Suspended ban for trainer Paul Gilligan

The Cheltenham festival winning trainer Paul Gilligan has received a one-year suspended ban from training, and been ordered to pay €2,500 in costs to the Turf Club, after a dispute in relation to the ownership of the Grade Three-winning chaser, Wellforth.

The Turf Club's Referrals Committee yesterday confirmed that for a period of just over a month last year, Athenry, Co Galway-based Gilligan entered and ran Wellforth in two races without the consent or knowledge of owner, Noreen Watts.

One of the races was the Grade Three Imperial Call Chase at Cork which Wellforth won.

However, Gilligan failed to remit Watts any of the prizemoney won by the horse during the period between April 4th and May 7th of 2012 when the horse ran in the name of the trainer’s father, Eamonn.

The Referrals Committee found that Gilligan transferred the ownership of Wellforth to his father’s name on April 3rd, 2012, without the consent or knowledge of Watts.

It was found that Gilligan was in breach of Rule 272 as such actions were prejudicial to the integrity and proper conduct of horseracing.

In deciding on their penalties, the Turf Club took into account they were Gilligan’s first serious offences and decided the removal of his licence would be harsh, having regard to the consequences of the loss of his sole means of living.

The one-year ban was suspended on condition Gilligan doesn’t commit any further breaches of Rules 272 and 273 for two years.

Gilligan won the 2010 Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham with Berties Dream. He has also tasted Grade One success with Jadanli, a horse that returned to winning form in last January’s prestigious Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.