Coolmore Stud has rejected reported claims by equine therapist John Warwick about having worked for the world renowned breeding operation.
Warwick is at the centre of a drugs controversy after Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine personnel and Gardaí removed prohibited medicines from a Co Kildare yard at which he is based last week.
The 74 year-old Scot has admitted to breaking rules relating to possession of medicines that aren’t licensed in Ireland.
He has been employed by many trainers in both Ireland and Britain for his expertise with leg injuries and has denied any suggestion of doping.
Reported claims by Warwick that he has worked for Coolmore in relation to yearlings in particular were contained in an article in the Sunday Independent but have been dismissed by the Co. Tipperary based stud.
A Coolmore spokesman said on Sunday night: “None of our people who have been in Coolmore for a long time have any recollection of John Warwick treating yearlings in here.
“John Warwick has apparently been around the periphery at times in the locality, and maybe he treated horses that people had shares in with Coolmore and the horses eventually ended up there, but he didn’t treat any of the homebred yearlings that we produce here.
“We have no records of any billing for anything to do with him in relation to Coolmore.”
He added: “We believe John Warwick treated a kid’s pony way back and while the pony yard is on Coolmore, it is a completely different entity and run by separate staff. This was more than 20 years ago.
“That’s the extent of his link to Coolmore as far as we can ascertain.”
Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien, who is in charge of Coolmore’s racing branch in Ballydoyle, has rejected any suggestion that Warwick did any work for him during his 25 years at the world famous stables.
He did however say the therapist may have worked for Jim Ryan, a former owner of his.
The Coolmore spokesman said: “As for Ballydoyle, again, if he was in there, it was a long time ago when Jim Ryan may have had him look a horse of his, but that would have been it.”
