Irish and British authorities announce anti-doping initiative

Governing bodies in Ireland and Britain have pledged to pull together to enforce a "zero tolerance" policy on doping in horseracing.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and the British Horseracing Authority will combine resources to formally continue stepping up levels of out of competition testing across both jurisdictions.

To kick off the new anti-doping and medication control initiative, almost 250 samples were taken from more than 120 horses that are entered for the Cheltenham Festival in an operation across 14 training premises in Ireland.

While any tests will be subject to individual IHRB or BHA protocols relating to the relevant region they are taken in, there will be a transparent exchange of any adverse results or findings that arise.

All samples will be tested by LGC Laboratory, one of six laboratories worldwide which is recognised as a referenced laboratory by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

IHRB chief veterinary officer Dr Lynn Hillyer commented: "The IHRB Strategy 2024-2027 commits us to close engagement with international horseracing bodies and benchmarking ourselves against best international practice.

"This new venture shows stakeholders and the racing public that we collaborate as professionals across both sides of the Irish Sea, sharing best practice and resources and demonstrating equally stringent regulatory processes and standards to the extent that our anti-doping and medication control programmes are interoperable.

"We are delighted to be collaborating with our BHA colleagues in this way and see it as a positive step forward that reinforces the point that there is no room for anything other than the highest standards of integrity and welfare in either jurisdiction."

BHA director