The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) is to probe Philip Byrnes’ unseating at Wexford on Wednesday afternoon.
Byrnes was riding Redwood Queen, a 13-2 shot having drifted from 6/4 in the Wexford Claiming Hurdle.
The horse and jockey were going well and were outpacing the heavily-backed 1-3 favourite Beacon Edge until Byrne was unseated from his horse just before the finishing line. That allowed the favourite Beacon Edge to cruise home to a 22-length win.
Winning jockey Josh Halford spoke to Racing TV after his ultimately unexpected win:
“It’s my ninth winner altogether and it’s going great. I can’t thank Gordon enough. On paper, it was a penalty kick, but I was very lucky to get the opportunity. I thought he could have come on and had the faller covered, but he got the job done.
“He was flat out all the way and I tried to hold on to him. Gordon told me to use my head as the trip would be a bit tight, but we got the win anyway, so we cannot complain.”
Stewards at the racecourse looked at the incident, but their report noted, “Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the matter, the raceday stewards took no further action.”
IHRB to review Philip Byrnes’ Wexford unseating
Despite this, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has decided to look into the matter. A spokesman for the board then released the following statement on Thursday morning. “We note the position of the raceday stewards following their review of the incident. I can confirm the matter is down for review by an IHRB senior racing official.”
Social media backlash
Many racing fans took to social media to discuss Byrnes’ fall. Many called the sport’s integrity into question, with some users calling the unseating ‘soft’, a view echoed by pundits on Racing TV.
In the replies to the video shared by Racing TV on their X social media account, allegations of cheating were made by angry followers.
However, on Reddit, one user had sympathy for Byrnes, saying: I watched the replay and wouldn’t call that soft. After hitting the ground at 30 kmph, he almost got stepped on. Looks like his hands slipped left and down he went.”
The news that the IHRB will be looking into the unseating at Wexford on Wednesday will be welcomed by many.
But the discussion in horse racing circles on whether or not the unseating should be this scrutinised will go on.
