The trainer of a greyhound who tested positive for cocaine last summer is listed as the "top Irish trainer" in the latest Irish Greyhound Board annual report. The IGB's report for 2017, published last week, shows that Tipperary-based Graham Holland topped the winners list with a total of 165 wins out of 665 races - around one win from every four races entered. One of the dogs he trained - Clonbrien Hero - tested positive for the Class A drug, cocaine, after winning the €30,000 Irish Independent Laurels race at Cork's Curraheen Park in July 2017. Clonbrien Hero went on to win the €25,000 "Kerry AgriBusiness Irish St Leger" in November at Limerick track (headquarters of the Irish Greyhound Board). The Irish Independent reported at the time that "The Graham Holland-trained Clonbrien Hero, who is currently the subject of an official investigation by the IGB Control Committee following positive tests taken during the Irish Laurels at Cork, led from start-to-finish to take home the €25,000 top prize. There was a mixed reaction to the victory among the racegoers on the night." Incredibly, Clonbrien Hero was nominated for an Irish Greyhound Board "Dog of the Year" award this year. The Irish Independent previously reported that "the recent positive testing of Clonbrien Hero is the eighth occasion a dog trained by Mr Holland has tested positive for banned substances since November 14, 2015." In June 2017, another Graham Holland-trained greyhound, Garryvoe Bobby, was "disqualified from any further participation in the 2017 Star Sports Greyhound Derby following its disqualification under Greyhound Board of Great Britain rule 173(ii) following the positive analysis of a pre-race urine sample taken from this greyhound on 10th June at Towcester racecourse. The greyhound tested positive for a prohibited substance." Details about the outcome of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain enquiry were published on the Greyhound Star website - "Graham Holland, International Trainer, GARRYVOE BOBBY, Towcester, 10.6.17, Butylhyoscine, 152 (i), 174 (i) (a), 217, £600 Caution". Graham Holland's latest wins came on Saturday at Curraheen Park. According to a report on the IGB website, "Newinn Lester, trained by Graham Holland...went quickest in heat two of the Connolly's Red Mills unraced stake as he won by a country mile...[he] showed blistering early pace to move five clear to the opening turn. In full flight down the back, he was soon eight or nine in front. Coming home alone, he crossed the winning line with eight and a half lengths to spare from Hazelhill Lass..." Another dog he trained - "a quick finisher" - also won a race the same night. Behind Graham Holland, in second place in the Irish Greyhound Board's list of winning trainers, is Paul Hennessy. Greyhounds he trained won 133 races in 2017 (out of 604 races entered). Paul Hennessy was fined €200 in February 2017 when a urine sample taken from "Tailteann Ace" at Shelbourne Park track "returned an adverse analytical finding for the prohibited substance Hydroxylated Metabolite of Pentobarbital." A few months later, Hennessy was awarded the "Irish Greyhound Review Personality of the Year". He was presented with the award by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Andrew Doyle, alongside Irish Greyhound Board Chairman Phil Meaney and IGB CEO Gerard Dollard. A report on the Irish Greyhound Board website noted that the award was the third time that Hennessy has been "honoured" as the personality of the year but, not surprisingly, there was no reference to the adverse analytical finding or fine. The recipient of the same award, the previous year, was Graham Holland. In imposing the fine on Paul Hennessy, the Irish Greyhound Board Control Committee noted "Mr Hennessy’s previous offence before the Control Committee". As reported by the Irish Independent in 2007, Hennessy - described as one of Ireland's most successful trainers - was "fined more than €4,000 for possession of performance-enhancing drugs" after he "pleaded guilty to seven sample counts of possession of unauthorised animal remedies at the District Court in Kilkenny." The same year, the Independent highlighted that "a greyhound which failed a drugs test in England has been nominated for Ireland's 'Greyhound of the Year' awards by a Bord na gCon [Irish Greyhound Board] judging panel. Trained by Paul Hennessy, Heart Rumble tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone when running in a puppy event at Sunderland." The year before, the Irish Examiner reported that "Kilkenny-based Mr Hennessy was fined €1,000 by greyhound racing’s control board in November for running a dog, Barefoot Jenny, which had been given the banned substance EPO." ACTION ALERT Don't attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties held at greyhound tracks. The cruel and crumbling greyhound industry has received nearly a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers' money since 2001 (including €16 million for 2018). Urge Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to end funding to the greyhound industry and instead direct the money to charities and other deserving causes. Email "Stop funding the cruel greyhound industry" to taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2 Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020 Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, finegael@finegael.ie Tweet to: @campaignforLeo Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/ Paschal Donohoe TD Minister for Finance Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810 Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/ Tweet to @Paschald Please sign and share our petition Stop supporting the cruel greyhound industry https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry MEDIA EXTRACTS "A greyhound which failed a drugs test in England has been nominated for Ireland's 'Greyhound of the Year' awards by a Bord na gCon judging panel. Trained by Paul Hennessy, Heart Rumble tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone when running in a puppy event at Sunderland." (Dog that failed drug test up for Bord award, Irish Independent, April 3rd, 2007) A top millionaire greyhound trainer has been fined more than €4,000 for possession of performance-enhancing drugs. Paul Hennessy, of Rathbaun, Garryduff, Gowran, Co Kilkenny, is one of Ireland's most successful trainers and earned €2.6m from the sport in the past six years. Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to seven sample counts of possession of unauthorised animal remedies at the District Court in Kilkenny. He had bought the drugs from an Australian internet site called Nature Vet. The substances were seized at the top trainer's premises in Gowran, when it was visited by a Special Investigation Unit of the Department of Agriculture on April 28, 2005. (Top greyhound trainer fined for drugs haul, Irish Independent, February 6 2007) Kilkenny-based Mr Hennessy was fined €1,000 by greyhound racing’s control board in November for running a dog, Barefoot Jenny, which had been given the banned substance EPO. The case was never publicised by the Irish Greyhound Board. This prompted its chief executive, Aidan Tynan, to last week complain to the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism that the board’s chairman, Paschal Taggart, had ensured that the drug abuse case was not put in the public domain, contrary to established policy. Mr Tynan was fired on Thursday by the board. (Irish Examiner, 28 January 2006)