Funeral details announced for ex-Warwick chair Jerry Dennis

The funeral for Jockey Club member and former Warwick racecourse chairman Jerry Dennis will be held on Thursday, June 13 at 3pm at St Paul’s Church, Broadwell, GL56 0XA.

Dennis died on May 14, ten days short of his 88th birthday. He succeeded John Sumner as Warwick chairman in 1992 and served for a decade until 2002. He was elected a Jockey Club member in 1995, as part of a five-strong intake that included Philip Freedman, and also served on the board of Racecourse Holdings Trust (now Jockey Club Racecourses).

CEO Blanksby leaving Melbourne Racing Club after a decade

Josh Blanksby is set to leave his role as chief executive of the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) after ten years at the organisation, seven of which he spent as CEO.

Blanksby, who will step down on August 31, was praised for his “outstanding leadership” by MRC chair Matthew Cain, with particular emphasis placed on the redevelopment of Caulfield racecourse, known as the Caulfield Masterplan.

Blanksby said: “I feel the time is right to pass the baton on with the club in a strong financial position and key infrastructure projects completed allowing it to control its own destiny.”

Surrey Police report ten arrested over two-day Derby fixture

Ten arrests were made over the two-day Derby meeting, according to Surrey Police.

Around 27,000 people were in attendance at Epsom to watch City Of Troy's victory in the Derby on Saturday, according to course manager Tom Sammes, while King Charles and Queen Camilla were among those present to watch the Oaks the previous day. Of the ten arrests, one person was charged.

Chief Superintendent Graham Barnett said: “This marked our 25th year policing the Derby at Epsom, and I’m pleased to say that the work of each officer and member of staff involved helped to achieve this and keep everyone safe.

“No two years at the event are the same, but every year our teams work tirelessly to make sure that we are preventing and responding to crime and anti-social behaviour. We work closely with the event organisers and our partner agencies to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy the event safely."

Rothwell and King winners disqualified after testing positive for prohibited substances

Philip Rothwell's November Fairyhouse winner Duffys Getaway has been disqualified after testing positive for the banned substance triamcinolone acetonide (TCA), and the trainer fined a total of €1,750 that included a sanction for failing to maintain an up-to-date veterinary medicines register.

Duffys Getaway, who is owned by JP McManus, won a handicap hurdle by a wide margin on November 7 and followed up in even more emphatic style at Punchestown a month later. However, he has now been stripped of the first of those after an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board referrals panel convened last week to hear the case into the positive test.

Rothwell told the panel that Duffys Getaway had been treated by his own local vet and Fethard Equine Hospital for an issue with his sacroiliac joint. Both practices administered TCA, a commonly used corticosteroid anti-inflammatory medication, and the trainer stated he had followed the advice of a 42-day withdrawal period. The panel advised that, in the circumstances, he should have considered an elective test. 

Aengus King has also had his winner at Cork in April of last year, Miss Cunning, disqualified after she tested positive for harpagoside, the main active constituent of harpagophytum procumbens, better known as Devil’s Claw, an unlicensed herbal remedy that is recognised for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. 

King told the panel that it had been given to Miss Cunning in error when two feeds were mixed up. He was fined a total of €3,500, including fines for failing to main a medicines register and failing to display the staff bonus agreement. 

Denis Hogan's successful appeal against the decision of the Down Royal stewards not to promote Benjis Benefit to first after he had been hampered by Tell Us This has also been confirmed, while Paul Townend's appeal against his four-day careless riding ban on State Man in winning the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown was dismissed. 

Corinthian riders confirmed for Irish Injured Jockeys fundraiser

Fourteen amateur jockeys have been announced for the Corinthian Challenge Charity Race which concludes the Curragh card on July 21.

The challenge previously involved multiple races across the summer and autumn but this year it will consist of one race at the Curragh. Each rider is tasked to raise €3,000 for Irish Injured Jockeys.

Actor Brian Mulvey, who appeared in the film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, is among the 14 hopefuls, as is Joanne Quirke, wife of top professional Flat jockey Gary Carroll.

Also set to compete are Jenny Fitzsimons, Diane Scannell, Suzy Quirke, Bridget Speirs, Heather MacKenzie, Ryan Sands, Megan O’Leary, Alanna O’Donoghue, Stephanie Carter, Conor O’Hara, Paddy Woods, and Niamh Byrne.

Michael Higgins, the general manager of Irish Injured Jockeys, said: “Building up on the past success of the Corinthian Challenge, we aimed to enhance its appeal for participants, spectators, and the media to engage with this year. 

"We extend our gratitude to this year’s challengers for their significant commitment to participating and fundraising for IIJ."

To learn more about each rider and contribute, visit https://corinthianchallenge.com/.

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