Irish Trainer Byrnes Suspended for Sedative Positive

Irish racing was left reeling Jan. 19 following the revelation that Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Charles Byrnes' license has been suspended for six months after Viking Hoard was found to have tested positive for a sedative after being pulled up at Tramore in October 2018.

Hydroxyethylpromazinehydroxide, a metabolite of acepromazine, was found in Viking Hoard's system after the race. The HEPS was found in high enough concentration to exceed the International Screening Limit.

The ISL is 10 nanograms/milliliter and the estimated detected level in Viking Hoard's urine sample was 1,000 nanograms/milliliter, or 100 times the applicable ISL.

It was established that Viking Hoard was subject to a "dangerous degree of sedation during the race," and the committee accepted the interpretation of the evidence that the horse had been "nobbled" by an unidentified third party when left unaccompanied. 

It consequently noted that "it follows as a matter of probability that Mr. Byrnes' general mode of operation permitted such a strategy to be viable."

There were substantial lay bets placed on the horse to lose at Tramore and one wager had a liability of €34,889 to win €3,200.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's deputy head of security Declan Buckley provided evidence that the lay bet, along with two other similar lays of the horse at Galway and Sedgefield previously, "were initially placed with a limited liability company, which placed them in turn with Betfair." 

Buckley also identified an unnamed "individual known to be associated" with the account who was described as being "based in a distant part of the world and was said to be associated with match-fixing and associated betting in connection with other sports."

The referrals committee said there was no evidence linking Byrnes, who on Tuesday said he would be appealing, with the betting patterns, but that they provided context to the events at Tramore and the subsequent investigation.

The committee expressed its surprise that such a third-party mechanism could be used for laying horses as "it could hinder identification of the possible beneficiaries of lay betting." 

In all, Buckley revealed three substantial lay bets on Viking Hoard had been traced through the Betfair exchange to the same account holder. 

As well as the substantial bets wagered on Viking Hoard to lose at Tramore, another was cited when he finished fourth at Sedgefield on Oct. 2, 2018. On that occasion, Viking Hoard drifted from 3-1 out to 10-1 before the off with over €30,000 risked against €12,000. 

Byrnes, a multiple grade 1-winning trainer, had another runner—Thosedaysaregone—on the Sedgefield card who was also successfully laid for substantial risk. The horse's saddle slipped and he was pulled up.

Prior to Sedgefield, Viking Hoard ran at Galway in July 2018 and once again drifted from 4-1 out to a starting price of 8-1. The risk was €55,000 against a return of €12,000. 

The IHRB's chief veterinary Dr. Lynn Hillier commented that, in her opinion, the betting patterns were not coincidental in relation to Viking Hoard, and concluded that he had been "nobbled" at Tramore. The conclusion was not challenged.

Having considered the evidence, the IHRB referrals' committee concluded Byrnes was "seriously negligent" in his supervision of Viking Hoard on the day of the race and found him in breach of rule 96(a) as a prohibited substance was present in the post-race sample taken.

Taking into account the gravity of what occurred, the committee ordered Byrnes' license be withdrawn for a period of six months and imposed a €1,000 fine on the trainer.

When asked to comment on Tuesday, Byrnes simply said: "I am going to appeal and I don't want to comment any further."