TRAINER Mick Winters believes naivety on his part contributed towards the chain of events which sees him left with a €4,500 fine for failing to run a horse on its merits at Cork earlier this month.

Following Churchtown Glen’s seventh-place effort in a maiden hurdle, Winters was fined €6,000 and jockey Barry John Foley received a 21-day suspension. They were deemed to have breached Rule 212A (i) which covers deliberately or recklessly not allowing a horse to run on its merits. Churchtown Glen was also banned for 90 days.

On Wednesday the pair failed in their appeals against the penalties but, taking the personal circumstances of both into account, Winters’ fine was reduced to €4,500 and Foley’s ban cut to 14 days. However, the horse’s suspension remained at 90 days.

On Thursday evening, having reflected on the hearing, Winters told The Irish Field: “Thinking back to the day (at Cork) I felt we were a little ambushed. It was only when someone on the racecourse told me there was an inquiry that I knew to go into the stewards’ room.

“It was only the second inquiry I have ever been in and it can be a difficult thing to face, with 10 or 11 people looking at you and asking questions.”

He added: “I am 100% sure the horse ran on its merits. I had no idea what price he was on the day. I don’t have time to be looking at that sort of thing. I was happy with the ride Barry John gave him and so, to be called into the stewards’ room so unexpectedly, I wasn’t ready for it. I didn’t know why I was in there and maybe I could have dealt with that better.

“Look, we’ll learn from it and move on. You can say it’s harsh but it’s done now and that’s it. I feel sorry for Barry John and and feel very sorry for the owner, as the horse can’t run for a long time now.”

Concluding Wednesday’s hearing, Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan, chairman of the Appeals Body, said the panel could not find fault with how the Cork stewards arrived at their decision and so dismissed the appeals.

When reducing Winters’ fine, the Appeals Body took into account that he was a small trainer and had not breached this rule before. In the case of Foley, it was acknowledged that the rider may have compromised his riding style due to recent breaches of the whip rule. They also noted his previous good record. He is out of action from tomorrow until January 6th.