The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (“IHRB”) has promulgated the contents of the decision of the Appeals Body given on 17th May 2023 against a refusal of the Licensing Committee to grant a training licence to Samantha Finnegan, which decision was made on 2nd February 2023.

The report is on the IHRB website and it was published in the Irish Racing Calendar on 1st June 2023. The original decision contained criticisms relating to premises owned by Mr Paul Callan SC at Monanny Farm, CountyMonaghan.

These criticisms should not have been made nor should they have been reported on. No issue in relation to his premises was raised before the Licensing Committee nor was it an issue set out by either party prior to the hearing at the Appeal Body. The IHRB believes that the inclusion of this commentary in this decision was incorrect and inappropriate and accordingly has now redacted same from all relevant online publications.

The IHRB apologises to Mr Paul Callan for the undoubted upset and inconvenience that the inclusion of these comments have caused him. The IHRB confirms that no issues have been raised with it in relation to the standards that Mr Paul Callan SC maintains in his equine farm enterprise.