O'Connor to test sampling procedures

PROCEDURAL defects with the testing of the blood samples from Waterford Crystal are likely to form a crucial plank of showjumper Cian O’Connor’s defence when he appears before the Judicial Committee of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) on Sunday.

Meanwhile, yesterday, the FEI confirmed that the case involving Jessica Kürten and the mare, Castle Forbes Libertina, was now closed. Kürten had revealed on Wednesday that the B sample from the horse had tested negative and she demanded the FEI drop the case.

In O’Connor’s case, it is understood that after the B urine sample was stolen, a blood sample was sent, after much confusion regarding its destination, to New York for testing.