The British Horseracing Authority has confirmed it is sending officials to Ireland to do out-of-competition testing on Irish-trained horses entered for the upcoming Cheltenham Festival.
Such testing has become a regular occurrence over the last decade and last year almost 250 samples were taken from more than 120 horses in a two-day operation carried out across 14 training premises. There were no positive results.
In 2024, the BHA and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board announced an anti-doping and medication initiative that allows both to formally conduct joint-OCT operations in either jurisdiction.
It means that BHA personnel working jointly in Ireland will operate under IHRB standard operating procedures with all samples considered IHRB samples. The reverse occurs in Britain. Samples from both jurisdictions are tested at the LGC laboratory in Newmarket.
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“We will be testing again this year as per this arrangement,” a BHA spokesman said on Friday. “Testing of Irish horses has not yet begun.”
He added: “When we test horses out of competition, we are looking for substances which are prohibited at all times, rather than substances which are permitted in training but not on race-day. There have been no positives from the testing so far.”
BHA testing in Ireland first arose in 2014 when it carried out its own pre-festival testing on entries trained by Philip Fenton, who was embroiled in a steroids scandal at that time. It was the first time BHA testers worked at a yard outside Britain.
In 2018 media reports about apparent cross-channel unease at OCT levels being carried out by regulatory officials here were rejected by the BHA. It said OCT on all international runners at big British festivals is carried out by them.
Such testing underlines how, with just over a fortnight to the Cheltenham Festival, time pressure is building on those aiming to secure late boarding cards to jump racing’s biggest event of the year.
Bioluminescence is already one of the favourites for the Mares Chase on the final day of Cheltenham although she’s set to try toto pick up Saturday’s Listed Novice Chase at Fairyhouse en route.
The prospect of testing conditions, and the race being switched from Thurles, has convinced trainer Gavin Cromwell to allow her tackle what is on official ratings a serious task.
“It wasn’t the plan until it was rescheduled to Fairyhouse. She was never going to be running in Thurles on nice ground,” said Cromwell who saddled Bioluminescence to land a Grade Two at Limerick over Christmas.
“She has a 10lb penalty, which is obviously a big burden to carry but she’s a big mare and would be a good mare to carry weight. Hopefully she has the class and the more rain that falls the better for her too,” he added.
Spindleberry is the number one hope among a Willie Mullins trio in opposition.
The champion trainer has half the field for the Grade Three Bobbyjo Chase, won last year by I Am Maximus before Grand National glory at Aintree. One of Ireland’s best established trial events for Liverpool, Mullins has landed the Bobbyjo seven times in the last eight years.
He sets his own ratings poser this time as a 9lb hike for landing the Thyestes theoretically at least gives Nick Rockett a handicap edge on I Am Maximus, who is back for the race again.
Nevertheless, Paul Townend sticks with his National hero who has been beaten just once in four starts around Fairyhouse. The Grade One Drinmore and the Irish Grand National also figure on his impressive CV there.
With up to 10mm more rain forecast to fall on heavy going before Sunday’s Naas action begins, conditions are sure to be testing for a programme containing a trio of Grade Three events.
It is the five-runner bumper that could contain Cheltenham clues, though, with Spinningayarn due to line up in a contest with a proven record for identifying top talent.
The top-class pair Gerri Colombe (2021) and Outlander (2013) are past winners for Gordon Elliott while no less than the subsequent Ascot Gold Cup hero Rite Of Passage scored in 2009. Both Hairy Molly (2006) and Pizarro (2002) won this before landing the bumper at Cheltenham.
Spinningayarn is 20/1 in some lists for Cheltenham on the back of a narrow defeat of Eachtotheirown at Navan on his debut.
Torrential rain meant the cancellation of Friday’s scheduled card at Punchestown, which has been rescheduled for Monday.
In other news, appeals by trainer Eric McNamara and his son Conor against penalties handed out under “non-trier” rules at Clonmel last week will be held this Wednesday.
McNamara snr was fined €6,000 while Conor McNamara was suspended for 40 days after his ride on Mount Ferns in a handicap chase.
The horse was also suspended from racing for 90 days after the stewards concluded the trainer and jockey had breached Rule 212 by “deliberately or recklessly causing or permitting a horse to run other than on its merits”. Eric McNamara has labelled the penalties “outrageous.”
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