Philip Byrnes has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s referral committee over the Redwood Queen incident at Wexford in May.
He was accused of deliberately jumping off his horse on the last flight in the obstacle course.
Redwood Queen was a big drifter in the betting while there was strong backing for favorite Beacon Edge, but the race mare appeared to be in the bag approaching the final hurdle.
After the jump, both of Burns’ legs came out of the iron and he was unloaded, allowing Beacon Edge to come through and win.
There was no intervention by the wardens that day, but the matter was later referred to the IHRB to see if there had been a breach of the rules.
The case was heard on December 15 when evidence was heard from eight witnesses and countless viewings of the race from different angles.
Former jockey Leighton Aspel testified on behalf of the IHRB, for whom he now works as a grantee, and argued that Byrnes did not allow the horse to run on merit.
Aspel’s former colleague Davy Russell also spoke at the hearing, but in defense of Byrnes.
Asked how he broke away from Redwood Queen, Byrnes said: “I was going to the last … I was a little short on it. Just a miscommunication between horse and rider. She came under me, caught me on the rear and I went flying.”
When asked how much effort he put into staying aboard, he said: “When I got that hit, my balance was gone. The next thing I knew I was on the floor. So that’s how it went.”
The report states: “It is the duty of the IHRB to satisfy us with evidence that the fall in question was deliberate if it is to succeed with this appeal.”
“We came to the conclusion that it did not meet that burden of proof. In the conclusion, we primarily looked at the video and photographic evidence and our assessment of the evidence given to us by the jockey. We did not have to rely much on the evidence given by the experts.
“What is clear to us is that due to the manner in which the horse jumped the hurdle, it hit the jockey in the rear and tipped him slightly to the left which resulted in him losing his right stirrup first and then his left and he was properly blindfolded from the horse. We don’t believe it was a deliberate part that kept him in place on purpose. He sustained no injuries.”
“We are unable to identify any motivation that would justify him deliberately dismounting. If the fall had been deliberate, we believe the jockey would have been fully aware of the embarrassment it would have caused to him, and the consequences to his reputation as a jockey. We also reject any suggestion that betting or betting patterns constituted a motivation.”
In conclusion, the report said: “The IHRB’s complaint of deliberate conduct by the jockey has not been substantiated. We believe that what happened on this occasion was an example of poor horsemanship by the jockey, consistent with his previous bad falls.”
“In our opinion on this occasion the jockey’s unstable position resulted from the horse jumping wildly, resulting in the loss of both irons in quick succession. His attempt to stay aboard by holding the reins and neck strap was unsuccessful.”
Byrnes’ father and coach Charles was accused of making the following statement to Irish Field as it could undermine the investigation: “It’s a sad day if the Turf Club has to conduct an investigation to satisfy faceless people on social media. We will answer all their questions. We have nothing to answer.”
This charge was also dismissed.