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Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Horse at centre of 'huge controversy' declared to run at Galway Races
The horse at the centre of one of Ireland's most controversial races in recent times will run for the first time since at Galway on Wednesday for new connections. Redwood Queen is declared to run in the Tote, €5,000 Guaranteed Jackpot Irish EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle - her first outing since a now infamous race at Wexford in May. That race is still the subject of an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board review into the contentious unseat of jockey Philip Byrnes at the closing hurdle. Byrnes parted company with the mare, who was a serious market drifter before the Claiming contest, and handed victory to odds-on favourite and well-backed Beacon Edge from Gordon Elliott's stable. She was then trained by his father Charles Byrnes but was subsequently claimed for €6,000 after the race and is now in the care of CIan Collins and owned by the Del Boy Partnership. The mare is also entered in two flat races on Friday. Philip Byrnes (right) is unseated from Redwood Queen (Image: Racing TV) The incident at Wexford attracted a huge amount of attention all over the world at the time - as far as Australia and the USA - and social media footage has been viewed millions of times online. Redwood Queen traded at 1/7 on approaching the final obstacle which she appeared to jump well before Byrnes slipped off the saddle, landing on his knees. Although the on-course stewards at Wexford took no action on the day of the race, the IHRB are conducting a review into the race with the results of that investigation, if any, yet to be made public. The review was to take into consideration the incident on the racecourse and other factors, such as betting patterns of the race. Following the race Charles Byrnes gave his verdict on the unseat saying: "He (Philip) was trying to get the mare to go in and pop it, because obviously she had the race won, and she came up out of his hands and blew him out of the saddle. There's no one hurting more than Philip about it." The IHRB gave no timeline on the conclusion of the review with a spokesman saying on June 12: 'Depending on the nature of the matter, the IHRB may also engage with external service providers or stakeholders as appropriate. 'The current review into the Wexford matter is being conducted in line with our procedures.'
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish Champion jockey hit with 14-day ban for alleged non-trier offence
Ireland's Champion conditional jump jockey Tiernan Power Roche has been hit with a hefty ban following a race at Ballinrobe on Tuesday evening. The Wexford born rider was suspended for 14-days by the raceday stewards for his ride on Coolboy Christie in the opening O´Hare´s Bar Maiden Hurdle at the Mayo venue. The stewards deemed him in breach of Rule 212, which relates to non-triers, for his effort on the Philip Rothwell-trained four-year-old who finished eighth of 13 in the race. They also suspended the horse, owned by the Geesala Racing Group Syndicate, from racing for 60 days while trainer Rothwell, who was absent, escaped any punishment. 27-year-old Power Roche was crowned champion conditional last season and is one of the brightest prospects on the Irish jumping racing scene with 40 career winners to his name. Coolboy Christie was a 40-1 chance and made late headway having been held up at the rear of the field for most of the race. Power Roche told the stewards he was following his trainer's instructions as the horse had previously raced keenly but having interviewed connections the stewards took action and hit him with a 14-day ban. The suspension could now see Power Roche miss out on the Galway Festival, which takes place next week from Monday July 28 to Sunday August 3rd. Following the race an IHRB Veterinary check reported the animal to be clinically abnormal post-race with samples taken for further analysis. The stewards' report into the race was published on the IHRB website following racing and read: 'The Raceday Stewards enquired into the running and riding of Coolboy Christy, ridden by T. Power Roche, and trained by P.J. Rothwell. Evidence was heard from the rider concerned and Mr David Nolan the trainer's Authorised Representative. 'T. Power Roche, stated that he received his instructions via telephone prior to racing from P.J. Rothwell, these were to drop in last and to settle his mount who has previously ran keen. 'He further stated that his mount made a few jumping errors but that he was happy with the ride in that he had improved from his previous runs and ran to the best of his abilities today. 'Mr David Nolan confirmed the instructions given and stated that following the race P.J. Rothwell advised him via telephone that the rider could have been seen to make more of an effort in the closing stages. 'The Raceday Stewards also received a report from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Veterinary Officer who reported the animal to be clinically abnormal post-race. Samples were taken for further analysis. 'Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the evidence, the Raceday Stewards were satisfied that T. Power Roche was in breach of Rule 212A.(ii)(in that the rider was not seen to have attempted to obtain from his mount timely, real and substantial efforts to achieve the best possible place) and having considered his clean record in this regard they suspended him for 14 racedays and ordered that he forfeit his riding fee. 'Furthermore, the Raceday Stewards under the provisions of Rule 212A(d) suspended Coolboy Christy for 60 days. In arriving at their decision, the Raceday Stewards acknowledged the IHRB Veterinary report, however they were still satisfied that a breach of Rule 212A.(ii) had occurred.'
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Irish jockey Michael O'Sullivan died from catastrophic head injuries after fall at Thurles race meeting, inquest told
Cork Coroner's Court heard evidence of the cause of the death in the tragedy before adjourning the inquest to a future date. Coroner Philip Comyn granted the adjournment application to Sgt Aisling Murphy. She told the inquest that preparatory work was still ongoing in respect of the hearing. Mr Comyn said that, since the medical evidence had been heard, a death certificate could now be issued to Mr O'Sullivan's family. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said she performed a post mortem examination at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on February 17. She ruled that the cause of death was a severe traumatic brain injury complicated by brain swelling with a cerebral infarction due to a horse riding accident. Inspector Justin Walsh from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said its investigation into the tragedy remained ongoing and no final report had been completed. Mr Comyn confirmed that a hearing date will be confirmed at a future time when all relevant inquiries are completed. Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical injuries in a fall during a race at Thurles on February 6. He died 10 days later at Cork University Hospital (CUH) despite efforts to save his life. The talented jockey - who was from Lombardstown outside Mallow in north Cork - died just a few days short of his 25th birthday. ADVERTISEMENT Considered one of Ireland's emerging young racing stars, he had posted winners at multiple race meetings including at the Cheltenham festival. He is survived by his parents, William and Bernie, his brother Alan, partner Charlotte and extended family. In a moving tribute, his family posted in his death notice that: "Michael had accomplished so much in his short life. As a family we are so incredibly proud not only of his achievements in the saddle, but of the extraordinary young man he had become. He was full of kindness, integrity, ambition and love, always striving to be the best person he could be." They said he died despite "a trojan" battle to recover from his injuries. His funeral involved tributes from racing stables across Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) conducted a critical incident review immediately after the tragedy. Mr O'Sullivan suffered his fatal injuries when five horses and jockeys were involved in a chain reaction of falls. The incident occurred at the final fence. Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical head injuries when his horse, Wee Charlie, fell. His mount later had to be euthanised because of a fractured leg. None of the other four jockeys suffered serious injuries. The IHRB review included video analysis, eye witness accounts of the incident and post-fall inspections. The review was finalised in early March and its findings released on March 25. It found that there was no evidence of human error in the incident while equipment failure and environmental factors were also ruled out as primary causes. The report found that the incident was as a consequence of the inherent risks of National Hunt racing. It found that a series of independent falls had triggered "an unavoidable chain reaction." However, it did make a number of recommendations. These included expanded racecourse safety training with specific focus on multi-horse incidents, advanced medical training for dealing with situations involving head injuries, a review of track configurations, watering at courses like Thurles to ensure ground consistency, post mortems to be mandated for equine fatalities and standardised sedation safety procedures. It also recommended that an exploration be conducted for technology to assess horse suitability to race. IHRB chief executive Darragh O'Loughlin praised the work of medical professionals on the day. 'This tragic incident has deeply affected the horseracing community, and our thoughts remain with Michael O'Sullivan's family and friends, his colleagues and all those touched by his loss," he said last March. "The professionalism of our emergency teams was exemplary but we are committed to learning from this event. These recommendations reflect our resolve to enhance safety while preserving the integrity of the sport we regulate." 'The IHRB maintains a relentless focus on safety to minimise the risk of racing related injury or harm to all participants. We owe it to Michael, to our riders, and to everyone in our sport to keep pushing forward." The IHRB noted last March that, following a reconfiguration of Thurles race track in 2020, fall rates had been reduced from 9.9pc to 3.8pc. "However, this incident underscores the unpredictable nature of racing and the need for continuous improvement." The IHRB said it would continue its "relentless focus on safety".
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Irish jockey Michael O'Sullivan died from catastrophic head injuries after fall at Thurles race meeting
Cork Coroner's Court heard evidence of the cause of the death in the tragedy before adjourning the inquest to a future date. Coroner Philip Comyn granted the adjournment application to Sgt Aisling Murphy. She told the inquest that preparatory work was still ongoing in respect of the hearing. Mr Comyn said that, since the medical evidence had been heard, a death certificate could now be issued to Mr O'Sullivan's family. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said she performed a post mortem examination at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on February 17 last. She ruled that the cause of death was a severe traumatic brain injury complicated by brain swelling with a cerebral infarction due to a horse riding accident. Inspector Justin Walsh from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said that their investigation into the tragedy remained ongoing and no final report has been completed. Mr Comyn confirmed that a hearing date will be confirmed at a future time when all relevant inquiries are completed. Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical injuries in a fall during a race at Thurles on February 6 last. He died 10 days later at Cork University Hospital (CUH) despite an heroic battle to recover from his injuries. ADVERTISEMENT The talented jockey - who was from Lombardstown outside Mallow in north Cork - died just a few days short of his 25th birthday. Considered one of Ireland's emerging young racing stars, he had posted winners at multiple race meetings including at the Cheltenham festival. He is survived by his parents, William and Bernie, his brother Alan, partner Charlotte and extended family. In a moving tribute, his family posted in his death notice that: "Michael had accomplished so much in his short life. As a family we are so incredibly proud not only of his achievements in the saddle, but of the extraordinary young man he had become. He was full of kindness, integrity, ambition and love, always striving to be the best person he could be." They said he died despite "a trojan" battle to recover from his injuries. His funeral involved tributes from racing stables across Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) conducted a critical incident review immediately after the tragedy. Mr O'Sullivan suffered his fatal injuries when five horses and jockeys were involved in a chain reaction of falls. The incident occurred at the final fence. Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical head injuries when his horse, Wee Charlie, fell. His mount later had to be euthanised because of a fractured leg. None of the other four jockeys suffered serious injuries. The IHRB review included video analysis, eye witness accounts of the incident and post-fall inspections. The review was finalised in early March and its findings released on March 25. It found that there was no evidence of human error in the incident while equipment failure and environmental factors were also ruled out as primary causes. The report found that the incident was as a consequence of the inherent risks of National Hunt Racing. It found that a series of independent falls had triggered "an unavoidable chain reaction." However, it did make a number of recommendations. These included expanded racecourse safety training with specific focus on multi-horse incidents, advanced medical training for dealing with situations involving head injuries, a review of track configurations, watering at courses like Thurles to ensure ground consistency, post mortems to be mandated for equine fatalities and standardised sedation safety procedures. It also recommended that an exploration be conducted for technology to assess horse suitability to race. IHRB chief executive Darragh O'Loughlin praised the work of medical professionals on the day. 'This tragic incident has deeply affected the horseracing community, and our thoughts remain with Michael O'Sullivan's family and friends, his colleagues and all those touched by his loss," he said last March. "The professionalism of our emergency teams was exemplary but we are committed to learning from this event." "These recommendations reflect our resolve to enhance safety while preserving the integrity of the sport we regulate." 'The IHRB maintains a relentless focus on safety to minimise the risk of racing related injury or harm to all participants." "We owe it to Michael, to our riders, and to everyone in our sport to keep pushing forward." The IHRB noted last March that, following a reconfiguration of Thurles race track in 2020, fall rates had been reduced from 9.9pc to 3.8pc. "However, this incident underscores the unpredictable nature of racing and the need for continuous improvement." The IHRB said it would continue its "relentless focus on safety."
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Irish jockey died from catastrophic head injuries after fall at Thurles race meeting
Cork Coroner's Court heard evidence of the cause of the death in the tragedy before adjourning the inquest to a future date. Coroner Philip Comyn granted the adjournment application to Sgt Aisling Murphy. She told the inquest that preparatory work was still ongoing in respect of the hearing. Mr Comyn said that, since the medical evidence had been heard, a death certificate could now be issued to Mr O'Sullivan's family. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said she performed a post mortem examination at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on February 17 last. She ruled that the cause of death was a severe traumatic brain injury complicated by brain swelling with a cerebral infarction due to a horse riding accident. Inspector Justin Walsh from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said that their investigation into the tragedy remained ongoing and no final report has been completed. Mr Comyn confirmed that a hearing date will be confirmed at a future time when all relevant inquiries are completed. Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical injuries in a fall during a race at Thurles on February 6 last. He died 10 days later at Cork University Hospital (CUH) despite an heroic battle to recover from his injuries. The talented jockey - who was from Lombardstown outside Mallow in north Cork - died just a few days short of his 25th birthday. Considered one of Ireland's emerging young racing stars, he had posted winners at multiple race meetings including at the Cheltenham festival. He is survived by his parents, William and Bernie, his brother Alan, partner Charlotte and extended family. In a moving tribute, his family posted in his death notice that: "Michael had accomplished so much in his short life. As a family we are so incredibly proud not only of his achievements in the saddle, but of the extraordinary young man he had become. He was full of kindness, integrity, ambition and love, always striving to be the best person he could be." They said he died despite "a trojan" battle to recover from his injuries. His funeral involved tributes from racing stables across Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) conducted a critical incident review immediately after the tragedy. Mr O'Sullivan suffered his fatal injuries when five horses and jockeys were involved in a chain reaction of falls. The incident occurred at the final fence. Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical head injuries when his horse, Wee Charlie, fell. His mount later had to be euthanised because of a fractured leg. None of the other four jockeys suffered serious injuries. The IHRB review included video analysis, eye witness accounts of the incident and post-fall inspections. The review was finalised in early March and its findings released on March 25. It found that there was no evidence of human error in the incident while equipment failure and environmental factors were also ruled out as primary causes. The report found that the incident was as a consequence of the inherent risks of National Hunt Racing. It found that a series of independent falls had triggered "an unavoidable chain reaction." However, it did make a number of recommendations. These included expanded racecourse safety training with specific focus on multi-horse incidents, advanced medical training for dealing with situations involving head injuries, a review of track configurations, watering at courses like Thurles to ensure ground consistency, post mortems to be mandated for equine fatalities and standardised sedation safety procedures. It also recommended that an exploration be conducted for technology to assess horse suitability to race. IHRB chief executive Darragh O'Loughlin praised the work of medical professionals on the day. 'This tragic incident has deeply affected the horseracing community, and our thoughts remain with Michael O'Sullivan's family and friends, his colleagues and all those touched by his loss," he said last March. "The professionalism of our emergency teams was exemplary but we are committed to learning from this event." "These recommendations reflect our resolve to enhance safety while preserving the integrity of the sport we regulate." 'The IHRB maintains a relentless focus on safety to minimise the risk of racing related injury or harm to all participants." "We owe it to Michael, to our riders, and to everyone in our sport to keep pushing forward." The IHRB noted last March that, following a reconfiguration of Thurles race track in 2020, fall rates had been reduced from 9.9pc to 3.8pc. "However, this incident underscores the unpredictable nature of racing and the need for continuous improvement." The IHRB said it would continue its "relentless focus on safety."
