On Monday morning champion trainer Willie Mullins's vet, Tim Brennan, will appear before a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel in London on corruption charges.
Co Kilkenny-based Brennan has been accused of passing on inside information to his brother about an injury to the Mullins-trained Faugheen shortly before the horse was withdrawn from the 2016 Champion Hurdle.
Michael Brennan is alleged to have subsequently placed 'lay' bets against the horse in betting markets with liabilities of several thousand euro. He failed to cooperate with a BHA investigation.
Mullins is not involved in the case and the BHA has said there is no suggestion he or staff members at his Co Carlow stables were aware of Tim Brennan’s alleged actions.
The charges have been denied by Tim Brennan and the case is scheduled to be heard over two days. A maximum penalty of up to 10 years disqualification is open to the disciplinary panel if they find Brennan to have broken the rules relating to corrupt or fraudulent practices in relation to racing.
Meanwhile, Aidan O’Brien enjoyed double Group One success on Saturday with Kew Gardens’ Grand Prix de Paris victory adding to US Navy Flag’s July Cup success earlier in the day.
O’Brien has nominated the upcoming King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot as a potential target for Kew Gardens next.
There was less happier news from Ballydoyle’s great rivals at Godolphin who confirmed the Derby winner Masar is out for the season. He will however remain in training as a four-year-old.
Masar missed the Eclipse with a leg injury and his trainer Charlie Appleby reported another scan has indicated the colt will need eight weeks to recover.
“We felt to give him the best chance next year we would give him the rest of this season off. He’s going to miss eight weeks now and you can’t get a lead into a championship race, i.e. the Arc, by missing this much time.
“So if we wanted him to run as a four-year-old we felt he would have the best opportunity by giving him the rest of the season off.
“He’s a substantial colt anyway. There’s a chance there’s more to come. The races we’ll be looking at next year are the Coronation Cup, the King George and the Arc,” Appleby reported.
Killarney’s July festival continues on Monday evening with a mixed card that sees racing open with a Ballydoyle runner, El Greco, in a mile conditions event.
The 95-rated Scriobh Nua could prove tough to beat for the Cork winner though, while first time blinkers may work for Mademoiselle Penny in one of the 11 furlong handicaps.
