Redwood Queen race investigated with Charles and Philip Byrnes to face hearing
Philip Byrnes unseated when leading at the final flight of a claiming hurdle at Wexford on May 28. The rider and his father will appear before a Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board referrals committee next month
Charles Byrnes and his son Philip will face a hearing next month following an investigation into an incident involving their runner Redwood Queen.
Philip Byrnes was unseated from the mare - who drifted in the betting before the start - at the final flight of a claiming hurdle at Wexford on May 28. Holding a two-length lead at the time, six-time scorer Redwood Queen traded at 1.14 in-running, very short odds which summed up the likelihood of winning.
The head-on replay showed how Cathal Byrnes-owned Redwood Queen picked her feet up and jumped the obstacle high before Philip Byrnes loses his stirrups and exits to the right. A summary from the Racing post stated Redwood Queen was "going best two out, two lengths ahead when jockey unbalanced and unseated last."
The 1-3 favourite Beacon Edge capitalised and came home with a 22-length advantage. At the time, Byrnes senior gave his view on what happened to his horse, via the Irish Times.
"He (Philip) was trying to get the mare to go in and pop it, because obviously she had the race won, and she came up out of his hands and blew him out of the saddle," he said. "There’s no one hurting more than Philip about it."
On-course stewards took no action but it was later confirmed the matter would be reviewed by an senior racing official at the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. The matter is now set to conclude next month, according to their latest statement.
A spokesperson said: “Following an investigation into the Wexford Claiming Hurdle at Wexford Racecourse on May 28, trainer Charles Byrnes and jockey Philip Byrnes are scheduled to appear before a referrals committee on Monday, December 15."
After the race, Redwood Queen was claimed by trainer Cian Collins for €6,000 and now runs in the colours of the Del Boy Partnership.
Mahler's daughter has been out four times since and came closest to winning when five-and-a-half lengths behind Catena Zapata in the Randox Rated Hurdle at Downpatrick on August 10.