Barry Connell rules out Fenton horses from Cheltenham

premierstone

Pinesky wrote: »

Barry is just proving that he is a man of the highest integrity .

Or you could argue that he has shown absolutely no loyalty to a trainer and friend who's not actually been convicted of anything.

O'Connell has known about this pending case for almost two years and had many entries with Fenton in the interim but decides to pull the plug now, when the case hits the media, sounds more like a rat jumping a sinking ship and covering their own hole than any great act of intergity.

dirkmeister

Not a good day for Connell, Matt Chapman is reporting on twitter that Minsk has died.

BumperD

dirkmeister wrote: »

Not a good day for Connell, Matt Chapman is reporting on twitter that Minsk has died.

That is horrible news.

tipptom

If I were Fenton I would put the two of the out in the field and tell him to have a box down for them within 48 hours.

hucklebuck

This doesnt stack up, if Connell has done this on integrity grounds was he kept in the dark for 2 years.

If he did know and left his horses with Fenton and waited until 3 weeks before Cheltenham its fairly stupid.

TTT (edit: dunno who I was thinking of), Last Instalment and Dunguib won very well recently.

BumperD

TTT was well beaten lto.

zpehtsfd

hucklebuck wrote: »

This doesnt stack up, if Connell has done this on integrity grounds was he kept in the dark for 2 years.

If he did know and left his horses with Fenton and waited until 3 weeks before Cheltenham its fairly stupid.

IMO he has known and is being reactive given that Cheltenham is the biggest stage in the NH calendar and this controversy will be the focal talking point, especially with Last Installment now a live GC contender. All Barry Connell is doing is disassociating himself from all of this by withdrawing his horses. Smart move if you ask me.

tipptom

I think O Connell by his actions has hung Fenton and his other owners out to dry and needs to come out with a statement on any thing else he knows about this.
Its just plain silly not to give these horses their chance next month because of something that was found two years ago that cannot be associated with any horse but he is definatly tainting all Fentons runners now by pre_emptive actions.

ste2010

It's a disgrace - if his horses aren't doped why would he pull them out and why would he worry about perception if he knows they weren't doped..it's all bullsh*t to me. If they weren't doped he should have no issue, go to Cheltenham this isn't his issue this is fentons. If he's not happy with him take them to another trainer post Cheltenham

Andalucia

Pinesky wrote: »

Barry is just proving that he is a man of the highest integrity .

couldn't agree more, the man is pure class after this
could give a few lessons to Eddie O'Leary on how to conduct himself in a professional manner

Dessie Hughes can look forward to these two recruits next year, there is no way back for the Fenton/O'Connell relationship after this

zpehtsfd

ste2010 wrote: »

It's a disgrace - if his horses aren't doped why would he pull them out and why would he worry about perception if he knows they weren't doped

He pulled them out AFTER the court case was adjourned until March 20th. The media will have a field day with this during Cheltenham and as always it'll be a case of GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT. Would you as an owner want to be bang right in the middle of all this? Barry Connell decided he didn't and if people read this as him "hanging Fenton" then i believe they're misinterpreting his actions. On the other hand Eddie O'Learys response was just plain dumb.

NaiveMelodies

mdwexford wrote: »

What rubbish.

On reflection and having read the comments above and various reports elsewhere, I think it's fair to say I was indeed talking rubbish.

chinguetti

O'Connell comes out of this doing the decent thing as looking at it from the outside, its stinks like hell to have it deferred until after the festival. If he was innocent as Eddie O'Leary stated, they would want to get the case out of the way ASAP.

Can you imagine the focus on Fenton coming up to the Gold Cup as every piece will mention the story? Mud sticks and it will takes ages to wash out if he is proven innocent.

tipptom

zpehtsfd wrote: »

He pulled them out AFTER the court case was adjourned until March 20th. The media will have a field day with this during Cheltenham and as always it'll be a case of GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT. Would you as an owner want to be bang right in the middle of all this? Barry Connell decided he didn't and if people read this as him "hanging Fenton" then i believe they're misinterpreting his actions. On the other hand Eddie O'Learys response was just plain dumb.

But he has known about this case for two years,why did he not act well before this.
He has basically taken the moral high ground against all the other owners with Fenton and is saying that if any of them wins there is something dodgy about them and left the whole lot of them tainted at the festival by his actions pre_trial.

Pinesky

Barry is a very successful adviser and hedge fund manager. His reputation is everything to him .
As the owner the buck stops with him , not with Fenton who is a hired hand in all of this. If there is any suspicion or hint of illegality ( which there clearly is),
he is doing the honorable thing withdrawing his horses,rather than having the Festival ruined with innuendo and conjecture.There is no disloyalty to Fenton in this action, it actually makes life easier for hint.
Barry is a shining example of doing the right thing however painful and would that the O'Learys ,Shatters and Kennys of this country take note.

gillamandango

Do ye not think he consulted Fenton before withdrawing the horses, and also it would have been Fenton who officially withdrew them.. Plain business decision by Connell..Simple as.

Andalucia

Speaking from a hypothetical perspective, if I was a owner of means aka O'Connell(wishful thinking), I would have also taken the decision to run for cover and have nothing more to do with this sorry full mess until it is resolved, particularly when it reads how the defence is going to play this case:

Declan Molan, solicitor for Fenton, told the court on Thursday morning that he wished to make submissions "in relation to the summonses themselves".

Imhof Tank

tipptom wrote: »

But he has known about this case for two years,why did he not act well before this.
He has basically taken the moral high ground against all the other owners with Fenton and is saying that if any of them wins there is something dodgy about them and left the whole lot of them tainted at the festival by his actions pre_trial.

I get the impression this 11th hour adjournment application (Gigginstown strategy) was the final straw for Barry.

If he had been told all along not to worry and that it was a storm in a tea cup and PF would be vindicated in court and the whole thing cleared up before Cheltenham I can totally understand why he might have given his trainer the benefit of the doubt. The late emergence of Last Installment as a serious GC contender, then Eddie O'Learys PR offensive against the powers that be, and then the timing of the last minute adjournment application - that doesn't tally with the storm in tea cup defence and entitled BC to reconsider the situation.

This is a huge issue I think. Gigginstown have been spoiling for a fight with the Turf Club recently over their multiple declarations policy. They have seen the power of Coolmore on the flat and would like the same treatment for themselves. They wouldn't think twice about going to law if that were necessary over this.

tipptom

Imhof Tank wrote: »

I get the impression this 11th hour adjournment application (Gigginstown strategy) was the final straw for Barry.

If he had been told all along not to worry and that it was a storm in a tea cup and PF would be vindicated in court and the whole thing cleared up before Cheltenham I can totally understand why he might have given his trainer the benefit of the doubt. The late emergence of Last Installment as a serious GC contender, then Eddie O'Learys PR offensive against the powers that be, and then the timing of the last minute adjournment application - that doesn't tally with the storm in tea cup defence and entitled BC to reconsider the situation.

This is a huge issue I think. Gigginstown have been spoiling for a fight with the Turf Club recently over their multiple declarations policy. They have seen the power of Coolmore on the flat and would like the same treatment for themselves. They wouldn't think twice about going to law if that were necessary over this.

I agree with you about Gigginstown statement but I don't think there should have been any statements from either of them before the court case and the horses should have been allowed to run.


After O Connells actions should Duguibs owners now withdraw their horse?


I feel for Dunguibs owners now that O Connell has virtually put the spotlight on them and their horse and should he win he will have taken the good out of it for them.

Motivator

At the end of the day Barry Connell pays the bills, he can do what he wants with his horses. He owes other owners & punters absolutely nothing. His purchase of Mossey Joe shows he's in the sport for enjoyment & certainly not financial gain. He is entitled to do with his horses as he wishes.

Obviously there is more to this than any of us know, I'm interested to hear if any more news comes out over the next few days.

ste2010

zpehtsfd wrote: »

He pulled them out AFTER the court case was adjourned until March 20th. The media will have a field day with this during Cheltenham and as always it'll be a case of GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT. Would you as an owner want to be bang right in the middle of all this? Barry Connell decided he didn't and if people read this as him "hanging Fenton" then i believe they're misinterpreting his actions. On the other hand Eddie O'Learys response was just plain dumb.

Why would he care if he knows his own horses weren't doped? If he has his word he has his word..I don't believe for a minute it's about perception. People can believe what they want but if it doesn't reflect facts then any smart person wouldn't give a sh*t what people think and any man who has his own hedge fund is smart man.
It's like maradona taking drugs in the 94 World Cup. You don't see the manager walking away or the team being pulled out of the World Cup because some small minded people paint all the team with a bad paint brush.
I can understand how he might want to manage perceptions but if he knows his horses weren't doped then why should he let the stupid decisions of one man dictate his chances for one of his horses

Imhof Tank

Id say Gigginstown know he hasn't a snowball's chance of getting this dismissed other than on technical grounds so that will be the first line of defence (the loophole defence).

If the loophole defence fails then the line will surely be that these are meaningless out dated regulations and sure what would 9 to 5 department vets know about trying to save a horse from colic like trainers might have to do in the middle of the night and sure isn't it only right and proper that a trainer (who is not a vet) should be set up to dispense medication himself?

Expect also a lot of talk from the O'Learys questioning whether they want to be part of a scene dominated by petty rules and regulations etc, hinting at withdrawing their investment in the sport here.

These stratagems will get most of the Irish racing media (and Turf Club hopefully) on side pretty quick even if PF is convicted. End result? Last Installment goes to Punchestown without any hassle.

Harry Angstrom

Michael O'Leary's attitude is hardly surprising. After all, he's made a (very profitable) career out of railing against the establishment.

nuckeythompson

Pinesky wrote: »

Barry is just proving that he is a man of the highest integrity .

Typical TF Bull**** statment

nuckeythompson

zpehtsfd wrote: »

He pulled them out AFTER the court case was adjourned until March 20th. The media will have a field day with this during Cheltenham and as always it'll be a case of GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT. Would you as an owner want to be bang right in the middle of all this? Barry Connell decided he didn't and if people read this as him "hanging Fenton" then i believe they're misinterpreting his actions. On the other hand Eddie O'Learys response was just plain dumb.

Cop on lads, he used this situation to his advantage, TTT cant win end of.

He will use this this to take his donkey from PF stable and resolve a finacial dispute. This is only my opinion

nuckeythompson

Pinesky wrote: »

Barry is a very successful adviser and hedge fund manager. His reputation is everything to him .
As the owner the buck stops with him , not with Fenton who is a hired hand in all of this. If there is any suspicion or hint of illegality ( which there clearly is),
he is doing the honorable thing withdrawing his horses,rather than having the Festival ruined with innuendo and conjecture.There is no disloyalty to Fenton in this action, it actually makes life easier for hint.
Barry is a shining example of doing the right thing however painful and would that the O'Learys ,Shatters and Kennys of this country take note.

blah blah, still a man who just has alot of money. spends alot alot on proven horses when its too late

mdwexford

You seem clever and well informed.

UrbanSea

Wouldn't mind having a duel grade one winning donkey. A lot of us here must be thick and ignorant to have thought he went with a good chance seeing as he had 'no chance of winning'

brandon_flowers

Pinesky wrote: »

Barry is a very successful adviser and hedge fund manager. His reputation is everything to him .
As the owner the buck stops with him , not with Fenton who is a hired hand in all of this. If there is any suspicion or hint of illegality ( which there clearly is),
he is doing the honorable thing withdrawing his horses,rather than having the Festival ruined with innuendo and conjecture.There is no disloyalty to Fenton in this action, it actually makes life easier for hint.
Barry is a shining example of doing the right thing however painful and would that the O'Learys ,Shatters and Kennys of this country take note.

Hedge fund manager does not automatically mean integrity, in fact most of the time it means the opposite.

But Connell is the boss so if he doesn't want to associate with Fenton for Cheltenham that is his business. But (and this is my opinion) doing it now two years after the fact and when it became media news rather than doing it when Barry Connell would have first found out smells a bit to me. Assumption that he knew months ago, like the rest of the owners/trainers.

If Barry is of the integrity you talk about he would have pulled his horses out of Fenton's yard when he first knew of this case, well before TTT won two grade one races and €100k in prize money.

Barry gets to keep his money and no bad publicity.

dicky dunne

tipptom wrote: »

I agree with you about Gigginstown statement but I don't think there should have been any statements from either of them before the court case and the horses should have been allowed to run.


After O Connells actions should Duguibs owners now withdraw their horse?


I feel for Dunguibs owners now that O Connell has virtually put the spotlight on them and their horse and should he win he will have taken the good out of it for them.

Was Dunguib not already stripped of his punchestown champion bumper over a similar fiasco? Can't really remember the details but I thought he had it taken off him for use of illegal substances?