Racing News: The morphine controversy from last year reared its head again at the Turf Club yesterday when a Willie Mullins-trained "winner" was disqualified.
One Night Out, first past the post in a beginners chase at Fairyhouse on November 30th, 2002, was thrown out by the Appeals & Referrals Committee after morphine was confirmed in a urine sample.
Mullins was fined €130 but the fine was waived due to the quality of the evidence he furnished. The new winner of the race is Beachcomber Bay with Fota Island second and Alpha Blues third.
This is the latest twist in a tale that started when morphine was found in numerous samples in Ireland and Britain last year and traced back to a horse foodstuff. Nine cases were found in Ireland and One Night Out is the second horse to be disqualified; the first was the Christy Roche-trained Kadiskar.
Legal issues have stopped the other seven cases from being dealt with but the Turf Club chief executive, Denis Egan, predicted yesterday they could be heard in early 2004.
Meanwhile, Christy Roche is looking to the skies for rain before launching the long-awaited chasing career of Like-A-Butterfly.
Last season's Irish Champion Hurdle winner is a month away from having her first start over fences but along with many other jump trainers, Roche is keen for softer ground before unleashing his stable stars.
"Like-A-Butterfly is a big strong mare and she was schooled down at Enda Bolger's for JP (McManus). Enda said she is a natural and that is good enough for me," Roche said yesterday.
"I would be happy to start over two miles but I don't want to tie myself down too much because she is so versatile. We will start her off at one of the good tracks and that first run will tell us a lot.
"She has been held up a little bit because the ground is very dry but she is in good form."
The Curragh-based trainer also outlined plans for last season's star novice Le Coudray, which could include Punchestown's John Durkan Memorial Chase.
"He has been in a while now and is actually nearly fit but I have no intention of running him until we get some rain. I think two and a half miles is his ideal trip so we will look at races at that trip like the Durkan," he added.
Beef Or Salmon's trainer, Michael Hourigan, is also watching the weather to see if he can give the Gold Cup second favourite a run on the flat at Galway on Monday.
However, the going at Ballybrit remains on the fast side and Hourigan could be forced to wait for Leopardstown's November Handicap before going over fences with his stable star.
Before that, however, Britain's final Group One of the flat season, Doncaster's Racing Post Trophy, will have just six starters tomorrow, including Magritte and Mikado from the Aidan O'Brien yard.
Up against the pair will be the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere winner American Post, Richard Hannon's Fantastic View and Brian Meehan's Cape Fear.
O'Brien's recent record in the race is unrivalled, with victories courtesy of Saratoga Springs (1997), Aristotle (1999), High Chaparral (2001) and Brian Boru last year.
Willie Mullins's Holy Orders has begun his Melbourne Cup preparation in Australia.
