Trainer Jim Bolger will not appear before Oireachtas committee to discuss allegations of doping in Irish horse racing

Trainer Jim Bolger has claimed doping is a major issue in Irish horse racing but said he cannot discuss these claims due to 'legal reasons'. File picture

Leading horse racing trainer Jim Bolger will not be attending an Oireachtas Agriculture Committee meeting next week to discuss allegations of doping within Irish horse racing.

In a letter addressed to committee chair and Fianna Fáil TD for Tipperary, Jackie Cahill, Mr Bolger said he could not attend for legal reasons.

"Further to your invitation from the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine I wish to inform you that following legal advice, I will not be attending the meeting," he wrote.

“Is mise le meas, JS Bolger.”

Mr Bolger's letter to Mr Cahill was dated Tuesday, June 29. His appearance at the meeting would have taken place on July 8.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent earlier this month, Mr Bolger claimed there would be "a Lance Armstrong in Irish racing” – a reference to the American cyclist who was stripped of seven Tour de France titles in 2012.

Allegations about doping

It was not the first time the accomplished trainer had made allegations about doping within Irish racing.

Last year, he told the Racing Post that “the number one problem in Irish racing is drug cheats" who, he said, were "stopping the sport from being a level playing field”.

In the interview, he also called on the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) to do more hair testing to address the alleged issue.

These allegations, and his subsequent "Lance Armstrong" remarks, prompted the IHRB to issue a statement re-affirming its “zero-tolerance” approach to doping and its commitment to “the highest standards of integrity within Irish racing."

Last year, Mr Bolger told the 'Racing Post' that 'the number one problem in Irish racing is drug cheats" who, he said, were "stopping the sport from being a level playing field'. File picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

“We operate to the highest level using LGC Laboratories in Newmarket, who are one of five International Federation Horseracing Authorities certified laboratories in the world, and the same laboratory used by the British Horseracing Authority,” the board's statement read.

"The IHRB will continue our extensive testing programme with 5,000 samples in 2021, once again including every race winner, additional race day samples, out of competition samples and now also at unlicensed premises following on from the receipt of authorised officer status for 12 employees of the IHRB last month, which allows us to access and sample any thoroughbred at any time in Ireland.”

'Serious reputational damage'

Mr Cahill said Mr Bolger’s comments had caused “serious reputational damage” to the industry.

He urged the 2000 Guineas winning trainer to appear before the Oireachtas committee so that his claims could be “substantiated or put to bed”.

"We are global leaders in the horseracing industry, and any question around its integrity or the possibility of drug use could be extremely damaging," he said.

Breeders, jockeys, owners, and trainers are dependent on the viability of the sport in Ireland and the good name of the industry around the world. The committee hopes that these meetings will bring clarity to the situation.

Though Mr Bolger's absence will loom large, next week's committee meeting will still go ahead, with representatives of Horse Racing Ireland and the IHRB due to appear.

Representatives of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association will then appear before the committee the following Tuesday, July 13.