Ronan McNally Loses Appeal, 12-year Suspension Cut Back

Trainer Ronan McNally lost his appeal against his disqualification for breaching racing's integrity rules, however, was granted a four-year reprieve from his original record 12-year suspension.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) published the verdict of an appeals body panel Wednesday evening. The panel was chaired by Justice Peter Kelly. The suspension of the final four years of the disqualification is contingent on adhering to the rules, a breach of which would reinstate the full sentence.

McNally's penalties-including the 12-year suspension, charges of €50,000 and the return of €13,000 in prize-money-were handed down in January, and the following month, he announced that he had formally appealed the Board's findings. The appeals panel convened last month to consider McNally's appeal against the sanctions handed to the trainer in late January by the referrals committee and later dismissed McNally's appeal against the findings of the committee.