Horse racing chief defends 'groundbreaking' anti-doping measures

Outgoing chief executive of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Denis Egan said no other racing authority has the 'groundbreaking' ability to 'identify and sample any thoroughbred at any time and in any place'. File picture: Inpho/Caroline Norris

The body with responsibility for the regulation of Irish horse racing has defended its anti-doping record in the face of intense criticism from within the sport.

Denis Egan, the outgoing chief executive of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, has said no other racing authority has the "groundbreaking" ability to “identify and sample any thoroughbred at any time and in any place”.

Mr Egan, who announced his surprise decision to take early retirement as head of the IHRB after 20 years last week, is set to appear before the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee on Thursday on foot of media reports the body’s anti-doping regime is less than robust.

Among the claims made about the regime were remarks by renowned trainer Jim Bolger last October, who had suggested the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in horse-racing is the sport’s “number one problem”.

However Mr Bolger last week declined the opportunity to substantiate those claims before the same committee, where he would have been protected to an extent by qualified privilege, citing legal advice he had received.

Gamechanger

Mr Egan meanwhile is expected to tell the committee on Thursday that the appointment of 12 IHRB officials as authorised officers under the Animal Remedies Act in May of this year is a gamechanger in terms of anti-doping regulation, given their power to test any horse at any time in any place.

He will tell the committee the investigations on foot of a positive test sample are commenced immediately, and “may involve an unannounced inspection of the yard”.

He will say the IHRB has inspected 33 premises in the first six months of 2021, seven of which were unlicensed, and tested at 18 of them, something which would not have been possible prior to the appointment of the 12 authorised officers.

Some 2,449 samples have been taken in 2021 to date, with 10 adverse analytical findings  confirmed, “none of which involve substances that are prohibited at all times”, Mr Egan is expected to say.