Disappointing to be fined for doing the right thing

I’M glad to be looking back on a great week with five winners from last Saturday up to the first race at Killarney last night but there was one event put a dampener on it, when I was fined for looking after the welfare of my horse.

I took Paradis De Thaix down to Killarney on Wednesday with every intention of running him. I know the ground was good to firm when I declared him the day before and I know the rules are the rules. But rain was forecast and it rained everywhere in Kerry except Killarney. All it needed was one shower and it would have been safe for the horse to run. But there was none and given that this is a horse that has had leg trouble, I took him out.

The stewards accepted my explanation and then fined me. I was very disappointed by that because I wasn’t playing anybody for a fool. The horse was taken there in good faith, plaited, ready to race. The owner had even travelled all the way from the north to watch him run.