Hugh Horgan cleared by IHRB

JOCKEY Hugh Horgan has had two €1,000 fines quashed by the directors of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. The fines had been handed down by the Appeals Body following an appeal by the jockey against a 16-day whip ban. In dismissing the appeal, the Appeals Body also imposed fines of the jockey for lodging a frivolous appeal and for giving misleading evidence. However, the IHRB directors have overruled this decision on the basis that it was inappropriate for the Appeals Body to find new rules breaches at appeal, giving Horgan insufficient time to offer a defence. The matter should have been referred to the Referrals Committee.

Goffs Yorton Sale on hold

THERE will be no Goffs Yorton Sale of young National Hunt stock at the Welsh stud farm this September. Goffs said: “Yorton owner David Futter has made the difficult decision to suspend the 2024 sale as he feels Yorton have the quality of horses, but not the quantity, to justify holding the sale this year and asking buyers to attend. As a result, Yorton will focus on securing stock for next year’s continuation where they aim to offer around 50 quality lots that will appeal to the broadest buying bench.”

Jockey Jamie Moore retires

JUMP jockey Jamie Moore has retired from the saddle, aged 39, on medical advice. Son of trainer Gary, he is brother of Josh, Ryan and Hayley – all of whom are well-known faces in the racing industry.

Moore was the champion conditional rider at the end of the 2003/’04 season and rode almost 1,000 winners in his career. The 2014 Champion Chase winner Sire De Grugy was the best horse he was associated with.

The rider had a career-ending fall at Lingfield in late November which left him with a fractured vertebra as well as broken ribs and a broken nose.