Shantou Ed and Bobbie’s Diamond have suspensions lifted

The JP McManus-owned Shantou Ed has had a 30-day suspension lifted after a successful appeal by connections to the Turf Club’s Referrals Committee on Monday night.

The horse was banned from racing, trainer Pat Fahy hit with a €1,000 fine and jockey Alan Crowe suspended for seven days under ‘no-trier’ rules at Fairyhouse 16 days ago.

However, all penalties were lifted on appeal to a committee chaired by the former Turf Club senior steward Nick Wachman and which also comprised of Colin Magnier and High Court judge Tony Hunt.

In addition, the referrals committee advised that the handicapper should ignore Shantou Ed’s run at Fairyhouse for ratings purposes and all deposits were returned.

“Veterinary advice came to light subsequently which they didn’t know at the time in Fairyhouse. The horse was taken to Anglesey Veterinary Clinic the Monday after the race. A lung wash was taken and a sample sent to the Beaufort Lab in Newmarket where they discovered the horse has a lung disease and had it in the past as well,” explained a Turf Club spokesman.

All penalties against the Tony Martin-trained Bobbie’s Diamond, and its connections, which were imposed after the same Fairyhouse race in which Shantou Ed ran, were also lifted by the Referrals Committee.

Bobbie’s Diamond was also banned for 30 days, and Martin fined €1,000, under Rule 212 at Fairyhouse while jockey Philip Enright was suspended for seven days.

Martin and Enright’s appeals were lifted, and the horse is free to run again, with the handicapper advised not to take its Fairyhouse run into account for ratings purposes. All deposits were returned.

“The appeals were allowed because although the Turf Club vet at Fairyhouse examined the horse after the race and declared it post-race normal, Tony Martin got an independent vet to examine the horse before it left the track. He performed an endoscopic exam and found the horse had bled,” the Turf Club spokesman said.

In other news Special Tiara’s connections have elected not to appeal the controversial decision of the Sandown stewards to allow the Tingle Creek Chase result to stand.

"The advice we got was that we didn't have a good enough chance to get the result," trainer Henry De Bromhead said. "It's disappointing because most people believe the best horse on the day was taken out of the race and didn't get it."