Supreme shareholder still 'scarred' by scandal after Kemboy is cleared to return

One of the principal shareholders in Kemboy said the scars from the Supreme Horse Racing Club debacle "still run deep" after the leading Gold Cup fancy was cleared to run again by Horse Racing Ireland on Wednesday.

HRI accepted new registrations for seven horses previously belonging to the club, meaning Kemboy was able to be entered before Wednesday's midday deadline in next month's Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown, a race the seven-year-old won last year.

The news was welcomed by New York-based businessman Brett Graham, who said: "This was a big step and the horses can get back to racing.

Robin De Carlow: another talented jumper who raced in the Supreme coloursCredit: Alain Barr

"Willie [Mullins] can get back to training them and the owners can get back to enjoying racing again, which has been absent for a long time. We're back to some normality and we have all the faith in the world in him [Mullins]. There's a long way to go in the process but the scars still run deep because nobody is going to end up where they thought they were."

Graham believed he owned 40 per cent of Kemboy, who is a best-priced 13-2 for this season's Gold Cup, only to find out this was not the case and in the last two months one of Ireland's leading and most successful syndicates has unravelled amid allegations of overselling shares in horses.

Following the suspension of Supreme's account in October, this month HRI barred the club and trustee Steve Massey from owning horses in Ireland after repeated attempts to get the embattled organisation to engage with the governing body over the allegations failed.

Kemboy was prioritised to be registered due to the early-closing entry stage for the Savills Chase, and the other six horses registered were selected because they are either ready to run or have early-closing deadlines approaching.

Kemboy's owner Supreme Horse Racing Club banned by HRI

Each of the horses will have their own new colours and unique syndicates, and bonds have been formed by the owners involved, as Graham added: "The ones I'm not involved in I'll be rooting for just as hard. One of the nice outcomes of this is the owners of the individual horses have connected as it has been incumbent upon us to sort this out.

"The cooperative spirit amongst the ownership group has been tremendous. People were celebrating in the owner's chat rooms on Tuesday as if they'd just won the Gold Cup when really all we did is be enabled to enter again."

A HRI statement on Wednesday read: "Horse Racing Ireland has accepted new registrations for seven horses previously registered under Supreme Horse Racing Club. Race entries for the horses – Aramon, Cadmium, Defy De Mee, Harrie, Hybery, Kemboy and Robin De Carlow – can now be made.

"The new registrations have been formed under new syndicates comprising members who have come forward as shareholders in those horses.

"The new syndicates have agreed that any prize-money won will be held within their Horse Racing Ireland syndicate account and no withdrawals will be permitted until at least the end of the 2019/2020 National Hunt season. This will allow members time to take further steps, including finalising the shareholding in each horse."

The BHA confirmed the seven horses whose registrations have been accepted are free to run in Britain.

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