A horse owned by prominent owner JP McManus and trained by Desmond McDonogh has been disqualified from a victory at Gowran Park after testing positive for a banned substance. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) ruled on Thursday that the horse, In For The Night, had traces of dexamethasone, a powerful anti-inflammatory, in its system following a race on October 4th, 2024.
The eight-year-old gelding had finished first in the Thomastown Handicap Hurdle, but a routine urine sample tested positive. The initial finding by LGC Laboratories in the UK was confirmed by LCH Laboratories in France in December 2024 after a 'B' sample was requested. Trainer McDonogh was fined €1,000 and ordered to forfeit the €6,500 prize money.
McDonogh, best known for training Monksfield to Champion Hurdle victories in 1978 and 1979, accepted responsibility for the breach. He stated that he had followed veterinary advice that there would be a four-day withdrawal period from dexamethasone, but admitted he did not check the Medicines Register, which states a 120-hour detection time. He explained that In For The Night was being treated for lung issues via nebulisation.
However, the IHRB Referrals Committee heard evidence that the level of dexamethasone found was four times the screening limit, indicating the medication was having an effect and was not consistent with the described nebulised treatment. Dr Lynn Hillyer, IHRB Chief Veterinary Officer, and Dr Lesley Ferguson, Deputy Head of Veterinary Policy, provided testimony, along with an independent report from Professor Stuart Paine.
The committee disqualified In For The Night from the race, ordered the placings to be adjusted, and imposed the fine. They also found McDonogh in breach of Rule 148(i), which holds trainers responsible for everything connected with their horses, but waived the fine for that breach. Since the incident, In For The Night has won again at Naas in 2025 and has career prize money exceeding €23,000.
