The second act of Michael Kinane's High Court saga will be played out in Dublin today if the Turf Club decide to contest the injunction granted to the jockey last month.
The injunction was granted to Kinane on the eve of Galileo's success in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes following the Turf Club appeals committee dismissal of an appeal by the jockey against a two-day ban for careless riding.
The stewards of the Turf Club met yesterday but would not be drawn afterwards on whether they will be submitting an affidavit to the High Court. "It would be inappropriate to comment on the basis that the case is listed for the High Court and the matter is sub judice," said the Turf Club chief executive Brian Kavanagh.
If racing's regulatory body do contest the injunction, and win, then Kinane's ride on the hot favourite Mozart in tomorrow's Nunthorpe Stakes at York could be threatened. Kinane, who will be at York this afternoon where his rides include Karsavina in the featured Aston Upthorpe Yorkshire Oaks, received the original ban for his riding of Sophisticat in the Listed Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown on July 18th.
Turf Club officials have been consulting with legal experts over the last week as to whether to contest the hearing but the senior steward Ray Rooney has already declared in a television interview that some agreed procedures were not followed in the original appeal hearing.
If racing at Sligo is to go ahead, the track will have to pass a 7.30 a.m. inspection this morning. Heavy rain in the north west has resulted in the need for the precautionary look at the course although a drying wind yesterday afternoon left track officials feeling "optimistic" about the meeting proceeding.
Heavy going on the flat track will be of assistance to very few in the two-year-old race but the form choice looks to be the course and distance winner Sri, who beat Oileann Oir and Miss Beabea on her last visit. The Bower is also a course and distance winner and should hold a chance in the six furlong handicap while Newhall can complete a hat-trick in the mile-and-a-half handicap.
Meanwhile, Down Royal racecourse chairman James Nicholson is calling for a one per cent charge on bookmakers' turnover in Northern Ireland when off-course betting tax is abolished in October.
Betting shop turnover in Northern Ireland is £130 million and Nicholson believes a one per cent charge would raise approximately £1 million for racing. The charge would replace the flat licence paid by shops while the plan would mean shops would pay in proportion to turnover.
