The owner and trainer of a greyhound who won a race televised by Virgin Media on Saturday (17 Sept 2022) was issued with an EXCLUSION ORDER in July after four greyhounds tested positive for prohibited substances “that can raise serious issues for the greyhound industry”.

“Well Met”, the greyhound owned and trained by Laurence Jones finished first in the “Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate Semi-Final” race at Shelbourne Park. The race was featured in coverage broadcast by Virgin Media. Virgin chose to give a platform to the dog-killing gambling activity despite appeals which highlighted suffering, death and doping in greyhound racing.

As the dog crossed the finishing line, the race commentator was heard saying: “Well Met - a tremendous winner for Laurence Jones.”

Laurence Jones of Corduff, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan is the trainer who was fined €5,500 after appearing before Greyhound Racing Ireland’s Control Committee earlier this year.

The committee issued an Exclusion Order against Jones. This prohibited him from “being on any greyhound race track, being at any authorised coursing meeting, being at any public sale of greyhounds”. The exclusion order was “effective from and including the 1st day of July 2022”, with no end date specified. While exclusion orders prohibit physical presence at tracks, they apparently don’t prohibit continued involvement.

The Control Committee’s August 2022 report revealed that:

6a-Hydroxystanozolol was detected in greyhound Gut Feeling at Shelbourne Park Stadium on 15th August, 2020 where he finished last in the “2020 Boylesports Irish Greyhound Derby Round 1 Heat 14” race. The same substance was found in the greyhound at Jones’ registered kennels three months later on 16th November, 2020.

6a-Hydroxystanozolol was also detected in the Laurence Jones-trained greyhound Duck And Dive at Shelbourne Park Stadium on 5th September 2020 and 10th October 2020 and also at Jones’ registered kennels on 16th November 2020.

6a-Hydroxystanozolol was also detected in greyhound Fort Light at Jones’ registered kennels on 16th November 2020.

19-Norepiandrosterone and 19-Norethiocholanolone were detected in Darsup (a greyhound used in hare coursing) at Jones’ registered kennels on 16th November 2020.

At the virtual hearing, the Control Committee commented that it was “conscious that the substances detected were very significant substances that can raise serious issues for the greyhound industry as well as for the individual involved” and went on to say that “having considered all of the evidence tendered in relation to these matters noted there were seven cases before it involving one person and the Committee had to deal with these matters in a way that respected proportionality”. https://www.grireland.ie/globalassets/rescource-centre/reports/control/august-2022.pdf#page=2

The Control Committee imposed the following fines on Laurence Jones:

€1,500 in relation to the detection of 6a-Hydroxystanozolol in Gut Feeling at Shelbourne Park on 15th August 2020, with the prizemoney of €20 forfeited. It said that “the subsequent Adverse Analytical Finding reported from this greyhound on the 16th of November, 2020 was taken into consideration in the making of the fine of €1,500”.

€1,500 in relation to the detection of 6a-Hydroxystanozolol in Duck And Dive at Shelbourne Park on 5th September 2020. It said that “the subsequent Adverse Analytical Findings reported from this greyhound on 10th of October, 2020 and on the 16th of November, 2020 were taken into consideration in the making of the fine of €1,500”. Race prizemoney of €75 and €20 was forfeited.

€1,500 in relation to the detection of 6a-Hydroxystanozolol in Fort Light at Jones’s kennels on 16th November 2020.

€1,000 in relation to the detection of 19-Norepiandrosterone and 19-Norethiocholanolone in Darsup at Jones’s kennels on 16th November 2020.

Two greyhounds owned and trained by Laurence Jones were also used at Dundalk Stadium on Saturday evening - 2-year-old “Corduff Captain” who finished first in the “Shay Rooney Memorial 525” race and 1-year-old “Truly Special” who finished second in the “Sliabh Liag A3 525” race.

The Greyhound Racing Ireland website shows that Laurence Jones has entered greyhounds into 1,614 races, with 325 race wins.

Other “recently raced greyhounds currently owned by Laurence Jones” are listed as: Corduff Captain, Corduff Man, Fernisky Sky, Foggy Bottom, Forgotten King, Move It Molly, Potato Man, Show Boy, Sugar Flame and Tied The Knot.

Gut Feeling is not on the list. Following the 15th August 2020 test at Shelbourne Park, he has not been used in races. He was trialled at Dundalk track on 13 October 2020, 25 May 2021 and 9 September 2021 and there are no further details on him.

Duck And Dive has not been used in racing since the 10 October 2020 test at Shelbourne Park. He was last seen in a trial at Dundalk track on 9 September 2021.

A page for Fort Light has been removed from the Greyhound Racing Ireland website. It listed the dog’s owner as “Mr Brian Mann”.

Greyhound Darsup was used in hare coursing. A report in the Dundalk Democrat (30 December 2019) outlined how the dog – trained by Laurence Jones and “owned by the Wexford-born, Cavan-based Tom Walsh” – was used at the Dundalk & Dowdallshill coursing meeting in December 2019. She was also trialled at Longford, Shelbourne Park and Dundalk tracks in March 2020.

Gut Feeling, Duck And Dive, Fort Light and Darsup are among a growing list of greyhounds who have tested positive for prohibited substances around Ireland. 

ACTION ALERT

Join us in urging Virgin Media to scrap plans to broadcast the Greyhound Racing Derby final next Saturday 24 September.

Paul Farrell
Managing Director, Virgin Media Television

Tony Hanway
CEO, Virgin Media Ireland

Email: paul.farrell@virginmedia.ie; Tony.Hanway@virginmedia.ie
Telephone Virgin Media: +353 (0)1 245 8000
Tweet to: @VirginMediaIE @VMSportIE

Watch RTE’s award-winning “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary
https://youtu.be/ZYTb2qBjlMM