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A vet has accepted a trophy for a winning greyhound owned by an individual who is the subject of a Greyhound Racing Ireland EXCLUSION ORDER.
A photograph published on the Greyhound Racing Ireland website in February shows vet Brian Jones accepting the Dublin Cup. The cup was presented by a representative of GRI after a greyhound named Foggy Bottom finished first in the “2023 Dublin Cup A2/A3 525 Final” race with prize money of €6,000 https://grireland.ie/talking-dogs/archived-talking-dogs-stories/february-2023/foggy-digs-in-to-win-dublin-cup-thriller/
According to an accompanying report, “Foggy Bottom emerged a determined winner of the A2 Dublin Cup at Shelbourne Park [on 3 February 2023]…Lawrence Jones’ Foggy Bottom went up fast from four and, despite edging across to the fence, just held both Daring Bowie and Noirs Best into the corner”.
Laurence Jones, the listed owner of the greyhound, is a brother of Brian Jones.
Brian Jones is a vet at Ancu, a veterinary clinic which has branches in Newry, Finglas and Blackrock, County Louth. According to its website, he is a track vet at Dundalk greyhound stadium.
In the past he has shamefully sponsored hare coursing. A booklet for the 2015 Cavan/Dungannon hare coursing meeting featured an advert for Ancu. It stated that the “Ancu Veterinary Hospital Oaks Trial Stake” is “kindly sponsored by Brian Jones”.
Ancu was also listed as a sponsor at the 2016 Dundalk and Dowdallshill coursing meeting. A coursing club booklet showed that the National Breeders Derby Trial Stakes was “sponsored by Ancu Veterinary Practice – Brian Jones”. A notice in the same booklet stated “Best wishes to Dundalk and Dowdallshill Coursing Club from Brian Jones, Veterinary surgeon, Newry, Dundalk and Dublin”.
His brother Laurence Jones (of Corduff, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan) was issued with the exclusion order after four greyhounds tested positive for prohibited substances “that can raise serious issues for the greyhound industry”.
Laurence Jones was fined €5,500 after appearing before a Greyhound Racing Ireland Control Committee. The committee issued an Exclusion Order which was “effective from and including the 1st day of July 2022”, with no end date specified.
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 Laurence 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 Laurence Jones’ registered kennels on 16th November 2020.
6a-Hydroxystanozolol was also detected in greyhound Fort Light at Laurence Jones’ registered kennels on 16th November 2020.
19-Norepiandrosterone and 19-Norethiocholanolone were detected in Darsup (a greyhound used in hare coursing) at Laurence 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 October 2020 and on 16th 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 Laurence Jones’s kennels on 16th November 2020.
€1,000 in relation to the detection of 19-Norepiandrosterone and 19-Norethiocholanolone in Darsup at Laurence Jones’s kennels on 16th November 2020.
Since 1 July 2022, greyhounds owned by Laurence Jones have continued to appear in races at Greyhound Racing Ireland tracks. Most recently, greyhounds Hail Fellow and Whiskey Jack both won races at Dundalk stadium last weekend (6 May 2023), with the race commentator noting that “it is a double tonight for the Jones kennels”.
While a Greyhound Racing Ireland Exclusion Order prohibits an excluded individual from being physically present at greyhound tracks, it incredibly does not prohibit continued involvement.
Earlier this year, Brid Smith TD asked the Minister for Agriculture “if allowing a named individual to enter a dog in a greyhound race in Shelbourne Park on 20 January 2023, while the individual is the subject of an exclusion order imposed by Rásaíocht Con Éireann [Greyhound Racing Ireland] for multiple serious doping offences, undermines the integrity of the greyhound industry”.
In a response, Greyhound Racing Ireland’s interim CEO told Deputy Smith that exclusion orders do not extend to greyhound ownership – “In response to your parliamentary question regarding Mr Laurence Jones, the Terms of the Exclusion Order are as follows: An Exclusion Order issued pursuant to Section 47 of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, prohibits the subject of such an Order: Being on any greyhound track, Being at any authorised coursing meeting, Being at any public sale of greyhounds. The decision imposed by the Independent Control Committee, in addition to the fine imposed, does not affect Mr Laurence Jones’ right to own greyhounds or any other dogs for that matter.”
Greyhound Racing Ireland confirmed to Deputy Smith this month that Laurence Jones “remains the subject of an Exclusion Order”.