Ruby Walsh: Not a week to write home about for the IHRB or the Curragh

The Kerrygold Irish Oaks meeting at the Curragh on commences today. Photo: INPHO/Oisin Keniry

When the schedule was released for the much-altered post-Covid-19 lockdown racing program, I felt it would be York in August before the dust settled and the summer highlights on the flat took the shape they might ordinarily have.

I overestimated, in a sense. 

The King George and Sussex Stakes to be run in the next seven to 10 days look like throwing up some wonderful clashes: Enable v Magical (round six) v the three-year-olds at Ascot, and Siskin, Kameko, and Earthlight taking on Mohaather at Goodwood.

However, today’s Juddmonte Irish Oaks is struggling a tad, coming just two weeks after the English and French equivalents, instead of the usual five or six weeks. 

So, no Love, Fancy Blue, Alpine Star or Peaceful, but we do have the dead eight runners and the chance of throwing up another star filly to add to the mix for when the clashes do come.

It’s only a chance, though, as Ennistymon Is a big player here thanks to her second to Love at Epsom, and one has to think that as long as to these two fillies are healthy and have tails, Ennistymon will never beat Love, such was the winner’s dominance at Epsom.

Cayenne Pepper, who chased home Magical over ten furlongs in the Pretty Polly Stakes 20 days ago, will most probably start favourite for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley. She looks sure to improve for the step-up in trip and has to strip a fraction fitter on her second start of the season.

She could be the one filly in the field who might blow this race apart and add herself to mix of superstar three-year-old fillies housed on this island.

Ger Lyons saddles two, in Even So and Yaxeni, Joseph O’Brien runs New York Girl, and Aidan has three others in Snow, Passion and Laburnum, to make up the eight runners. 

Provided all eight go to post, each-way betting adds an interesting angle to this contest and, whilst my idea of the winner is Cayenne Pepper, Laburnum could be the one to spring a surprise. She was second to Even So over 10f at Naas in an Oaks trial there but looked to me like a filly who would relish 12 furlongs.

In racing terms, it was a week dominated by the retirement of Barry Geraghty, and rightly so, but other events merit mention. 

I am not entirely certain it was a great week for the IHRB or the Curragh racecourse.

A Few Bob Short was mistakenly withdrawn from a race there last Friday and then reinstated when the error was spotted. But the fact that a security blip was the reason for the mistake is all the more concerning.

Stable yards are supposed to be the most secure areas on racecourses, so how could Shane Ryder, trainer of A Few Bod Short, have cleared the health screening at the Curragh racecourse and put his horse into his allocated stable in the yard without anybody knowing either trainer or horse were even on-site?

Then again, no one seemed to ask Aidan or Donnacha O’Brien could they see their allocated wristband (which everyone gets when they clear the health screening on a racecourse) on June 12 at the Curragh as they entered through a side gate.

Neither could have had one as both had mistakenly entered directly through the side entrance rather than through the health screening at the main entrance.

Obviously, both men are well known to any staff on a racecourse but “have you got your wristbands lads?” could have saved everybody a bit of grief.

But then you start to wonder about when their presence, at a venue where only people who have pre-clearance from the IHRB and have gained entrance through a designated security and health screening area are allowed to be, was noticed?

Emmet Mullins was spotted on the day at Leopardstown when he made his way on course shortly after being refused entry having cleared the daily temperature check but not having the daily clearance barcode for that particular day.

He had one for the day before and one for the day after, but a daily clearance is required for entry - I know, as I forgot to get mine by 6pm last Saturday and was therefore unable to attend Cork races on Sunday.

But when did the security teams and health screening personnel realise neither Aidan nor Donnacha had presented themselves for entry at the required entrance? 

Both were fined €2,500 and suspended from going racing for two weeks. I have no doubt both made a mistake and that the responsibility lay on them to do the right thing and have their temperature checked before they entered a facility with people whom they have not been in contact with.

The responsibility for stopping the spread of Covid-19 lies with each of us individually, hence the IHRB’s hardline on rule breaches. But good policing is as much about prevention as it is catching.

The IHRB screening is free to participants but why couldn’t a fee-paying service be available to those who are late or forget to do it. That would have prevented Emmett Mullins chancing his arm. 

I would have paid a fee last Sunday morning and so would several others who missed out on a day’s work for missing the cut-off time.

The suspensions of trainers from attending race meetings is merely a PR exercise too. 

Realistically, what exactly can a trainer do on a race day that his or her staff cannot? Nothing. So, if you want to suspend trainers you have to suspend them from having runners too, not just attending. 

A bit draconian for the offences committed, but worthless punishments are of no value either.

I will look forward to reading the outcome of the internal enquiry at the IHRB as to how Shane Ryder and A Few Bob Short entered the Curragh stabling facilities unannounced but, then again, I haven’t yet figured out where to find the reports of those enquires!