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Irish Daily Mirror
44 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Under review father-son duo combine for first winner since Redwood Queen unseat
The under review father-son duo of Charles and Phillip Byrnes combined to record a winner at Listowel on Saturday afternoon. Phillip's unseat on Redwood Queen at Wexford on Wednesday has blown up on social media and is under review by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. But the young jockey was back in the saddle at Listowel and rode 4/6 favourite Sonnyboylisteon to win a maiden hurdle. Formerly trained on the flat by Johnny Murtagh, for whom he won the 2021 Irish St Leger, the eight-year-old gelding was making his debut over obstacles. Speaking after the race, Charles Byrnes told Irish 'He had schooled very well and jumped very well today. 'His owner (Patrick M O'Shea) is from Dublin-side and the reason I got him is he had leg trouble, I wouldn't have him otherwise. I have him a good while but have been nursing him along. 'We've no big expectations and, as long as he stays sound, hopefully can keep progressing. 'Only for the course putting on the water yesterday, he wouldn't have been running.' The Byrnes are under public scrutiny after Redwood Queen, who drifted from 6/4 to 13/2 before the off, had the Wexford Claiming Hurdle at his mercy until Philip Byrnes was unseated jumping the final hurdle. After the race, which ended in a comfortable win for Beacon Edge under jockey Josh Halford for Gordon Elliott, stewards at Wexford looked into the matter but decided against any action, with their report noting: "Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the matter, the raceday stewards took no further action." However, the IHRB has since declared it will be reassessing the event, as conveyed by a spokesperson: "We note the position of the raceday stewards following their review of the incident. I can confirm the matter is down for review by an IHRB senior racing official." After the race, the winning jockey told Racing TV: "It's my ninth winner altogether and it's going great. I can't thank Gordon enough. On paper it was a penalty kick, but I was very lucky to get the opportunity. I thought he could have come on and had the faller covered, but he got the job done. "He was flat out all the way and I tried to hold on to him. Gordon told me to use my head as the trip would be a bit tight, but we got the win anyway so we cannot complain."
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Under fire jockey Philip Byrnes gets first winner since Wexford unseat controversy
Young jockey wins as Sonnyboyliston comes out swinging at Listowel Under-fire jockey Philip Byrnes has returned to the winners enclosure at Listowel after his controversial final-hurdle unseat at Wexford. The young pilot shot to the attention of punters and stewards in midweek after falling off a horse that looked certain to win. Byrnes was leading the Wexford Claiming Hurdle on Redwood Queen, who is trained by his father Charles, heading into the last obstacle before falling off in a fashion which sparked heated social-media and TV debate and has brought a review from Irish racing chiefs. The duo teamed-up, however, with Philip getting a first winner since the incident aboard ex-top Flat horse Sonnyboyliston in Listowel's Supporters Club Maiden Hurdle today. Winner of the 2021 Irish St Leger, the eight-year-old triumphed to please punters having been backed on-course from 6/4 to 4/6 favourite. On the Wednesday incident, the raceday stewards at Wexford felt no further action was required, but the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board have since said the will review. A IHRB spokesperson said on Thursday: 'We note the position of the raceday stewards following their review of the incident. I can confirm the matter is down for review by an IHRB senior racing official.' The review will take into consideration the incident on the racecourse and other factors, such as betting patterns of the race. Redwood Queen had drifted from 7-2 to 13-2 in the betting odds and traded at 1.14 in running beforehand. The Wexford stewards report said: 'The raceday stewards reviewed the unseating of Philip Byrnes, rider of Redwood Queen, at the last hurdle when leading. Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the matter, the raceday stewards took no further action.' The incident sparked a tasty debate on Saturday morning's ITV Opening Show. Ex-jockey Mick Fitzgerald gave his view on the unseat as footage was shown to viewers and said: 'When you see it on the head-on angle, watch what happens, you'll see his foot come flying out of the stirrup and suddenly his balance has gone to the other side and then he's gone.' But fellow pundit Megan Nicholls, daughter of multiple-times champion trainer Paul, said: 'But Mick, you have to argue that, to watch that, it looks as if he's jumping off before the horse has basically taken off for the hurdle.' Speaking to The Irish Field on Friday, Charles Byrnes said he and Philip would be happy to co-operate with any investigation. Asked to explain what happened in the race, the trainer said: 'The mare was running well, going down to the last. Philip has had a couple of last fence falls recently so he wanted her to go in short, pop it and make doubly sure. But she came up out of his hands, hit him on the backside and he was knocked off balance. 'He is very upset about it and won't look at his phone. I was delighted he was able to go racing in Limerick the next day and he gave our two runners two good rides there. The other jockeys have been very supportive, to be fair to them. 'Philip is only 21 and I hope he can get over this setback. He is a good rider. He doesn't get many outside rides but anyone who has used him has been very happy with him. It's a sad day if the Turf Club has to hold an investigation to please these faceless people on social media. We will answer any questions they have. We have nothing to answer to.'
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Irish racing needs to professionalise its disciplinary process to reassure public
Rather like a referee or a parking warden, being a voluntary race-day steward is a thankless task. Mostly, all they get out of it is lukewarm tea, a parking space and insults about their eyesight. Sometimes, though, there's a stonewall penalty or a car upside down on a zebra crossing. Like the day with Ta Na La at Wexford recently. Ta Na La, trained by Ted Walsh and racing in the colours of his wife Helen, made her debut over fences in a five-runner novice chase. Ridden by claiming jockey Shane O'Callaghan, Ta Na La travelled strongly throughout the race, jumped well and had only the odds-on favourite Aspire Tower in front of her on the run to the last. From there on, the finish was notable for O'Callaghan's lack of urgency . Aspire Tower ultimately won by more than four lengths, but it was the runner-up's performance that immediately attracted attention. An inquiry into the running and riding of Ta Na La was called. Walsh wasn't in Wexford, so O'Callaghan was accompanied by the trainer's authorised representative. If a trainer isn't at a race meeting, they are required under Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board rules to have an authorised representative present. READ MORE O'Callaghan told the stewards how his instructions, issued directly from the trainer, were to jump off and get his mount settled as she can be very free in her races. He added he was told to get her jumping well, come home the best she could and not to use his whip. The stewards decided the 'non-trier' rules had been broken 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'. They imposed the minimum sanctions. O'Callaghan was suspended for 14 days, Ta Na La suspended for 60 days, and Walsh was fined €3,000. The critical phraseology in the relevant rule is 'not seen'. It's a critical weapon in the official armoury brought in by racing's regulatory body in 2017. A series of high-profile 'non-trier' cases had been successfully appealed, leaving the authorities looking ineffective. Subjective interpretations of what might or might not be 'off' were all but impossible to prove up to legal standards. So, horses now had to be seen to try to obtain their best possible placing. By those standards the Ta Na La case looked straightforward. Walsh's high-profile status as RTÉ's former racing pundit inevitably attracted attention. The Grand National-winning trainer lodged an appeal against his fine and the horse's suspension from racing, which was heard on Monday. O'Callaghan didn't appeal his penalty. Walsh argued he wasn't afforded the opportunity to state his case on the day through his authorised representative and that under no circumstances was O'Callaghan instructed not to obtain from Ta Na La a timely, real and substantial effort to achieve the best possible placing. Walsh said he'd instructed O'Callaghan not to use the whip if Ta Na La was well beaten. But she'd outrun expectations. He blamed the jockey for not making enough effort to show the racing public that he was achieving his best possible position. Jockey Shane O'Callaghan. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho The IHRB statement on Monday's appeal outlines that Walsh's evidence was heard on a 'de-novo' basis, or for the first time. The three-person appeals board outlined how Walsh's authorised representative at Wexford was not asked by the stewards whether they were satisfied with O'Callaghan's ride. After hearing Walsh's evidence they lifted his €3,000 fine. But the horse's suspension stood. The outcome raises some questions, perhaps the most basic of which is why Walsh's authorised representative wasn't asked whether he was satisfied with O'Callaghan's ride? It seems an obvious thing to do in the circumstances. The function of authorised representatives in such circumstances also appears less than clear. What role, if any, are they expected to fill? Walsh said he hadn't spoken to his about the race, particularly, and the man was a friend rather than an employee. So, what was he expected to contribute? On a broader level, does an outcome like this reinforce concerns that the collective aspect to 'non-trier' breaches reflected in penalties for horse, trainer and jockey can work more in theory than in practise? The proper outcome was reached in the end but the untangling of such an apparently straightforward case puts the spotlight back on how such disciplinary processes are carried out on Irish racecourses. The idea is to present a convincing regulatory deterrent that reassures the betting public. This ended up looking worryingly slipshod. It underlines again the outmoded stewarding model in this country. Irish racing is an ultra-professional global business that, we are constantly told, is worth €2.5 billion a year. But it's shop window, the racecourse, is, in effect, policed by well-meaning amateur volunteers, different panels of which are dotted around the place. If the industry really cares about public perception it needs to both professionalise and centralise its regulation. There is no reason for running and riding inquiries to be held in a pressurised race-day environment on the ground. Everything that needs to be seen can be seen on camera at a central location by those paid and trained to interpret what's in front of them and correctly process any action that needs to be taken. The betting and racing public are entitled to no less and won't thank anyone for not getting it. Something for the Weekend The weekend highlight is Sunday's French Derby, where once again much pre-race focus will be on the impact of the draw in an 18-runner field. RIDARI (3.05) is in stall 11, a case of could be worse but could be better too. He had to be snatched up in the final strides of the 'Poulains', which cost him places, and better luck now can see the Aga Khan runner go close. The Cork runner-up SAMBA TRAIN (5.20) could progress enough to go one better in Saturday's Listowel finale.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Byrnes' final-hurdle unseat to be reviewed by IHRB
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board will review jockey Philip Byrnes' final-hurdle unseat at Wexford on Wednesday. Byrnes was leading the Wexford Claiming Hurdle on Redwood Queen, who is trained by his father Charles, heading into the final hurdle. However, Byrnes was unseated after appearing to become unstable as Redwood Queen jumped the last, which allowed 1-3 favourite Beacon Edge to win by a comfortable margin. The raceday stewards at Wexford felt no further action was required, but the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) will now review the incident. A IHRB spokesperson said on Thursday: "We note the position of the raceday stewards following their review of the incident. I can confirm the matter is down for review by an IHRB senior racing official." The review will take into consideration the incident on the racecourse and other factors, such as betting patterns of the race. Redwood Queen had drifted from 7-2 to 13-2 in the betting odds, and was running at 1/7 in-play at the time of the fall. Latest horse racing results
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Irish racing chiefs to review final-flight incident at Wexford
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board will further review Philip Byrnes' final-flight unseat from Redwood Queen at Wexford on Wednesday evening. Trained by Byrnes' father Charles, Redwood Queen was sent off a 13-2 chance for the opening Wexford Claiming Hurdle over two miles and a furlong. The duo seemed to have the measure of 1-3 favourite Beacon Edge coming down to the last, but Byrnes appeared to become unbalanced and was unseated jumping the hurdle, allowing Beacon Edge to cruise to a 22-length win. The incident was examined by the Wexford stewards, with the report stating: "Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the matter, the raceday stewards took no further action." However, the IHRB confirmed on Thursday morning that the incident will be examined again. An IHRB spokesman said: "We note the position of the raceday stewards following their review of the incident. I can confirm the matter is down for review by an IHRB senior racing official."
