Irish trainer fined €1,000 after Limerick winner tests positive for arsenic

An Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board referral panel has fined County Meath trainer Joseph Murray €1,000 and disqualified his Limerick winner Rodney Bay after the horse returned a positive test for arsenic above the established threshold in April last year.

Murray, who was also hit with a €3,000 charge in costs, was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation at Monday's IHRB hearing as to how the breach occurred in the sample taken by Rodney Bay, who recorded the only victory of his career when scoring by a head in a 1m3½f handicap at Limerick on April 24 2021.

After being notified by LGC Laboratories in Newmarket that there was a screening finding for arsenic in the post-race sample, the IHRB carried out an unannounced out-of-competition testing inspection on May 10 2021, led by its chief veterinary officer Dr Lynn Hillyer.

In 2018 four adverse analytical finding cases were investigated by the IHRB in which the source identified was the feeding of large quantities of seaweed or seaweed products, but no such products, feeds or other materials were identified as a possible source in the case of Rodney Bay.

The report stated that: "Hair and blood samples were taken for analysis from eight horses including Rodney Bay. Whilst the results did not return any findings to assist explaining the adverse analytical finding, the estimated signal intensity for arsenic in the blood sample taken from Rodney Bay was higher than any of the other horses."

Murray told the panel, chaired by Justice Raymond Groarke, he was unable to identify a source for the finding despite taking numerous measures, including having his water tested. Murray said he believed the creosoted wood in the paddock where Rodney Bay grazed was the most likely source, but it was found to contain only 0.0116 per cent of arsenic.

Further samples taken from his horses returned five results which would be higher than normal for arsenic which gave rise to further uncertainty.

The panel concluded that no satisfactory evidence had been forthcoming about how the substance came to be in Rodney Bay's system, triggering the fine and costs totalling €4,000. Ellaat, trained by Noel Kelly and ridden by Gavin Ryan, was promoted to first in the Limerick race following the disqualification.

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