Eight Confirmed Morphine Cases

Ireland now has eight confirmed morphine cases and they include the Willie Mullins-trained One Night Out, and Tony Martin's Cheltenham winner Classic Note.

One Night Out is set to be disqualified from his victory in a novice chase at Fairyhouse on November 30th. But Mullins has heard nothing about his Hennessy Gold Cup winner Be My Royal.

Tony Martin was informed on Monday that Classic Note has tested positive on the second sample after winning the Charles Benson Novice Handicap Hurdle at the Thomas Pink Gold Cup Meeting on November 16.

Martin`s Rare Ouzel, runner-up in a handicap hurdle on the same course the previous day, has also been confirmed positive.

Martin said: 'I have been told that they both failed the second test. It's a shame but I understand there are plenty more cases in the pipeline.'

While Mullins confirmed the news of his horse, saying: 'One Night Out has been confirmed positive although I have to wait for confirmation from an overseas laboratory. Mywinner at the meeting the following day [Macs Gildoran] was clear.'

The Turf Club are optimistic that Irish racing is now over the worst. The results of tests on all winners, and from last Saturday the runners-up as well, have been received with the exception of those at Punchestown at the weekend.

Initial tests from Clonmel on Sunday show only one slightly suspicious case and the laboratory believes that this will be confirmed negative.

Chief executive Denis Egan said: 'We have eight positives in total and those samples will now go to either France or Britain to be checked again.

'We have put the various trainers in contact with each other - they are scattered all over the country - so that they can discuss the situation among themselves to see if they can come up with anything.

'We don't know what has caused the morphine to show up but it would seem to be something in the feed or it could be a tonic ingested into the system. '

Egan said that the confirmed cases were winners at Leopardstown (November 10), Clonmel (Nov 14), two at Thurles (Nov 28), Fairyhouse (Nov 30), Fairyhouse (Dec 1) and two at Cork on December 1. He refused to name the horses or the trainers.

He added: 'I would expect that they will all be disqualified. There is no provision in the rules for them not to be.'

He confirmed that the eight cases include one 'big race' winner but said that it was not one of the three Grade 1 winners at Fairyhouse on December 1. He also said that it was not a Group, Grade or Listed race.

The Leopardstown November Handicap, won by Bubble N Squeak on November 10, is presumably also in the clear because the filly`s trainer Francis Flood said that he has received no notification from the Turf Club.