IRISH trainer Ronan McNally says he may need a ‘miracle’ as his appeal against a record 12-year integrity ban begins.
As well as the ban for integrity breaches handed down by an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) referral panel, McNally was also fined £43,000 and ordered to repay prize-money of around £11,600 in January.
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In total, McNally was found guilty on ten of the 11 charges brought against him.
An investigation found that he’d prevented Dreal Deal and The Jam Man from running on their merits, before executing gambles on them.
McNally was also convicted of conspiring with David Dunne, a fellow Irish trainer, to conceal his ownership of horses trained by Dunne.
He was also found guilty of fraudulent practice, with inside information passed to point-to-point trainer Ciaran Fennessy.
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Dunne was suspended for two years, with the final 18 months suspended, fined £4,300, and ordered to repay prize-money of £23,000.
The panel also disqualified Fennessy for three years (the final two suspended) and fined him £4,300, while amateur jockey Eoin O’Brien was retrospectively banned for 21 days for a ride given to Dreal Deal in July 2020.
Three days have been set aside for the appeal, which begins at the IHRB’s Curragh offices today.
Of all those involved, only McNally has appealed, and he’s hoping for a fair hearing.
He told Racing Post: “I’m just hopeful that some sort of common sense will prevail.
“Maybe I’m hoping for a miracle, but we’ll see. Hopefully we’ll get a fair hearing and if we get that hopefully things will change.”
The ban prevents McNally from accessing any licensed premises during his exclusion, meaning he would not be able to attend race meetings with his son, who could progress from pony racing to an apprenticeship in the next few years.
McNally added: “I’m not even allowed to go racing to see my son riding or take him racing, that’s the cruel element.”
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