Shark Hanlon hoping to put 'hard few weeks' behind him with stable star Hewick

Shark Hanlon is hoping to put a “hard few weeks” behind him by making plans for stable star Hewick before he starts a ban.

Hanlon, trainer of last year’s King George VI Chase hero, found his business under threat after he was charged over the transportation of a dead horse.

The Referrals Committee of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board found the trainer had acted in a manner that “caused significant prejudice to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of the sport of racing” in the removal of a horse from his yard earlier this year.

The horse was carried on an open trailer which was towed by Hanlon’s branded horsebox, with the body visible to onlookers after a tarpaulin became displaced during the journey.

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A member of the public videoed the incident which was widely circulated on social media.

As a result the regulator issued charges against Hanlon, alleging his conduct “attracted significant public opprobrium and adverse comment” both for the trainer personally and racing in general. He was suspended for ten months.

Hanlon appealed the severity of the sanction – due to begin on December 1 – which concluded with the sentence being reduced to six months, with the possibility of the last three months being suspended if he meets certain conditions.

Last week Hanlon sold 15 of his horses at auction but Hewick, a horse who originally cost just £800, has remained in his yard with his future undecided. On Friday he said the Grade 2 bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby next Saturday is “a big possibility” for Hewick.

But no decision has been made over the nine-year-old’s future - including a possible title defence in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Day - while the Co Carlow trainer serves a suspension.

Hanlon told Racing: “He will go to Down Royal [for the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase] or for the Charlie Hall - Wetherby is a big possibility. In the next couple of weeks we will have a discussion about what we are going to do with him but there has been no decision yet.”

Speaking for the first time since Tuesday’s appeal decision, he added: “I’m hoping we will be back at the end of February. I’d like to thank my own legal team for looking after me and my sponsors and owners for staying with me. We’ve sold some of our horses and we have some left.

“It’s been a hard few weeks for us but we’re going to have to put 2024 behind us and move on to 2025.”