The presence of Ronan McNally’s star Dreal Deal ensures Monday evening’s finale at Dundalk will get more than the usual level of focus.
Found guilty of most of the charges presented against him by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) after a long-running investigation into the improvement in form of some of his horses, McNally is awaiting sanctions at a hearing that could be heard on January 9th.
“There are a number of parties involved, in terms of three committee members and legal counsel on both sides so as soon as an agreement can be reached with all parties, a date will be set for sanction, hopefully early in the new year,” an IHRB spokesman said.
McNally, an Armagh businessman who can train up to eight horses on his restricted IHRB licence, expressed dismay at the findings released last week and indicated he is all but sure to appeal any penalties handed out to him.
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Central to a case that already appears to be ground-breaking in terms of the regulator’s reach and ability to prosecute investigations is Dreal Deal’s rise from obscurity to success during 2020 and 2021.
McNally saddled the horse to land a huge gamble at Navan in September of 2020, the start of a six-race winning streak that culminated in Grade Two success over hurdles.
Improvement
According to the IHRB, Dreal Deal was among a number of runners linked to McNally who had achieved “a pattern of improvement in form of horses at a level previously unfamiliar to experienced and long-serving handicapping officials”.
As part of their verdict, the IHRB referrals panel said it had been proven that McNally conspired to prevent Dreal Deal from running to his maximum ability in maiden flat races. It also found Dreal Deal had run while insufficiently schooled to obtain hurdle ratings not reflective of his ability.
The details of that proof, and how it was assembled, are still to be seen but in the midst of such controversy, McNally is allowed enter horses and Dreal Deal looks to go into the second division of a mile-and-a-half handicap worth €10,500 with a leading chance.
Top apprentice Dylan Browne McMonagle takes over from champion jockey Colin Keane who was on board Dreal Deal when he ran on the all-weather a fortnight ago. On that occasion, the seven-year-old was hampered at a vital time in the straight and wound up third to Cold Steel.
That form has been boosted since and while Dreal Deal has joint-top weight, even off an official mark of 70 he shapes as a leading contender.
Aidan O’Brien was out of luck with his runners at Hong Kong’s international carnival on Sunday morning but will be represented at Dundalk as he tries to get Cyclamen to lose her maiden tag at the 15th attempt.
On Sunday, Stone Age was a well-backed favourite to land the €2.4 million Hong Kong Vase but could only manage fifth to Japanese winner Win Marilyn. O’Brien’s other runner, Broome, managed only eighth.
“They both ran okay. Stone Age might have preferred a stronger gallop and you could probably say the same for Broome,” said O’Brien afterwards.
His other runner, Order Of Australia, beat only one home in the featured 10-furlong Hong Kong Cup event won by the impressive Romantic Warrior.
Ryan Moore had better luck in the big sprint, successfully stepping in for the injured Alexis Badel on the Richard Gibson-trained Wellington.
“He’s a very good horse. I was very pleased to get the ride. It more or less went to plan. I was able to get a bit of cover in midfield and the pace was steady. I got there a bit too early to be honest but he’s an intelligent horse and a pleasure to ride,” the English man said.
