Expert View on Redwood Queen Investigation: ‘It's a double jeopardy situation’ Racing experts have questioned whether the completed investigation into the unseating of Redwood Queen will lead to any meaningful change. In a claiming race at Wexford on 28th May, Redwood Queen unseated rider Philip Byrnes after the final hurdle. Betting patterns showed Redwood Queen had significantly drifted from 13/8 to 5/1 while eventual winner Beacon Edge had shortened to a starting price of 1/3. The Stewards found no wrongdoing in their inquiry on the day before the IRHB announced their investigation the following day. Expert Opinions: Scepticism Surrounding the IHRB Review Speaking on this week’s Irish Angle show, racing journalist Johnny Ward claimed that the results could be released to the public imminently. “I was told last week that the Redwood Queen investigation is nearing a conclusion as well. “I'm really intrigued as to what happens with that, and I feel that is going to be something of a groundbreaking outcome for the IHRB because it's such a loaded case.” Challenges of Proving Wrongdoing However, irishracing.com editor Vincent Finegan questioned whether anything meaningful would come from the review. “I think I can tell you the result of that - there'll be nothing that will happen. That's my own personal view, and it has been from the initial Stewards' enquiry on the day. “I think they scuppered anything that could happen there. We shall see. I may be wrong. I'll put my hands up if I am whenever it comes to light. “My view is that it's a double jeopardy situation. He was found innocent of any wrongdoing in falling off the horse on the day, and I don't think he can ever get done for it again. That's my opinion. “I think if you got a proper barrister representing you, they'd be going down that road. So I think the IHRB will know that when they're looking at it, and thinking ‘It's not a lot we can do’. “Unless they find some completely new evidence here. If they did find new evidence that could pin down the fact that perhaps the jockey himself had a million quid on the horse that won it, then all of a sudden it's a different scenario. Emma Nagle also questioned whether the IRHB will be able to produce any evidence to compile a case. “It's kind of hard to see a whole pile more coming from it. How can you prove definitively that this happened for whatever reason? People fall off horses every day. “Maybe if the action on the day was different, it could be a different outcome. But I think now it'll be hard to go back and argue with the Stewards' finding on the day because there's no way you can prove it either way. So to be honest, I'd be shocked.” The IRHB May Only Need To Prove Beyond Reasonable Doubt However, Johnny Ward claimed that the threshold of evidence needed is lower than in a criminal court, meaning the IRHB will only have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. “It’s not like this is a court case. This was more of an investigation into something in a sporting context. “My understanding is that the parameters are different there. It's not so much beyond a reasonable doubt, but it's what if you ask 20 experts what do they think likely happened here? “All we've heard about in relation to Redwood Queen is one interview that Charles Byrnes gave to the Irish Field. There's still an awful lot of questions for me in relation to that case.” Watch The Full Irish Angle Show
