Three of Irish horse racing's biggest boardroom controversies

As Gordon Elliott awaits his fate from an IHRB committee, Colm Greaves looks back at three major controversies that rocked racing in decades gone by

Legendary trainer Vincent O'Brien with Nijinsky in the background, circa 1970. Photo by Chris Smith/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Vincent O’Brien ‘warned off’ 

In May 1960, Vincent O’Brien received a letter from the Irish Turf Club informing him that a recent runner at the Curragh, his 3-year-old colt Chamour, had tested positive for a banned stimulant. O’Brien, already a national treasure, was both perplexed and horrified.