The BHA and IHRB will bring in new medication control and anti-doping initiatives to further help safeguard the integrity of the sport – including sampling over 120 horses that are Cheltenham Festival bound.
This latest measure will assist the ‘Out Of Competition Testing’ that has been in force in both jurisdictions in recent years, with the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory and British Horseracing Authority working together.
Over 250 Samples Taken From 2024 Cheltenham Festival Runners
The testers have also wasted no time in starting, with 250 samples already obtained from 120+ horses that are due to run at this month’s popular Cheltenham Festival, which runs for four days from Tuesday 12th March.
Cheltenham is billed as the ‘Olympics of Jumps Racing’, so there is no better meeting to hit the ground running, which also means punters, trainers and owners can gain more confidence across the 2024 Festival.
It’s been agreed that both the IHRB and BHA will operate under each countries jurisdiction, but also work jointly on the testing by sharing results and samples, with any findings from the tests showcased to both boards.
Dr Lynn Hillyer (IHRB Chief Veterinary Officer) said:
“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.”
Former trainer and now Director of Equine Regulation, Safety and Welfare, James Given, added
“The BHA welcomes the collaboration with the IHRB to demonstrate to stakeholders and the public that horses running from either side of the Irish sea in each other’s races do so under the same level of scrutiny.
“Not only will our Medication Control and Anti-Doping (MCAD) team 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 aligned with our aims around international collaboration, the response to racecourse accidents and the overall improvement of equine safety and welfare.”
The 2023 Cheltenham Festival was dominated by trainer Willie Mullins, who fired in six winners from the 28 races and became top trainer at the meeting for a tenth time.
The Closutton handler is expected to be hard to beat again in 2024, with the Irish overall having 18 winners at the meetings 12 months ago.
