Dublin winner Byrnes - 'I don't lay horses'

Embattled trainer Charles Byrnes today registered a big-race winner at the Dublin Racing Festival for the fourth consecutive year, as his Off You Go landed the Grade A Gaelic Plant Hire Handicap Chase for owner J.P. McManus and jockey Mark Walsh.

Byrnes' appeal against a six-months suspension resulting from the 'nobbling' case involving his Viking Hoard at Tramore in October 2018 is to be heard by the IHRB at 4pm on Tuesday.

Initial questions regarding Off You Go's win today were, as a result, mere soft-soaping and the trainer did later speak about the Viking Hoard case.

He said “I can’t say much with the appeal on Tuesday evening. It’s very upsetting for my family and racing in general and we have to let the case run its course.

“We don’t believe we were anyway negligent.

“There is lessons to be learned from all sides. The case has dragged on for over two years.

“Nobody is being held to account for the horse being laid. Betfair are not putting anyone forward. I have big questions about the horse being laid.

“There has only been two people questioned in two years. I don’t lay horses, I back horses.”

Regarding Off You Go, a term sometimes used by referees, Byrnes added “that’s his third win here and Mark was brilliant on him. We thought he would run well at Limerick over Christmas but he just can’t jump out of the heavy ground.

“It was a fierce competitive race and only he got such a good ride he wouldn’t have won.”

Off You Go had previously won the Coral and, then renamed, Ladbroke Hurdles consecutively in 2018 and 2019, with stablemate Thosedaysaregone winning last year's renewal of the same handicap at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Quotes from Alan Magee