Ronan McNally will contest “a mixture of both” the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s guilty findings and the severity of his punishment after being cast out of racing on Tuesday.
In December, the IHRB referrals committee announced that a rash of integrity charges against the Armagh trainer – it was alleged he did not run stable stars Dreal Deal and The Jam Man on their merits before the pair made “extraordinary improvements” and concealed his ownership of horses with fellow trainer David Dunne – had been proven.
And it handed down the longest disqualification – a 12-year ban – ever given to an Irish licence holder, along with a €50,000 fine and the order to return €13,000 in prize money.
Asked yesterday whether he would contest the guilty verdicts or the severity of the punishment, McNally said: “A mixture of both.
“We have to Tuesday to submit an appeal and we’re going to do that and outline what grounds.”
Once his appeal has been lodged, McNally vowed to give his side of events following the referrals committee’s ruling that he had “deceived the betting public” with Dreal Deal and The Jam Man, who between them won 15 races while in his care.
“Tuesday is the deadline for the appeal,” he added. “There is stuff about the case that needs to be put into the public domain so, once we get Tuesday out of the way and get it submitted, I will be doing that.
“Once that has all been submitted from my legal team I will be going public on a few different bits and pieces.”
