The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) plans to initiate High Court proceedings against billionaire businessman Luke Comer in relation to the fine and costs involved in the doping case that saw him lose his licence to train racehorses for three years.
The Monaco-based businessman began his ban in July of 2024 following lengthy proceedings on the back of an IHRB raid on his premises near Kilternan in Co Dublin in 2021. A dozen of his horses tested positive for the anabolic steroids methandienone and methlylestosterone in what remains the most extensive doping controversy in Irish racing history.
Comer vehemently denied wrongdoing and any knowledge of how the drugs got in the horses.
An IHRB referrals panel couldn’t establish how the substances got in the horses and found there was no evidence of deliberate doping. But as the licence holder, Comer was held responsible despite telling the committee he spends just three months of the year in Ireland.
READ MORE
Comer failed in an appeal, while an IHRB appeal against the leniency of the penalties was also turned down. As well as losing his licence to train, Comer was fined over €85,000 and ordered to pay legal costs of €775,000 to the IHRB.
An IHRB spokesman today confirmed that High Court proceedings against Comer have begun.
He said: “The proceedings referenced relate to the enforcement of a fine and a costs order previously awarded in favour of the IHRB further to a disciplinary matter.
“As the individual concerned is resident outside the jurisdiction, an application has been made to the High Court seeking permission to serve proceedings abroad. This is a procedural requirement and does not reopen or revisit the substantive disciplinary matter.
“The IHRB does not intend to comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Despite his ban, Comer continues to be a significant sponsor in racing. Comer Group International backs the Irish St Leger run at the Curragh on Irish Champions Festival in September.
The unannounced raid on Comer’s premises came after a hair sample on He Knows No Fear taken after he finished fourth in the Trigo Stakes at Leopardstown in October 2021 was found to contain the two steroids.
That horse, who remains one of the longest priced winners in the history of the sport in Ireland and Britain when scoring at 300-1 at Leopardstown in 2020, was among the dozen who returned positive tests after out-of-competition testing at Comer’s yard in November of 2021.
