Ronan McNally handed 12-year ban by Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board

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Trainer Ronan McNally has been banned for 12 years and ordered to pay costs of €50,000 following an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board investigation and hearing.

The IHRB’s referrals committee ruled McNally breached a number of rules, including one charge of running and training his horses in a manner “prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of horseracing” following a four-day hearing in October.

McNally was determined to be at least partially in breach of 10 of 11 alleged rule infringements, with the verdict announced in December ahead of sanctions being unveiled on Tuesday.

In handing down the penalty, which takes effect on March 1, the IHRB said: “The committee regards the findings against Mr McNally as very serious.

“His offences strike at the integrity of the sport and the objective of having a level playing field for all who send horses out to race. They also involved a deception of the public, especially the betting public.

“The committee has taken into account the submissions made on his behalf and his past record and the effect that severe sanctions will have on him.”

McNally has enjoyed notable success with Dreal Deal and The Jam Man in recent seasons, with the first-named landing the Grade Two Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle in 2021 and both notching up sequences of wins from lowly starting marks.

However, the pair were mentioned specifically in charges related to using the racecourse as a training ground, as well as not running on their merits, and both have been disqualified from previous victories.

Dreal Deal was a Grade Two winner at Punchestown
Dreal Deal was a Grade Two winner at Punchestown (PA)

Dreal Deal has forfeited wins at Navan in September, 2020 and Limerick in October of that year, while The Jam Man is disqualified from Limerick in September, 2020.

McNally was deemed to have achieved “a pattern of improvement in form of horses at a level previously unfamiliar to experienced and long-serving handicapping officials”.

He was also found to have incorrectly lodged ownership details of All Class, Full Noise and Petrol Head – with McNally admitting he was “unaware of the requirement to register the correct ownership details”.

The Jam Man enjoyed plenty of success for McNally
The Jam Man enjoyed plenty of success for McNally (Mike Egerton/PA)

Another trainer, David Dunne, was found to have supplied “misleading information and/or false information to an official at a stewards’ inquiry” at Navan in March 2021 as well as failing to lodge the correct ownership details related to handicap winners All Class, Full Noise and Petrol Head, all of whom ran for him between October 2020 and August 2021.

Dunne’s licence will be suspended for a period of two years, with the last 18 months suspended for a period of two years and fined €5,000. Any prize money won by All Class, Full Noise or Petrol Head when under Dunne’s care will also be forfeited with the horses disqualified.

Point-to-point handler Ciaran Fennessy was found in breach of three charges and after taking into account mitigating factors, his licence has been suspended for three years, with final two years suspended for five years. He was also fined €5,000.

Jockeys Darragh O’Keeffe and Mark Enright were found to have failed to make reports on slow starts for Dreal Deal when they rode him in June and July 2020 respectively and reminded of their duty to do so, while Eoin O’Brien was found in breach of four charges, including that he schooled the horse in public, and he will serve a 21-day ban.

Galopin Des Champs on course to cement Gold Cup claims

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Galopin Des Champs is the star attraction among the seven confirmations for the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Saturday.

The three-mile contest is the feature on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival and Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old will look to cement his place at the top of the ante-post lists for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March following a winning comeback in the John Durkan at Punchestown in December.

The master of Closutton, who recently passed 4,000 career winners, is also represented by last year’s National Hunt Chase scorer and recent Tramore runner-up Stattler, 2021 Irish Gold Cup winner Kemboy and Franco De Port.

Gordon Elliott has won the race twice in the last three years and relies on track-and-trip winner Fury Road, while Grand National hopes The Big Dog (Peter Fahy) and Any Second Now (Ted Walsh) complete the list of potential runners.

Mullins is responsible for five of the eight possibles in the Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase, where Dysart Dynamo could be given the opportunity to build on his breathtaking course-and-distance success over the Christmas period.

Other Closutton inmates in the mix include former Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Appreciate It, El Fabiolo, Flame Bearer and Saint Roi – who was the best part of 10 lengths clear of the reopposing Fil Dor when scooping Grade One honours over track and trip in December.

Appreciate It returns to the Naas winner's enclosure
Appreciate It returns to the Naas winner’s enclosure (Gary Carson/PA)

Visionarian was second on that occasion and is another possible, along with Joseph O’Brien’s Banbridge.

Vauban won the Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle in 2021 before going on to Triumph Hurdle success and Lossiemouth will be looking to repeat the dose for the same connections as she heads the 15 confirmations for this years running.

Rich Ricci’s filly is one of eight possible runners for Mullins in the Grade One event, with Blood Destiny, Gala Marceau and Gust Of Wind other notable names from Closutton that could line up.

The action kicks off with the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors “50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff” Nov Hurdle where a maximum of nine go to post and Good Lord heads the ante-post market for Barry Connell following his eight-length win here over Christmas.

Paul Nolan will be hoping Sandor Clegane can follow in the footsteps of Latest Exhibition and throw his hat in the ring for the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival, while Weveallbeencaught is a rare UK raider representing Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Tom Mullins’ Facile Mode created a deep impression when winning over track and trip on debut and tops the 12 engaged in the Future Stars (C & G) I.N.H. Flat Race.

Fascile Mode and jockey Charlie Mullins (centre) coming home to win the Plusvital INH Flat Race during day four of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival at Leopardstown Racecourse
Fascile Mode and jockey Charlie Mullins (centre) coming home to win the Plusvital INH Flat Race during day four of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival at Leopardstown Racecourse (Niall Carson/PA)

The last four winners of this have all subsequently gone off favourite for the Champion Bumper. Willie Mullins has won four of the five runnings and can select from Chosen Witness, Special Cadeau, Fact To File and Largy Hill this time.

Elliott’s eyecatching Fairyhouse winner Better Days Ahead is another name to note in the dozen that could go to post.

Bravemansgame ‘twice the horse’ he was at Cheltenham last year

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Paul Nicholls is increasingly bullish about the chances of Bravemansgame in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Owned by John Dance and Bryan Drew, the eight-year-old took the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day with a degree of ease, beating Royale Pagaille by 14 lengths.

It was his second success of the season, having sauntered to another easy victory in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby in October.

Though he has yet to tackle the extended three-and-a-quarter-mile test the Gold Cup presents, the champion trainer is happy to keep him under wraps until March 17.

“He is fine. We think he has a lovely chance,” Nicholls said.

“He is unbeaten this year, a different horse to last year. He is big and strong and well – a lovely chance he’s got.”

A best-priced 9-1 for the Gold Cup, which Nicholls has won on four occasions – including saddling the first three home in 2008 – Bravemansgame has yet to prove he has the stamina for this trip.

On his sole visit to Cheltenham, he finished third to Bob Olinger in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs in 2021.

Nicholls is left non-plussed by the naysayers. He said: “No one knows if he will stay three miles two (furlongs), as he has never been three-two.

“All I know he has won a King George and horses have got to stay to win a King George, and plenty of mine who have won a King George have won a Gold Cup.

“He won a point-to-point when he was four. You just take no notice of criticism and know your own thoughts.

“He wasn’t right last year. He ran at Cheltenham and he was third in that, but that was when he was a five-year-old. He was a young horse then and is twice the horse he was. He has strengthened up and is totally different.”

Bravemansgame travelled supremely well under Harry Cobden at Kempton and was not stopping at the end of the race.

Nicholls believes he will put it up to last year’s Gold Cup winner, the Henry de Bromhead-trained A Plus Tard and Willie Mullins’ Galopin Des Champs, who is the current favourite, having landed the John Durkan Memorial at Punchestown before Christmas.

Paul Nicholls feels Bravemansgame has a big chance in an open Gold Cup
Paul Nicholls feels Bravemansgame has a big chance in an open Gold Cup (Nigel French/PA)

Nicholls added: “He got the trip beautifully at Kempton. What I like about him, if the ground is half-decent, he has got enough pace to travel and he jumped well. He can just save and turn in, then I think he has got a lovely chance.

“I’m very happy with his prep and I think we are doing the right thing by not running him. He is very fresh and very fit.

“He will go on anything, but hopefully on Gold Cup day, unless we get torrent of rain, on that track you usually get good to soft, which will be perfect.

“It is an open race. The short-priced favourite is short enough, because of where he is trained. He has done well, but is short enough probably. But he’s the one we all have to aim at.

“It’s a Gold Cup and there are lots of good horses in the race, but it is an open contest. The waters were muddied a bit on Saturday (Cotswold Chase) and it is an interesting old race you know, but we are looking forward to it.”

Il Est Francais to make official move to Noel George

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Exciting unbeaten hurdler Il Est Francais will officially switch trainers in the next two weeks and be aimed at the French Champion Hurdle.

Running under Tom George’s name, the Richard Kelvin-Hughes and Haras De Saint-Voir co-owned five-year-old is unbeaten in four starts over hurdles in France and is one of the most promising horses seen there in years.

He will now run under Noel George’s name, with Tom’s son about to finish his training modules and be accorded a full licence at the family’s satellite yard at Chantilly.

Tom George said: “I think the plan is, from what Noel has told me, he will run under his name in a couple of weeks’ time when he gets his licence, and he will run in a Group Three in France. Then he will have two runs before the French Champion Hurdle.

“He is busy away, Noel has a lot of horses over there, a lot of three-year-olds and older horses.

“It has been a very long three years getting there and it will mean I am a little quieter here, but then it will probably reap rewards further down the line.

“He has smart young horses. He has been saying to me, ‘we will look forward to that one one day or that one will be staying in France’.

“The good thing is that it has opened up whole new avenues. The whole point is we can win races there with horses who are badly handicapped here and it is all done on prize-money.

“We have so many more opportunities now. Something high in the handicap here, which hasn’t won any money for a bit, can go there.”

Fowler lining up Betfair Hurdle bid for Colonel Mustard

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Lorna Fowler’s Colonel Mustard is in line for a switch back to smaller obstacles as Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle beckons.

The chestnut was a high-quality novice hurdler who was placed in a string of classy contests – including finishing second to Jonbon at Ascot and third to State Man in the County Hurdle in March – before graduating to fences this season.

Fourth on debut and then second behind El Fabiolo at Fairyhouse, the eight-year-old ran two good races in competitive company when taking to the task well.

A return to hurdles awaits, however, with Colonel Mustard now aiming for the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury on February 11, where he will be ridden by conditional jockey Kieren Buckley.

“The plan is to go to the Betfair Hurdle, at the moment everything is going to plan and hopefully he realises it needs to keep going to plan,” said County Meath-based Fowler, whose charge is a general 14-1 chance.

“He’s in great form, we’re going to try to jump him over some of those white hurdles so he sees white paint. We are all guns blazing, along with everybody else!

“I’d like Kieren Buckley to ride him, by chance he ended up doing a lot of the schooling of him over fences and a lot of work with him early doors this season.

“He will claim 3lb in the UK, but the biggest factor really is him knowing the horse. He rode him in his last race because Darragh (O’Keeffe) got injured, that was in his chase at Fairyhouse.

“He’s done most of the working and schooling with him all season and I’m a great one for them knowing the horses.”

Colonel Mustard’s chasing career is not over and future outings over fences are still probable, with Fowler expecting the switch between the two types of obstacles to suit the sharp-minded gelding.

“To me he’s an incredibly bright horse, he’s not the sort of horse that’s going to get confused,” she said.

“He’s very accurate and given he’s a smart, intelligent horse, I don’t think it will be a problem for him. I think he enjoys it, he enjoys the chopping and changing and I think, having brought him back and schooled him over hurdles recently, that he gets a kick out of it.

“Fences are a big option going forward but I think we’ll probably look at having a couple of hurdle runs. He’ll have lots of different options after the Betfair Hurdle, but right now we’ll worry about that race and then see what comes after.”

Moore rates Gite a worthy Champion Chase contender

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Gary Moore believes Editeur Du Gite has earned his place in the Queen Mother Champion Chase line-up – although he does not think it will be easy for him to repeat his Clarence House heroics at the Cheltenham Festival.

The nine-year-old was a shock winner of the Desert Orchid at Kempton over the Christmas period, but proved that was no fluke when given a fine front-running ride in the rearranged Grade One at Cheltenham on Saturday, lowering the colours of Festival winners Energumene and Edwardstone.

The victory was made all the sweeter by the fact Editeur Du Gite was not in the original line-up when the race was due to take place at Ascot and was only added into the mix when connections stumped up £2,250 to supplement for the rearranged race the Monday prior.

He is now the general 5-1 fourth favourite for the day two feature at the Festival, with only Edwardstone and the Willie Mullins-trained duo of defending champion Energumene and Blue Lord ahead of him in the betting.

“He was very good and it was a good result for everyone – I was very pleased,” said Moore.

“We had a bit of help from the people at Weatherbys who helped me get him back in and it was well worth it in the end.

“He’s earned his place (in the Champion Chase), 100 per cent, definitely. I’m sure Willie will find improvement in Energumene and Alan King will do the same with his fella and then there’s always the likes of Greaneteen as well, so it’s not going to be easy but we will give it our best shot.”

Editeur Du Gite (right) ridden by Niall Houlihan clears a fence before going on to win the Albert Bartlett Clarence House Chase during Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham Racecourse
Editeur Du Gite (right) ridden by Niall Houlihan clears a fence before going on to win the Albert Bartlett Clarence House Chase during Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham Racecourse (David Davies/PA)

Editeur Du Gite was briefly headed by Edwardstone in the closing stages before fighting back to get his head in front when it mattered most and his handler was delighted to see the son of Saddex not only build on his Kempton display at Christmas, but demonstrate plenty of tenacity to secure victory at Prestbury Park.

He continued: “It confirmed what he showed at Kempton more than anything. I knew he would always be a bit better going that way round and the ground was probably a bit better than it was at Kempton, so you knew you had that little bit of improvement to come from him.

“The big thing that surprised me though was the way he stuck his neck out and wanted to win.”

Moore was also keen to praise the ride given by Niall Houlihan while confirming the Irishman is in line to keep the mount for the Champion Chase, but believes the switch back to the Old Course might not be a positive – especially now the opposition has Editeur Du Gite’s card marked.

“I would say he would do (keep the ride). Niall got him into a nice rhythm and he knows the horse really well now,” added Moore.

“The track on Saturday I think would suit him better, but he’s won on the Old Course before. He won’t get it all his own way in a Champion Chase though, will he.”

Half Dozen reasons to be happy for Nicholls at Hereford

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Paul Nicholls wondered if Half Dozen had a problem after Harry Cobden’s mount was a market drifter ahead of the Black Mountain Botanicals Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Hereford.

Yet the strapping six-year-old made light work of his nine rivals in the two-mile heat, scoring by a length and a half at odds of 8-1.

The champion trainer said: “We thought his leg had fallen off, because he drifted from 4-1 to 10-1 or something.

“We thought he had a nice little chance, but he has just been big and backward, needed lots of time and experience.

“He was very keen early in the season, he just wants a bit of time. He will make a nice chaser next year.”

Honneur d'Ajonc/Hereford
Honneur d’Ajonc gave the Jane Williams yard another success at Hereford (Simon Milham/PA)

Jane Williams has enjoyed plenty of success at the track in recent weeks and Honneur d’Ajonc (100-30) took the spoils in the Hereford Motor Group Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase in the hands of David Noonan.

A trio were in with a chance at the last, but the six-year-old forged clear to go one better than he had at Leicester a month ago.

The Devon handler said: “He isn’t very big, but he is agile. He is a classy horse by Diamond Boy. I’d like to find a few more of them.

“I bought him in the July sale as a two-year-old. He was inexpensive, because he was small, but he was a very good juvenile. We took an extra year, because we didn’t think he’d be a chaser, but in fact, he’s been a fabulous chaser.

“Patrick Waldron, who has just come into racing ownership, his colours only just arrived and he had a winner with his first runner. How about that! That’s a lucky owner – that’s what we want, lucky owners!”

Only The Bold
Only The Bold was an easy winner for Fergus Gillard and trainer David Pipe (Simon Milham/PA)

Only The Bold (2-1) followed up his impressive chasing debut at Bangor in November, defying a 10lb penalty under Fergus Gillard and powering to a five-length success in the Ely Memorial Fund Handicap Chase.

Winning trainer David Pipe said: “This is a lot better ground than he had at Bangor and it probably happened quick enough for him today, but Fergus was patient on him. They went a good gallop and they did it nicely in the end.

“There are no big plans for him. He is not over-big, so whether he will jump round the big tracks or not, I don’t know. We’ll see. He is by Jeremy and a typical one by him. He beat (Grade Two-winning hurdler and chaser) Tommy’s Oscar in his point-to-point.

“We’ll what the handicapper does and obviously he is still a novice as well.”

Galop De Chasse/Hereford
Galop De Chasse gave Venetia Williams a welcome winner at her local track (Simon Milham/PA)

Galop De Chasse came with a well-timed run under Charlie Deutsch to claim the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap Chase, beating Rose Sea Has by a comfortable length and a half in something of a rough two-mile race.

Venetia Williams, who was ending a surprising 20-runner barren spell, said: “He has been knocking on the door for quite a long time, with seconds and thirds, so it is great to come to the local course and get his head in front. It was quite a competitively-run race.”

Atlanta Brave (5-6 favourite) followed up his recent Chepstow success, relishing a step up in trip to take the Cazoo Novices’ Hurdle by a cosy three-quarters of a length success from Hauraki Golf.

Kerry Lee’s string is in great heart and the strapping five-year-old looks every inch a chaser in the making.

Lee said: “He is such a lovely horse and is a delight to train. He is so easy to do anything and everything with.

“He is quite far forward for his age and size, because he is a very big horse, and you can only imagine he will improve with age and experience.

“I wanted to give him another relatively low-key run, but we will look at a bigger prize in the spring. He is a three-mile chaser in the making, so anything we do now is bonus territory.”

The wait goes on for jockey Denis O’Regan, whose bid to complete a full set of victories at jumps tracks in Britain and Ireland saw him draw a blank with his two rides.

“We’ll just keep chipping away and hope we get there one day,” he said with a customary smile.

Bennys King/Hereford
Bennys King gave Heidi Palin her first winning ride under Rules (Simon Milham/PA)

It was a red-letter day for Heidi Palin, who gained her first success under rules when Bennys King caused a 20-1 shock in the hunter chase, beating Magic Saint by three-quarters of a length.

Diverge books Supreme ticket with Punchestown romp

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Diverge gave High Definition’s form a major boost ahead of this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival with a wide-margin victory in the opening race at Punchestown on Monday.

One-time Derby favourite High Definition made a smart start to his hurdling career at Leopardstown over the Christmas period and is set for an intriguing clash with Facile Vega in the Grade One Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle on Sunday.

Diverge was beaten 20 lengths into sixth place by High Definition on what was his Irish debut, and on the strength of that form he was a 10-11 favourite to open his account for Willie Mullins in Punchestown’s Bar One Racing “Best Odds Guaranteed All Races” Maiden Hurdle.

Those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns for the duration of the two-mile contest, with the five-year-old son of Frankel pulling 23 lengths clear of his nearest pursuer Mon Coeur – leaving Mullins to consider a possible tilt at the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

“He did it well and improved a lot from the last day,” said the champion trainer.

“We changed the tactics as he was very free in Leopardstown. I said to Paul (Townend) ‘don’t be fighting him too much’. We thought there might be enough pace in the race, but our fella just seemed to want to jump past Danny (Mullins, on Stellium) so Paul let him on and let him enjoy himself. He loves jumping.

“He has entries at Cheltenham and we’d probably be looking at the Supreme. Any horse that wins his maiden by 23 lengths on his second run has to. He looks like he’s booked a place on the team anyway.”

Haxo and Danny Mullins return to the Punchestown winner's enclosure
Haxo and Danny Mullins return to the Punchestown winner’s enclosure (Gary Carson/PA)

The Closutton handler doubled up in the Bar One Racing ‘We’ll Lay You A Bet’ (C & G) Maiden Hurdle – but it was his apparent second string Haxo who claimed top honours.

Sir Argus was the 4-11 favourite under Townend, but he was reeled in on the run-in by 7-2 chance Haxo and Danny Mullins, who was also completing a double of his own following a dead-heat victory aboard Princess Zoe, trained by his father Tony.

“For jumping Haxo deserved to win that and that’s what won it for him in the end,” Willie Mullins added.

“He’s a second-season novice and jumped really well. He’s a nice type and looks a chaser in the making.

“Sir Argus, I think, just lost his confidence after his fall the last day in Clonmel. He’s done plenty of schooling, but on the racecourse he seems to have lost his confidence. We’ll have to keep him schooling and try to get him back right.”

Plenty of encouragement to take from Ga Law run despite late exit

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Jamie Snowden has plenty of positives to take from Ga Law’s Sky Bet Chase run after a late fall denied him success at Doncaster on Saturday.

The seven-year-old went into the race as the 3-1 joint-favourite, a status owed in no small part to his victory in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November.

That win saw him carry top-weight of 12st on Town Moor for his first attempt over three miles, with Jonathan Burke in the saddle as he was at Cheltenham.

Ga Law was handling both the burden and the extended trip with aplomb when approaching the final fence level with eventual winner Cooper’s Cross, but a slightly low jump saw him brush through the fence and fall.

Both horse and rider got to their feet and as Ga Law picked up a few nicks his trainer will take stock before planning his next outing.

Ga Law winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase
Ga Law winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase (David Davies/PA)

“He’s OK, he was coming to either win his race or finish a very good second, which would have been a great run off that kind of welter burden for his first time over three miles,” said Snowden.

“He definitely stayed. It’s always a shame to come down at the last and nobody knows what would have happened, but he certainly would have been either first or second. It’s a great shame but it was a hell of a run under that kind of weight, we’re pleased with how he ran but of course disappointed with the result.

“He stayed well and was running a big race, we’ll just get him right and see where we are from there.

“He sustained a couple of small cuts so we will get those sorted out, get him back schooling and see where we want to go.

“We had a few plans up our sleeve had he won, but I think for now we’ll get him right, he’ll tell us how he is and we can go forward from there.”

Williams taking direct Gold Cup route with Royale Pagaille

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Royale Pagaille is back in work and will head straight to the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after recovering from injury, trainer Venetia Williams has confirmed.

The Rich Ricci-owned nine-year-old was runner-up to Bravemansgame in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, staying on nicely under Tom Scudamore in the three-mile Grade One event.

Winner of the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock last season, he went on to finish fifth to A Plus Tard in the Gold Cup and has had just two starts since.

He was somewhat fortunate to claim second place on his last run, with Williams’ other runner, L’Homme Presse, unseating Charlie Deutsch at the last fence when a close-up second.

However, the run can be marked up a little, given that Royale Pagaille sustained an injury in the race.

Williams has now run out of time to give him a Gold Cup prep, for which he is a 40-1 chance with Coral.

Speaking at Hereford on Monday, the trainer said: “Royale Pagaille is fine. He needed time after the King George because he got a wound which wasn’t superficial, so that’s why it has taken quite a while.

“He is back on the gallops now and he will go straight to the Gold Cup. We haven’t got time to go for anything else.”