Jockeys Leigh Roche and Eoin Staples were stood down from riding on the final day of the Galway festival after failed pre-race alcohol tests.
All jockeys riding at Galway on Sunday were tested, with both Roche and Staples prevented from taking up their mounts.
A report from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board said Staples – the reigning champion conditional rider over jumps and a winner of the Thyestes Chase last January – was tested at 1.27pm and 1.38pm before Sunday’s racing commenced.
The tests revealed trace amounts of alcohol, after which he underwent a lab test which returned a level over 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal drink driving limit.
RM Block
Staples, who was due to ride once on Sunday, accepted the findings but told stewards that his need to lose a considerable amount of weight in a short space of time in order to race may have factored into the result.
Roche (34) is a flat jockey and had been scheduled to ride in two races on Sunday, including the featured Ahonoora Handicap. He was replaced having returning an ‘amber’ reading of 3.06pm before a ‘red’ reading at 3.15pm, after which a further test gave a result over the legal limit.
Both cases have been sent to a referrals committee at the IHRB.
