Philip Fenton© Photo Healy Racing
Philip Fenton appeared to be "less than truthful and uncooperative", according to a Turf Club report detailing the trainer's disciplinary hearing at the weekend.
Fenton was called before officials on Saturday after being found guilty of possessing anabolic steroids and other banned substances at a district court hearing in Carrick-on-Suir last month.
The Turf Club banned him for three years following the hearing, although Fenton lodged an appeal against the severity of the suspension on Tuesday.
The Turf Club has now released the reasons for its decision to suspend the handler, with head of security Chris Gordon feeling that while Fenton accepted his possession of the drugs, he had not been particularly cooperative.
The report said: "Mr Gordon said that while Mr Fenton accepted responsibility for the possession of these substances, he provided little, if any, meaningful cooperation on the circumstances in which the remedies were found in his yard including their origin.
"Mr Gordon gave further details concerning this lack of cooperation with the Turf Club investigation."
Gordon said "inconsistent accounts" were offered from Fenton and his staff as to how and when the box of banned substances was moved to the horse spa from the medicines room and Fenton was "less than forthcoming" in discussions about how he came to be in possession of the drugs.
Fenton's solicitor Michael MacGrath admitted the trainer had breached the rules, and the Turf Club described this as a "weighty mitigating factor" in the verdict on a punishment.
The Turf Club committee thought a five or six-year suspension was an appropriate starting point, but they opted to ban him for three years "in view of the evidence and the submissions by Mr MacGrath on mitigation, cooperation with the referrals committee and the actual financial and other effects of such a penalty on Mr Fenton".
