Daily Casefile · Verdict
Powder in the Feed Room
≈ 4 min
On the morning of 6 September 2026, event stewards at the Dunmara Open Show collected a routine pre-competition urine sample from Starlight Reel, a grey mare stabled and prepared by head groom Cillian Murtagh. Laboratory analysis returned a positive result for acepromazine, a sedative not on the permitted list. Murtagh prepared and fed the mare that morning and denies adding anything to her feed. The question for the jury is whether Murtagh knowingly administered the substance or whether the positive result arose from an innocent source.
Subject
Cillian Murtagh, head groom at Dunmara Riding School
Charged with Horse doping — administering a prohibited stimulant to competition horse Starlight Reel before the Dunmara Open Show on 6 September 2026
The scene
Dunmara Riding School and Competition Stables, a yard complex in County Kildare, Ireland, present day — comprising a main stable block of twelve loose boxes, a locked feed room, a wash-down bay, and a small show-preparation office beside the arena.
The witnesses
- Orla Fennell — Riding school owner and event organiser
- Declan Sherry — Junior groom, Dunmara stables
- Dr Siobhan Keane — Attending equine veterinarian, Dunmara yard
- Patrick Ó Briain — Equestrian Ireland licensed show steward
Play today’s Verdict.
This case first aired on September 16, 2026. A fresh verdict runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.