A seemingly unrepentant Philip Fenton has refused to discuss his return to horse racing, seven months after the end of a three-year ban for possession of anabolic steroids. The County Tipperary trainer will have his first runner since December 2014 when Secret Cargo lines up in a bumper race at Killarney on Thursday and will be able to have runners in Britain as well as Ireland whenever he chooses.
Fenton was asked on Wednesday if there was anything he could say that might reassure followers of the sport about his future conduct. “Thanks for your concern,” was his only reply before hanging up the phone.
A champion amateur jockey, Fenton enjoyed great success as a trainer, notably with Dunguib at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival. He also sent out Last Instalment to land the Irish Gold Cup in 2014 but days later the news broke that he was facing criminal charges of possessing banned substances. Those included 1kg of Nitrotain and a 20ml bottle of Ilium Stanabolic, both of which contain anabolic steroids.
He was eventually fined €10,200 by a district court, after which the Irish Turf Club held a disciplinary hearing and decided to ban him from the sport for three years. When that ban expired at the end of last year, Fenton told the Racing Post: “I have no intention whatsoever of returning to training.”
It is not clear what has changed his mind or what the 52-year-old’s ambitions might now be. He is said to have only a small team of horses and it is not known whether owners such as Gigginstown House Stud or JP McManus will support him as they did before he was charged.
Asked about the process by which Fenton was again issued with a licence, Denis Egan, chief executive of the Irish Turf Club, said: “He appeared before the licensing committee with his legal counsel and confirmed he was aware of the rules of racing and that he had learned his lesson and he would abide by the rules of racing.
“The licensing committee considered all aspects of the case. They would have had everything in front of them and took that into consideration when giving a licence. They said he was a fit and proper person to hold a licence. He had served his time, his penalty.” However, Egan added that the Turf Club “would be pushing for a higher penalty” if a similar case came up again.
Egan insists that all trainers are equally subject to Ireland’s anti-doping regime. In practice, however, it seems a safe bet that Fenton’s horses will spend at least their fair share of time in the testing box.
The British Horseracing Authority said it could do nothing to stop Fenton having runners in Britain, now that he had recovered his licence in Ireland. “We have an obligation to respect the decision of other regulatory bodies,” a spokesman said, “and for that reason recognise any license issued overseas and there would be no restrictions on runners.
“The decision to grant or refuse an application for a licence rests solely with the racing authority who the application is made to. Should Mr Fenton wish to have runners here, he would obviously be subject to our anti-doping regulations, just as any other British or visiting trainer would be.”
Hamilton 2.00 Space Traveller 2.30 Our Place In Loule 3.00 Gullane One 3.30 Vera Drake 4.00 Where’s Jeff 4.30 Warmhearted 5.05 Ana Lichious
Chepstow 2.10 Ravenhoe 2.40 Imbucato 3.10 Rockin Roy 3.40 Gold Hunter 4.10 Molly Jones 4.40 Delirium 5.15 Takiah
Leicester 2.20 Desert Fire 2.50 Johni Boxit 3.20 Sioux Frontier 3.50 Silca Mistress 4.20 Early Edition 4.50 Sexy Secret 5.25 Sir Domino
Doncaster 5.45 Jeany 6.20 Penarth Pier 6.55 Porcelain Girl 7.30 James Street 8.00 Georgian Manor 8.35 Scottish Summit 9.05 Player’s Luck (nb)
Epsom 5.55 Dose 6.30 Light Heart 7.05 Highland Acclaim (nap) 7.40 Akvavera 8.10 Flere Imsaho 8.45 Hyanna
Tips by Chris Cook
