Ronan McNally appeals against 12-year disqualification

Ronan McNally has lodged an appeal against the findings of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's referrals committee which resulted in the County Armagh trainer picking up a 12-year disqualification from Irish racing last Tuesday after he was found to have breached several integrity rules.

McNally was also charged €50,000 in costs and was instructed to return over €13,400 in prize-money after it was determined that he was at least partially in breach of 10 of 11 alleged rule infringements, with the verdict announced in December after a four-day hearing in October.

The trainer formally registered an appeal with the IHRB on Monday.

In handing down the sanctions last week, the IHRB said: "The committee regards the findings against Mr McNally as very serious.

"His offences strike at the integrity of the sport and the objective of having a level playing field for all who send horses out to race. They also involved a deception of the public, especially the betting public.

"The committee has taken into account the submissions made on his behalf and his past record and the effect that severe sanctions will have on him."

McNally enjoyed notable success with Dreal Deal and The Jam Man in recent seasons, with the first-named landing the Grade Two Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle in 2021 and both notching up sequences of wins from lowly starting marks.

The pair were mentioned specifically in charges related to using the racecourse as a training ground, as well as not running on their merits, and both have been disqualified from previous victories.

Dreal Deal forfeited wins at Navan in September, 2020 and Limerick in October of that year, while The Jam Man was disqualified from Limerick in September, 2020.

McNally was deemed to have achieved "a