Trainer John Joseph ‘Shark’ Hanlon has been given a 10-month ban and fined €2,000 over an incident in which he transported a dead horse in public view.
The offence was deemed to damage “the good reputation of racing” by the referrals committee of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.
The last five months of the punishment have been suspended, providing Hanlon abides by a number of rules regarding his ban.
On 14 June, Hanlon removed a deceased horse from a paddock at Ballygorteen in Kilkenny.
The carcass was contained on an open trailer. Although there had been some attempts by Hanlon to conceal the carcass from public view by covering it with a tarpaulin prior to departure from the paddock, these had failed completely by the time the box and trailer combination reached its destination, such that the carcass was completely uncovered and fully visible.
A member of the public recorded the images and they later emerged on social media.
The committee concluded that Hanlon “was grossly negligent in the supervision of the transport of the horse carcass on the day in question”.
Hanlon’s “obfuscation and inconsistency in the accounts given to investigating officials in the immediate aftermath” were also factors aggravating culpability, according to the committee.
However, some admissions made on the morning of the hearing were also factored.
It was noted that Hanlon had no relevant previous record of rule breaches.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, Hanlon said he was surprised and disappointed at the outcome and will be appealing.
During the suspension he must not be involved in training-related related activities, issue instructions to any jockey or other trainer, enter any weigh-room or parade ring or any other area of a racecourse restricted to licensees of the IHRB.
Hanlon is the trainer of 2023 King George VI Chase winner Hewick.