Shark Hanlon reveals identity of trainer who will take over his yard and King George winner Hewick while he serves ban
SHARK HANLON has announced the name of the trainer who will take over his yard, and the training of top chaser Hewick, while he serves his ban.
Tara Lee-Cogan, who only trains a handful of horses in County Kildare, will take over the running of Hanlon’s County Carlow stable from next week.
All being well, it means Lee-Cogan will saddle the defending champ Hewick in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day in what will be, quite comfortably, the biggest day of her training career.
She has known Hanlon – who’s six-month ban for bringing the sport into ‘disrepute’ begins on Monday – for years and is good pals with Hewick’s owner, TJ McDonald.
It is a huge opportunity for Lee-Cogan, who has only trained three winners over jumps in Ireland – her last winner under National Hunt Rules was in the 2014-15 season – and a handful of winners on the Flat.
Hanlon said: “Tara is a great girl, she has been down to our yard umpteen times and she knows our horses well.
“She only has a couple of horses so she is going to bring them down from Kildare and train from my stables while I have my time off.
“She will take on all my staff, which is brilliant, and I’m sure she will do a very good job.
“I haven’t had a holiday in years, so now this is all sorted I’m going to head over to America and take some time off.”
On Hewick, he added: “He’s in the King George and he will have a few entries in other races. As long as conditions are right and the horse is in good form, I expect he will go to Kempton.”
Hanlon’s will have his final runner before his suspension begins at Fairyhouse tomorrow, when outsider Isle Of Sark runs in the opener at 11.35.
He was originally banned for 10 months in September after footage emerged on social media of a dead horse being transported behind one of his branded horseboxes.
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board reduced his suspension to six months on appeal, and if he meets a number of conditions he will be able to resume training at the beginning of March.
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