Defiant O'Leary hits back over non-runner issue
IRELAND'S champion owner Michael O'Leary has revealed he is willing to take the Turf Club to court if it does not uphold his appeal against the non-runner penalty dished out by Fairyhouse stewards last week.
The Ryanair boss, who runs his horses under the Gigginstown House Stud banner, also vowed to continue his policy of making multiple declarations.
"You would swear we are some bunch of spivs running around organising betting coups," said O'Leary. "We don't punt our horses, I have no interest in that, this is my hobby and I want to make three things very clear: there's no Turf Club investigation; we've broken no rules; and we're appealing the decision of the Fairyhouse stewards and intend to have it overturned. If we don't get it overturned at the Turf Club we'll go to the High Court."
Last Wednesday the stewards at Fairyhouse ruled Devils Bride should be suspended for two days - precipitating a missed assignment at Thurles the following day - because the reason given for his withdrawal, that the ground had changed, was unacceptable as there had not been sufficient change in the official going, something O'Leary strongly rejects.
"The rule says that a change of going allows a horse to come out," he said. "It is clear from the horse's form that Devils Bride doesn't go on soft ground. It was given as yielding, yielding to soft in places and we declared him with the intention of running him if the ground didn't get any worse.
"There was no conspiracy. He'd have beaten [Gigginstown's] Ally Cascade on better ground. But the ground changed and Willie [Mullins, Devils Bride's trainer, who was fined €200] told us that in his opinion it was soft ground, the horse wouldn't go on it and would be better off going to Thurles on Thursday.
"The ground changed - twice in fact - because after the fourth race they were calling it soft all over. The earlier description clearly wasn't accurate because it was a dry day at Fairyhouse.
"There's either a change in the official going or there isn't. For some steward at Fairyhouse to say that there wasn't a sufficient change in the going is pure rubbish. Is there a rule or not? Or can these people make it up as they go along?"
The ground at Fairyhouse was amended to soft, yielding to soft in places, from yielding to soft, soft in places. Devils Bride ran in the Grade 2 ‘Monksfield' Novice Hurdle at Navan on Sunday on a good to yielding surface, but the 20-1 chance was pulled up.
The Fairyhouse decision came just over two weeks after stewards at Cork referred a jockey change in the Grade 3 novice chase to the Turf Club. On that occasion, the Gigginstown-owned Road To Riches was a non-runner, leading to a request that Davy Russell move to the Mouse Morris-trained Rogue Angel in the same ownership.
IRELAND'S champion owner Michael O'Leary has revealed he is willing to take the Turf Club to court if it does not uphold his appeal against the non-runner penalty dished out by Fairyhouse stewards last week.
The Ryanair boss, who runs his horses under the Gigginstown House Stud banner, also vowed to continue his policy of making multiple declarations.
"You would swear we are some bunch of spivs running around organising betting coups," said O'Leary. "We don't punt our horses, I have no interest in that, this is my hobby and I want to make three things very clear: there's no Turf Club investigation; we've broken no rules; and we're appealing the decision of the Fairyhouse stewards and intend to have it overturned. If we don't get it overturned at the Turf Club we'll go to the High Court."
Last Wednesday the stewards at Fairyhouse ruled Devils Bride should be suspended for two days - precipitating a missed assignment at Thurles the following day - because the reason given for his withdrawal, that the ground had changed, was unacceptable as there had not been sufficient change in the official going, something O'Leary strongly rejects.
"The rule says that a change of going allows a horse to come out," he said. "It is clear from the horse's form that Devils Bride doesn't go on soft ground. It was given as yielding, yielding to soft in places and we declared him with the intention of running him if the ground didn't get any worse.
"There was no conspiracy. He'd have beaten [Gigginstown's] Ally Cascade on better ground. But the ground changed and Willie [Mullins, Devils Bride's trainer, who was fined €200] told us that in his opinion it was soft ground, the horse wouldn't go on it and would be better off going to Thurles on Thursday.
"The ground changed - twice in fact - because after the fourth race they were calling it soft all over. The earlier description clearly wasn't accurate because it was a dry day at Fairyhouse.
"There's either a change in the official going or there isn't. For some steward at Fairyhouse to say that there wasn't a sufficient change in the going is pure rubbish. Is there a rule or not? Or can these people make it up as they go along?"
The ground at Fairyhouse was amended to soft, yielding to soft in places, from yielding to soft, soft in places. Devils Bride ran in the Grade 2 ‘Monksfield' Novice Hurdle at Navan on Sunday on a good to yielding surface, but the 20-1 chance was pulled up.
The Fairyhouse decision came just over two weeks after stewards at Cork referred a jockey change in the Grade 3 novice chase to the Turf Club. On that occasion, the Gigginstown-owned Road To Riches was a non-runner, leading to a request that Davy Russell move to the Mouse Morris-trained Rogue Angel in the same ownership.
