HORSE Racing Ireland has tweaked its internal systems in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the circumstances which led to apprentice Mikey Sheehy losing a winner this week.

Sheehy claimed five pounds off his first two rides at Dundalk on Wednesday, November 3rd, finishing third and first, but it later emerged that his claim should have been reduced to 3lb following his 65th winner five days earlier.

At a Referrals Committee hearing (Justice Raymond Groarke in the chair), Sheehy said he informed the clerk of the scales he had a 5lb claim in good faith, having seen his claim listed as 5lb in the declarations published by Horse Racing Ireland.

Those declarations had been compiled at 10am on Monday, November 1st and it transpired that the HRI database had not yet been updated with the results from the previous Friday night at that time.

A spokesperson for HRI told The Irish Field yesterday: “Our IT systems are constantly updated to cater for new rules, such as 48-hour declarations. While these projects are progressing, Mikey Sheehy’s win count was not updated between the time of his 65th winner and the subsequent 48-hour declarations for the Wednesday card.

“A further interim check has been implemented to ensure this does not happen again.”

The Referrals Committee noted the HRI explanation but held that Sheehy was ultimately responsible for ensuring he claimed the right weight allowance.

The most injured party as a result of the error are Emily Magnier and Linda Shanahan, owners of two-year-old filly Sangria, who has been disqualified from first place in a nursery. She raced off a mark of 66 when she ‘won’ on November 1st but is due to run off 73 in a similar race next Wednesday.