Hanlon is very disappointed by the decision of IHRB

John ‘Shark’ Hanlon, who trained the King George-winning Hewick, has expressed his "very disappointed" reaction and announced plans to appeal against the 10-month ban imposed by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) referrals committee.

The ban follows an incident earlier this year when Hanlon was found to have acted in a manner that "caused significant prejudice to the integrity, proper conduct, and good reputation of the sport of racing" by improperly removing a dead horse from his yard. The horse was transported on an open trailer, towed by Hanlon’s branded horsebox, with its body exposed to the public after a tarpaulin became displaced during transit.

The incident was filmed by a member of the public and widely shared on social media, attracting considerable media attention and leading to charges against Hanlon. The IHRB described the conduct as having "attracted significant public opprobrium and adverse comment" for both the trainer and the sport of racing.

Hanlon told the PA news agency: "We will be appealing immediately. I can’t say much more at this stage, as my legal team has advised me to remain tight-lipped. But we are very surprised and deeply disappointed with the outcome of the hearing."

The referrals committee, which heard the case on August 30, found Hanlon in breach of rule 272(i), citing "gross negligence" in supervising the transport of the horse carcass and "high culpability" on his part. They noted inadequate measures to secure the tarpaulin and emphasised that proper respect for deceased animals should be well-known to all trainers, including Hanlon.

The committee concluded that Hanlon’s "incompetence had significant and avoidable consequences" and deemed a 10-month licence suspension and a €2,000 fine appropriate. However, they indicated that the suspension might be reduced to five months, contingent upon a future application. This potential reduction considers mitigating factors, consistent with their previous approach.

During the initial suspension period, Hanlon is required to adhere to specific conditions, including abstaining from participating in any training-related activities or gallops, refraining from issuing instructions to jockeys or other trainers, and avoiding entry to racecourse areas restricted to IHRB licensees.