Trainer Thomond O'Mara ordered to pay €15,000 over Cork incident

From IrishRacing.com.....

Fethard trainer Thomond O’Mara has been handed a €10,000 fine by the Referrals Committee of the IHRB following an altercation with Clerk of the course Paul Moloney at Cork Racecourse on November 26.

The Referrals Committee of Peter Allen (Chairman), N.B Wachman and Noel McCaffrey heard evidence that Moloney was both verbally and physically abused by O’Mara at the Mallow venue.

Following a hearing at IHRB offices this week, the Committee were satisfied that O’Mara was in breach of Rule 272(i) in that he had behaved in a manner which is prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of horseracing, Rule 272(iii) in that he abused, intimidated and physically assaulted an IHRB official and acted in a threatening and intimidating manner, and Rule 273(xii) in that he engaged in violent or improper conduct on a racecourse.

Having considered his record in this regard, the Committee dealt with O’Mara’s sanction for the three offences together imposing a fine of €10,000 and suspending his licence to train for three years.

However, they suspended that portion of the sanction for a period of three years on the strict understanding that if there is any repeat of an offence of this nature or any breach of Rule 272 by O’Mara in the interim period, the suspension of his licence will come into effect.

The Committee also ordered that O’Mara pay a contribution to the costs of the IHRB of €5,000.

I don't know the background either, but doesn't look as though he did himself any favours by not attending the Cork Stewards meeting, or the later IHRB enquiry.

suspended sentences are an absolute joke...

you've either done wrong and deserve the punishment or you haven't...

all this you've done wrong but if you are a good boy over the next few years then we will let you away with the 'losing your licence' part...

farce.

I'll have to listen to the barstewards tonight to see if they know what went on at Limerick and caused O'Mara to lose his proverbial, cuz it looks like we're not going to be told by the authority or the press.

ask them what they think of suspended sentences GEORGE...

hideous imv.

George - What is the Limerick angle.  Is this possibly the root cause of the Cork fracas?

Does it really matter what happened?  Grabbing a CotC by the throat is just not on.  Anywhere.

blackbarn, apparently something happened at Limerick (where Moloney is also clerk) which provoked O'Mara to behave the way he did subsequently. Now while it may be common knowledge in racing circles what happened, it's seemingly being kept from us plebs.

I couldn't agree more.  George though is suggesting there is a little more background to it!

George - I was replying to loyal's "stating the blee ding obvious" post.

it was to do with a fall at limerick when his son was riding

Nothing wrong with stating the obvious when it is true.  Especially when nobody else is doing so.
What do you do?  The opposite? 
blackbarn's grudge and resentment surfacing again.

Thanks elise.

When I was googling stories about it, I came across an article where Shark O'Hanlon had been unhappy about the Limerick ground being "over-watered" after he'd lost a horse there, but assumed it was unrelated.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/ireland/i-ended-up-losing-a-horse-over-it-shark-hanlon-slams-limerick-for-overwatering-ar7SL1d1Cmq6/

may still be related to the ground issue, just what was reported by moloney re why o'mara had started calling him and they put it in reference to his sons fall

Loyalhoncho - I hold no grudge or resentment against you or any on here.

Does it really matter what happened?  Grabbing a CotC by the throat is just not on.  Anywhere.


.... May as well said " Its raining where I am " .... Totally irrelevant to the point of the thread as Blackbarn so eloquently stated.

I'm with HappyHibby here -  no tolerance. no mitigation.  Instant ban for such an offence.

Just to clarify, as I could have worded that better, they are unrelated incidents.

But at least now we have some background as to why O'Mara behaved the way he did, which was missing from the press reports.

I like ice cream but it has pheck all to do with this thread, read the opening post, ...



So what is missing from the story?

What actually happened at Limerick to provoke such a response from O'Mara?

      Over to you Honcho.

Indeed. Instant ban - anything lesser is non-acceptable; physical contact on a track official cannot be allowed regardless. But, IHRB is not fit for purpose as we've known for a long while now.

...   Like buses now.!!

after a bit of digging ... there was indeed a fall at limerick on 27 july, what threw me was the lad had a ride but came 5th, horse actually fell after the line and looked to have taken a bad step, whether his dad felt they'd overwatered as per hanlons claim a few months earlier is guesswork, but that's what started it

just add, the horse got up ok

This just needed someone to drag the pair of them in and force them to apologise to each other, shake hands and move on.

In the end it just got out of hand with weird late night phone calls and then punch ups at the track.

Lol did he send pizzas to his house as well?

It’s just childish….they should both know better.

Cheers elise, I had looked at all his rides but couldn't see any fall, but that clears that up.

What I find funny is this....


and former top jockey Paul Moloney"



Now that is taking the p1ss.

A good and interesting fred!  I, like others had only read the headline.

Racing
Praise for ‘genius’ Paul Moloney as jockey retires from saddle
Failing to recover from shoulder injury he returns to Ireland to set up breeding operation

Expand

Paul Moloney and State of Play jump the last fence before landing The Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup Steeple Chase Race run at Newbury Racecourse in 2006. Photograph: Getty Images
Fri Apr 21 2017 - 11:07

Barry Geraghty and Richard Johnson led the tributes to Paul Moloney after the jockey announced his retirement from riding.

Moloney, 38, has called time on a distinguished career after he failed to recover from a shoulder injury he sustained in a fall at Sedgefield in January.

He is to return to his native Ireland to set up a breeding operation.

Geraghty, currently on the sidelines with a broken arm, tweeted: “The best of luck to Paul Moloney in his retirement we will miss him in the weighroom and watching him win on horses that never should have.”

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Champion jockey Johnson said Moloney’s retirement was “a big loss to the weighing room”.

He tweeted: “Very sad to hear of Paul Moloney’s retirement, brilliant jockey and great man.”

Moloney spent most of his riding days attached to Evan Williams’ Welsh stable.

They had their first big-race success with State Of Play in the 2006 Hennessy Gold Cup and went on to enjoy other notable victories with horses like Deep Purple, Barizan, Court Minstrel and Buywise.

They also combined to finish in the first four in five consecutive Grand Nationals from 2009-13 with State Of Play and Cappa Bleu.

Moloney went on to achieve two further fourth-place finishes in the Grand National aboard Alvarado in 2014-15.

Williams said: “It’s a big blow to the yard because he’s been such a wonderful man to work with.

“We both found each other at the right time of our careers. I was starting and he was coming over from Ireland.

“We had a wonderful working relationship and some great days.

“I’ve enjoyed every single second working with him. We’re all behind his retirement because it’s the right thing for him and his family.

“Fingers crossed he can get on with the rest of his life and we’ve got so many happy memories.

“He was such a pleasure to work with.”

Jockey Sam Twiston-Davies described Moloney as an "absolute genius on the back of a horse", while Aidan Coleman said he was a "great jockey and great man".

Tom Scudamore said on Twitter: "All the best to this top gentleman. Been a pleasure to ride with him. Admired him enormously."

T.J. O’ Mara (Trainer) Referral – Cork 26 November 2023
The Referrals Committee, Mr. Peter Allen (Chairman), Mr. N.B Wachman and Mr. Noel McCaffrey convened at Offices of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on 17 January 2024 to consider the referral of T.J. O’ Mara, Trainer, by a Senior Racing Official following an incident at Cork Racecourse on 26 November 2023.

On the day, the Raceday Stewards received a report from IHRB Clerk of the Course, Mr. Paul Moloney, regarding an altercation between himself and Mr. T.J. O’Mara, Trainer, as he was coming off the track after the third race, whereby he was both verbally and physically abused by Mr. O’Mara. The matter was referred to the Referrals Committee for further consideration by a Senior Racing Official.

At the Referral Hearing, evidence was heard from Mr. Paul Moloney, Mr. Frank Clune, IHRB Security Officer, Mr. Michael King, IHRB Security Official, Mr. Paul Murtagh, IHRB Head of Raceday Operations and Mr. Matthew Tynan, Mr. O’Mara’s Authorised Representative. Mr. Frank Quirke, B.L. and Ms. Judy Quirke offered evidence as to Mr. O’Mara’s character.

In his evidence, Mr. Moloney stated that long before the incident at Cork, Mr. O’Mara had been harassing him with repeated phone calls including late at night, angry about an incident at Limerick Racecourse, where he is also Clerk of the Course. He stated that the incident involved the fall of Mr. Niall O’Mara, son of T.J. O’Mara. Mr. Moloney explained that he brought the matter to the attention of Paul Murtagh, his line manager, at a fixture at Kilbeggan and informed Mr. Murtagh that he had had to block Mr. O’Mara’s number on his phone.

Mr. Moloney described the incident at Cork Racecourse on 26 November. He stated that after the third race, he was walking back from the track towards the weighroom and saw Mr. O’Mara standing by the Outside Broadcast Units. Mr. Moloney explained that Mr. O’Mara was waiting for him and began shouting and pointing at him. Mr. Moloney stated that Mr. O’Mara then shouted, “Hey you, you nearly paralysed my son”.  Mr. Moloney explained that he asked him to go away and said that he had had enough of his phone calls late at night. At this point, Mr. Moloney stated that Mr. O’Mara grabbed him by his shirt and tie. He reported that he had called Frank Clune on the IHRB radio for assistance and that Damien Skehan, Cork Racecourse foreman, had come on the scene then and that Mr. O’Mara had departed.

Mr. Moloney added that he wished the altercation had never taken place. Mr. Moloney explained that he would prefer to draw a line through the incident and move on and that he would prefer to just receive an apology from Mr. O’Mara and get on with his job.

In his evidence, Mr. Frank Clune, IHRB Security Officer, explained that Mr. Moloney had contacted him on the radio sounding distressed after the incident. He confirmed Mr. Moloney’s shirt and tie looked dishevelled following the interaction. Mr. Clune stated that he advised Mr. Moloney to contact the Gardaí but that Mr. Moloney had said that he’d prefer they were not involved. Mr. Clune explained that he then brought the matter to Mr. Colman Sweeney, IHRB Stipendiary Steward, and an official Stewards Enquiry followed. Mr. Clune added that he immediately rang Mr. Michael King and told him to inform Mr. O’Mara that the Raceday Stewards had called an enquiry and were looking for him.

Evidence was also heard from Mr. Michael King, IHRB Security Official. Mr. King explained how the communication he heard over the radio from Mr. Moloney to Mr. Clune had immediately concerned him. Mr. King stated following instruction from Mr. Clune about the Stewards Enquiry, he was unable to locate Mr. O’Mara and asked his Authorised Representative Mr. Tynan to go to the Stewards Room but didn’t disclose the reasons why as he wasn’t aware of the full details.

In his evidence, Mr. Paul Murtagh stated that Mr. O’Mara had called him on 24 August 2023, claiming the ground at Limerick had been overwatered for the fixture of 27 July 2023 and declared he was holding Paul Moloney responsible for his son’s fall. Mr. Murtagh explained that he had subsequently sought reports from both Mr. Moloney and Limerick Racecourse on the matter and could find no fault with the ground preparation, noting that it was particularly wet month and no watering had taken place. He gave evidence of further conversations with Mr. O’Mara on 1 September 2023 and 15 September 2023 in which Mr. O’Mara had claimed there was a hole in the ground in Limerick, possibly caused by a stake, and accused Mr. Murtagh of interfering with his son’s medical assistance from the IHRB.

Evidence was also heard from Mr. Matthew Tynan, Mr. O’Mara’s Authorised Representative on the day. Mr. Tynan stated that when Mr. King had requested him to contact Mr. O’Mara and advise him he was to attend the Stewards Room he was unaware of the incident that had taken place. Mr. Tynan explained that Mr. King had requested he contact Mr. O’Mara to notify him that he was required at the weighroom. Mr. Tyan explained he called Mr. O’Mara, but that Mr. O’Mara had informed him he had already left the racecourse.

Having considered the evidence, the Referrals Committee were satisfied that Mr. O’Mara was in breach of Rule 272(i) in that Mr. O’Mara had behaved in a manner which is prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of horseracing, Rule 272(iii) in that Mr. O’Mara abused, intimidated and physically assaulted an IHRB Official and acted in a threatening and intimidating manner, and Rule 273(xii) in that Mr. O’Mara engaged in violent or improper conduct on a Racecourse.

Having considered his record in this regard, the Committee dealt with Mr. O’Mara’s sanction for the three offences together. They imposed a fine of €10,000 and suspended his licence to train for a period of three years. However, they suspended that portion of the sanction for a period of three years on the strict understanding that if there is any repeat of an offence of this nature or any breach of Rule 272 by Mr. O’Mara in the interim period, the suspension of his licence will come into effect. The Committee also ordered that Mr. O’Mara pay a contribution to the costs of the IHRB of €5,000.

The case was presented by Mr. Frank Crean, B.L., instructed by Ms Clíodhna Guy, IHRB Head of Licensing, Legal & Compliance. Mr. O’Mara was represented by Mr. Remy Farrell, S.C., instructed by Mr. Patrick Kennedy, of Patrick J. O’Meara & Co. Solicitors, Thurles Co. Tipperary.

Moloney a genius in making it look like a horse was hanging so he didn't have to ride it out

Thanks for finding that, MR C.

So it was a 'ground issue' as far as O'Mara was concerned.

In his evidence, Mr. Paul Murtagh stated that Mr. O’Mara had called him on 24 August 2023, claiming the ground at Limerick had been overwatered for the fixture of 27 July 2023 and declared he was holding Paul Moloney responsible for his son’s fall. Mr. Murtagh explained that he had subsequently sought reports from both Mr. Moloney and Limerick Racecourse on the matter and could find no fault with the ground preparation, noting that it was particularly wet month and no watering had taken place. He gave evidence of further conversations with Mr. O’Mara on 1 September 2023 and 15 September 2023 in which Mr. O’Mara had claimed there was a hole in the ground in Limerick, possibly caused by a stake, and accused Mr. Murtagh of interfering with his son’s medical assistance from the IHRB

George, thanks for bringing the story to our attention

The IHRB website is quite good.East to find jockey suspensions etc

https://www.ihrb.ie/table/press-releases/referrals-appeals/

At Cork, O'Mara was not available to attend the Stewards Enquiry into the incident with Molony. He then apparently chose not to attend the IHRB enquiry at which he was fined. He was represented by counsel. One wonders what his penalty would have been had he treated the Irish authorities (sic) with a little more respect.

Thanks for the link, Mr C, I'll keep a note of that for future reference.