Charles Byrnes and son Philip to face IHRB Board in December

Trainer Charles Byrnes and son Philip must face the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on December 15 in relation to a controversial race involving Redwood Queen at Wexford in late May.The IHRB told Racing TV on Thursday: “Following an investigation into the Wexford Claiming Hurdle at Wexford Racecourse on 28 May, trainer Charles Byrnes and jockey Philip Byrnes are scheduled to appear before a Referrals Committee on Monday 15 December."The IHRB said in late July that the investigation into Redwood Queen was almost concluded, illustrating the complexity of the case.

Racing TV understands that the IHRB's security team is in the process of some overhaul, though this is not related to the Redwood Queen investigation.

Philip Byrnes and Redwood Queen are about to part company at Wexford (Healy Racing)Philip Byrnes parted company with the mare, who was a notable market drifter before the claiming race, at the last flight, handing victory to odds-on favourite and well-backed Beacon Edge from Gordon Elliott's stable.Charles Byrnes, father of the jockey and trainer of the mare at the time, subsequently said that neither had anything to answer for and blamed the IHRB's investigation on the authorities feeling the need to "please these faceless people on social media".Philip Byrnes has not spoken to the media about the unseat since the incident. Although the raceday stewards took no action against the jockey, an IHRB spokesperson said the following morning: "We note the position of the raceday stewards following their review of the incident. We can now confirm the matter is down for review by an IHRB senior racing official."The Wexford stewards' report said: "The raceday stewards reviewed the unseating of Philip Byrnes, rider of Redwood Queen, at the last hurdle when leading. Having viewed the recording of the race and considered the matter, the raceday stewards took no further action."When queried afterwards as to what the investigation would entail, given the lack of precedence for such a case, the IHRB spokesman told Racing TV: "When conducting any review or investigation, an IHRB Senior Racing Official collaborates with and has the full support of IHRB colleagues across all departments and, depending on the nature of the matter, may also engage with external service providers or stakeholders as appropriate."