Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board

All hair and blood samples taken during a raid of a Monasterevin, Co. Kildare farm on Nov. 9 have tested negative for "prohibited at all times substances", according to a release from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. The raid-during which animal remedies banned for use in racehorses were seized-was carried out by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine acting on their own investigations and information received and with the support of the IHRB. The IHRB's statement read, "the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board can today confirm that the hair...

A report on horseracing in Ireland found no evidence that doping regulations fall below international standards. The report, made by the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee, was prompted by allegations from trainer Jim Bolger that drugs are Irish racing's top problem. However, the report did make 11 recommendations, including that favourites and the top five finishers of each race be mandatorily tested via hair samples, as well as for random testing to occur. Another recommendation was for a review into the composition of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB), to address concerns...

Irish Injured Jockeys has introduced a mental health app called Leafyard that provides tools, activities, and support to help all jockeys with any general mental health concerns. Research commissioned by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in 2019 and 2020 found that injured jockeys were 46 times more likely to meet the criteria for depression than non-injured jockeys and reported higher levels of dissatisfaction associated with meeting the criteria for distress and generalised anxiety. Ruby Walsh, former champion jockey and chairman of the Irish Injured Jockeys, said, "I suppose I wasn't...

Entries for the Sept. 13 Irish EBF Barrier Trials close at 5 p.m. local time on Sept. 6, Irish Thoroughbred Marketing announced on Sunday. The final day of barrier trials of the 2021 season, the Dundalk-based event, which begins at 12 p.m., is operated by ITM and backed by the Irish EBF and the IHRB. Open to unraced 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds, the barrier trials are conducted over five, six and seven furlongs. Recent graduates of the Irish EBF Barrier Trials are G3 Gordon S. scorer Ottoman Emperor (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire})...

Irish trainer Stephen Mahon, who was banned for four years and fined for animal neglect, has had his ban reduced by six months on appeal, The Irish Field reported on Friday. His ban was originally going to expire on Apr. 14, 2025. Under investigation for alleged sampling interference with one of his former horses in mid-July, Mahon's appeal was heard on July 31, with the decision published on Friday. Mahon's licence was withdrawn in June after an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Referrals Committee hearing. The hearing found he had neglected...

Fields for the Aug. 18 Irish EBF Barrier Trials at Dundalk Stadium are now available here. Wednesday's barrier trials, scheduled to begin at noon, will be run over five, six or seven furlongs and are open to unraced 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds. Operated by Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and backed by the Irish EBF and IHRB, the trials will be recorded, timed, and made available to view online shortly after running on the ITM website and social media. In addition, a live stream will also be available to view on the ITM...

Entries for the Aug. 18 Irish EBF Barrier Trials at Dundalk close at 5 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, Aug. 11, Irish Thoroughbred Marketing announced on Tuesday. Backed by the Irish European Breeders' Fund and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and operated by ITM, the trials-which begin at 12 p.m.--are open to unraced 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds over five, six and seven furlongs. Recent graduates of the programme include G3 Gordon S. hero Ottoman Emperor (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and Listed Yeomanstown Stud Irish EBF S. winner Wren's Breath (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). A...

The last of a series of Oireachtas Hearings into horse racing in Ireland concluded on Tuesday with representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine the latest to answer questions. The independence of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) was a topic of discussion among deputies. Representatives of the IHRB were involved in two sessions this month along with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), while the Irish Racehorse Trainers' Association (IRTA) were also invited to meet the joint Oireachtas committee. This followed a number of high profile comments made...

The first hearing of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in front of a Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine began in Ireland on Thursday, with the IHRB defending itself rigorously. The IHRB has come under pressure recently regarding concerns over doping in Irish racing following Irish trainer Jim Bolger's claims in a newspaper interview that there would be a "Lance Armstrong" moment in the Irish industry. Irish Government committee members asked questions of Horse Racing Ireland's Chief Executive Brian Kavanagh, IHRB Chief Executive Denis Egan and IHRB Chief...

Denis Egan will take early retirement from his role as chief executive of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. After 25 years with the regulator, he will step aside on Sept. 30. Egan, 60, joined the Turf Club in 1995 and became CEO in 2001. When the Turf Club became the IHRB in 2018 he took on the role of CEO at the new body. "Irish racing has an enviable reputation worldwide, both for its fairness and integrity and has enjoyed huge success at home and around the world," said Egan....

Jim Bolger is not expected to attend the parliamentary hearing he was invited to to discuss doping in Irish racing. Bolger made headlines last autumn and again this spring when describing the use of performance-enhancing substances as the "number-one problem" in Irish racing and saying "there will be a Lance Armstrong in Irish racing." Bolger was invited to the agriculture committee hearing alongside representatives of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, Horse Racing Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, but Racing Post reports that a government...

Following Irish trainer Jim Bolger voicing his concerns on doping in Irish racing this past weekend, a strong statement against doping was issued by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board on Monday evening. The statement read: "Following comments made recently, the IHRB can once again stress there is a zero-tolerance approach to doping in Irish racing and 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...