THE British Horseracing Authority has published the reasons why its Disciplinary Panel banned Galway trainer Paul Gilligan for six months at a hearing last month. Gilligan had been charged with winning a race at Uttoxeter in 2014 with Dubawi Phantom, a horse who had previously raced in flapping races under the name Ayres Rock.

A six-month ban handed to Gilligan in March was subsequently quashed when it emerged that a member of the Disciplinary Panel, Matthew Lohn, had previously worked for the BHA who were prosecuting the case. The case was reheard in December. According to the Disciplinary Panel, Gilligan’s evidence “stretches credibility beyond breaking point.” The Panel said it could not accept that the trainer had acquired Dubawi Phantom without any knowledge of the horse’s name or racing record. The Panel also cast doubt on the trainer’s failure to immediately notice that the horse was remarkably similar to the one his son was riding in flapping races at that time.