120 Cheltenham Festival horses tested for drugs in new anti-doping operation
As many as 120 horses taking part in the Cheltenham Festival have been tested for drugs in Ireland as part of a major joint anti-doping operation.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) have teamed up to tackle the use of banned substances just days before the start of the festival.
In recent days, top officials from Great Britain and Ireland have visited 14 stables unannounced and taken more than 250 samples from potential festival runners.
Among those who took part in the surprise operation were James Give, the former racehorse trainer who is now the BHA’s director of horse regulation, and a senior British vet.
They took the samples together with their Irish colleagues, with horses from the stables of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott almost certainly among those tested.
The samples will be processed at a specialist laboratory in Newmarket and results are expected next week – with any adverse findings likely to lead to disciplinary action.
Given said: “The BHA welcomes the partnership with the IHRB to demonstrate to stakeholders and the public that horses running from both sides of the Irish Sea in each other’s races do so under the same level of supervision.
“It’s not just our Medication Control and Anti-Doping Team (MCAD) that will have access to more information about visiting horses.
“But there will be opportunities for our wider team to share ideas and best practice in other areas of our work.
“Like the IHRB, this is in line with our objectives in international cooperation, responding to racecourse accidents and generally improving the safety and welfare of horses.”
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IHRB Chief Veterinarian Lynn Hillyer added: “The IHRB Strategy 2024-2027 commits us to working closely with international horse racing organizations and benchmarking ourselves against best international practice.
“This new venture shows stakeholders and the racing public that we work together as professionals on both sides of the Irish Sea.
“Sharing best practices and resources and demonstrating equally rigorous regulatory processes and standards to the extent that our anti-doping and drug monitoring programs are interoperable.
“We are delighted to be working with our BHA colleagues in this way and see it as a positive step forward.
“It reinforces the point that in both jurisdictions there is no room for anything other than the highest standards of integrity and welfare.”
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