A solicitor engaged by former members of the Supreme Horse Racing Club said on Thursday evening he was “very optimistic” the 29 horses it has hitherto owned, including the top-class chaser Kemboy, will be able to race this season.
The Thurles-based Patrick Kennedy was speaking after the ruling body of Irish horse racing in effect kicked SHRC out of the sport by declaring it was no longer “permitted to be owners or part-owners of racehorses”.
The announcement from Horse Racing Ireland represents the moment when its patience expired over the club’s repeated failure to provide answers to its questions. Following complaints from club members about alleged irregularities in the way SHRC was run, HRI got involved this summer and its concerns have not been allayed.
An HRI statement said: “Due to the lack of engagement and failure to provide the necessary information, there is no alternative but to withdraw approval of the club and to cancel its registrations as a recognised club.”
It added that HRI officials had met Steve Massey, the club’s trustee, in July and been assured the necessary paperwork would be filed.
“There was repeated correspondence in August, September and October, seeking members’ information from Supreme Horse Racing Club, which yielded no or inadequate responses,” the statement said. It said Massey failed to show up for a meeting with HRI last week and has not since been in touch.
A group of SHRC members, represented by Kennedy, hope to assert ownership of the horses and the HRI statement suggested other members could approach him or engage other legal assistance, adding that it was open to accept the re-registration of the horses under new ownership structures. However, establishing who owns how much of each horse may be a complex process, particularly if, as has been suggested, shares in one or more of them have been oversold.
“There’s a lot of work to be done here,” Kennedy said. “Obviously the welfare of the horses is paramount. I’d be very optimistic that we can get them running again this season.”
Massey did not answer calls from the Guardian on Thursday evening.
Kemboy, the winner of three Grade One races last winter, is the most high-profile of the SHRC horses, none of which have been allowed to be entered in races for the past month. He remains the 13-2 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.
