Listen Dear© Photo Healy Racing
Listen Dear is set to become the first runner from the batch of horses under the Supreme Horse Racing Club banner that were suspended from racing by Horse Racing Ireland last month.
The nine-year-old mare passed through the ring at a Goffs UK Sale days after the suspension was inacted by HRI. She was bought by Syndicates.Racing for £38,000 and placed straight back into training with Willie Mullins.
A group of Supreme Horse Racing Club members that between them account for over 60% of the ownership of Listen Dear expressed their amazement that the mare had been sold without their knowledge or consent.
However, the mare has since been re-registered by HRI in the new ownership of Syndicates.Racing.
A HRI spokesperson explained: "HRI recognises the sale of horses through public auction and will accept re-registration of such horses for racing purposes under new ownership. Any dispute in relation to public auction sales is a civil matter."
The Supreme Horse Racing Club members that objected to the sale of Listen Dear had the option to seek a court injunction to prevent the new owners from racing the mare but their spokesperson Paul Laidler said today:
"We have been appraised of the costs and based on the cost mooted we have decided it doesn’t make any sense to proceed with an injunction because at best it would only stop Listen Dear running - that isn’t the right thing for the horse - and wouldn’t obviously help us to have the sale overturned."
"We have taken the view that if the sale is deemed illegal then we would have rights to any prize money she won anyway. We have lodged complaints with the GNECB (Garda National Economic Crime bureau) and have engaged a solicitor to support us in this matter."
Listen Dear has been entered to run at Clonmel on Thursday in the T. A. Morris Memorial Irish EBF Mares Chase which carries total prizemoney of €32,500 and should she manage to win that contest she will recoup half of her recent purchase price with a winner's purse of €19,500.
