Catherine the Fake: Horse trainers across Ireland 'owed money by O'Brien'

Catherine O'Brien is disqualified by Horse Racing Ireland from racing horses in her name. Picture: the Irish Mail on Sunday

Horse trainers across the country say they have been left out of pocket after being engaged to work with horses linked to Catherine O’Brien.

Ms O’Brien, who is originally from Buttevant but who has an address in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, is currently sought by gardaí investigating complaints from people alleging fraudulent activities by her.

There is also a bench warrant for her arrest, following her conviction in her absence in June 2021 for breaches of animal welfare legislation.

Catherine O’Brien, with an address in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, was convicted in absentia last year for breaches of animal welfare legislation. Picture: Irish Mail on Sunday

The Irish Examiner has discovered that a number of horse trainers engaged in 2018 and 2019 to train horses linked to Ms O’Brien have said that they have not been paid. Legal efforts are being made by some to try to get payment for their services.

Several trainers have spoken to the Irish Examiner on condition of anonymity about their experiences. While some dealt directly with Ms O’Brien, others only found out after their arrangements ended that there was a connection to the Cork woman.

One Leinster trainer said that he has engaged a solicitor to try to get payment which he says is due to him for training one horse.

He says he is owed a number of thousand euro and has been trying to get his payment for years, without success.

It has become apparent that she has left a lot of sad stories behind her,” he says.

He added that it was only after his services with the horse were no longer required that the connection to Ms O’Brien emerged. He had been engaged by a man to train the horse.

The Irish Examiner revealed in recent days that Ms O’Brien is disqualified by Horse Racing Ireland from racing horses in her name.

She is included in the most recent publication of the HRI’s forfeit list, and has been on it since November 2016.

It relates to arrears of €586.71, which she has failed to pay.

She had been a registered owner with HRI. However, because she has been on the forfeit list, she has been a “disqualified person as far as HRI and IHRB are concerned and means her HRI ownership was voided in late 2016 for racing purposes”. As a result, horses cannot race under her name.

Judicial proceedings

Later this month, judicial review proceedings taken by her against the Director of Public Prosecutions following Ms O’Brien's animal cruelty conviction in Wexford will be up for mention in the High Court on November 29.

She is wanted for questioning by gardaí investigating allegations of fraud in the sale of horses in the past three to four years.

The complaints under investigation relate to horse investment schemes through a website set up to target people interested in thoroughbred horses. Another relates to a scheme involving an investment related to a property which was for sale in France, also related to horses.

The website, which no longer exists, carried a list of services including racehorse purchase and management, and investment opportunities.

The website gave an address in Merrion Square as the “global offices” of the company.

A phone number on the website no longer belongs to Catherine O’Brien, but is one of the numbers she was known to use in the past.

In February, a decision was made in favour of the Criminal Assets Bureau, allowing the retention by the State of a 2015-registered Land Rover Discovery which, it ruled, was purchased through the proceeds of “criminal frauds” by Ms O’Brien.

Listen: When in Rome - How fraudster Catherine O'Brien brought one of her marks to an audience with Pope Benedict in the Vatican - before conning her out of more than €300,000