthetic corticosteroid with painkilling and anti-inflammatory properties.

Move to padded hurdles

THE Jockey Club has reacted to compelling data regarding the safety of runners by moving to introduce padded hurdles at all 11 of its racecourses which stage jump fixtures. Cheltenham and Aintree will have them for the 2026/’27 season.