The Referrals Committee, Mr Nick Wachman (Chairman), Mr Anthony Byrne and Mr John Murphy convened via Zoom on Wednesday, 5 February 2025 to consider a referral from an IHRB Senior Racing Official in relation to the identification of Krak, trained by Stephen Crawford, who was due to run in the in the Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com Maiden Hurdle on 16 December 2024 at Naas

On the day, the Raceday Stewards received a report from Ms Joan Taylor, IHRB Veterinary Officer, that she was unable to positively identify Krak as she could not find the microchip. It was stated by Mr Ross Crawford, Authorised Representative for S R B Crawford, that he could not account for the missing microchip as they had not encountered the problem before. The Raceday Stewards ordered the withdrawal of Krak in accordance with Rule 90 (iv) and referred the matter to a Senior Racing Official.

At the Referral Hearing, the committee heard evidence from Mr Crawford, trainer.

In his evidence, Mr Crawford stated that he took immediate steps to rectify the issue with the microchip once he became aware of the matter. Mr Crawford submitted documentation to the IHRB in relation to the horse which confirmed that the microchip issue had been rectified.

Having considered the evidence, the Referrals Committee were satisfied that Mr Crawford was in breach of Rule 90(iii) but in light of the matter being addressed, they took no further action.

The case was presented by Ms Christine Traynor BL, IHRB Head of Racing Regulation & Integrity.