Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
RAID DRAWS A BLANK
Irish yard tests negative for prohibited substances
SAMPLES taken from racehorses in a raid on an Irish yard have tested negative for prohibited substances.
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board revealed the results yesterday, two weeks after they were sourced from the premises in County Kildare.
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) officials and Gardai went to the Monasterevin stables on November 9.
A variety of samples were collected from thoroughbreds present at the site.
At the time a DAFM spokesperson said: “This department-led operation involved searches and seizure of products as part of an ongoing investigation into equine doping.”
Usually only confirmation of positive drug tests are reported by the sport’s regulator, but a statement from the IHRB confirmed yesterday: “The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board can today confirm that the hair and blood samples taken from horses at a premises near Monasterevin, County Kildare, on November 9 2021 have been analysed at LGC laboratories and reported negative for prohibited at all times substances.
“As this is part of an ongoing investigation working in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and other agencies, we cannot make any further comment at this time.”
Substances banned at all times include anabolic steroids, while other medications used by vets cannot be in a horse’s system while competing.
The investigation comes after Irish racing endured a turbulent summer, amid claims by top trainer Jim Bolger that the use of illicit drugs is the sport’s number one problem.