Jim Bolger had 'no names of trainers or drugs used' claims trainers' chief

Michael Grassick, chief executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, had lengthy discussions with Jim Bolger regarding his concerns about drug cheats in Irish racing earlier this year but the legendary trainer was unable to provide him with the names of the trainers involved or the type of drugs they were using.

Speaking at the latest Oireachtas Agriculture Committee hearing, Grassick was asked whether he had made contact with the “leading horse trainer who had made recent statements” to which he replied: “I would have spoken to him a couple of months ago when this first came up. I spoke to him for a long period of time.

"He had no names of any trainers involved or the names of any drugs that he felt [were used]. He had no additional information that he could give to me. Since March 19 he is no longer a member of the trainers' association.”

Grassick was then asked by Fine Gael TD Paul Kehoe whether he would rubbish Paul Kimmage’s articles in the Sunday Independent, to which he replied: “I don’t know who is talking to Mr Kimmage. I’m disappointed by the articles. I’ve no information about these horses getting these drugs. I’ve no information on that."

Grassick added: “In my previous life, before I became CEO of the trainers’ association, I was a trainer myself for 35 years. And never in my time as a trainer or as CEO of the trainers’ association was I ever approached or given information that there were illegal substances being used on horses in training. Never.”

On the reputational damage that has been done to Irish trainers, Grassick said: “Some damage has been done to our reputation, but I think it’s misguided and the only way we can work this out is through the cooperation of the IHRB [Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board].

Oireachtas Agriculture Committee: reconvened on Tuesday afternoon to discuss issues relating to the horseracing industryCredit: Oireachtas TV

“To me, it’s just rumours and innuendos and, if people keep saying it, there’s not much we can do. We work with HRI [Horse Racing Ireland] and we work with the IHRB. There is more testing done in the last couple of months than has ever been done before. I don’t know what else we can do to prove what’s going on or not going on. It’s terrible that rumours like this circulate, but I have no specific information.”

Michael Halford, the new chairman of the IRTA, said the people making the claims are a minority. “Sometimes it takes bravery to blow a whistle,” asserted senator Ronan Mullen. “They’ve only blown a whistle, they haven’t stood up,” countered Halford.

The second hour of the Oireachtas hearing welcomed back Denis Egan and Dr Lynn Hillyer from the IHRB and Brian Kavanagh from HRI, continuing their quizzing from last week and the questioning went beyond doping with all parties agreeing that a more thorough tracing system should be in place that goes beyond just horses in training.

Kavanagh said: “We'd be delighted to have that system. That system exists already in relation to horses in training, which is the primary area of focus of the discussions here today. The traceability gaps, if you want to call it that, are in relation to horses at stud, and that's a process that's being worked through."

Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice argued that the IHRB was at a “huge disadvantage” as it “doesn’t know what it’s looking for because it doesn’t know how many horses anybody has”.

Hillyer was also grilled over the new authorised officers and what qualifications they have.

Meanwhile, Kavanagh admitted that HRI has spoken with the production company who have made next Monday’s Panorama programme on BBC which looks into what happens to racehorses when their careers are over, but stressed there were no legal challenges.

Kavanagh said: “We have had engagement with the production company over the last ten days, as have the British Horseracing Authority. I'm not aware of any legal challenges. We've responded to queries and hope that will be reflected in the programme."

Read more on this subject:

Defiant IHRB denies drug cheat claims in key parliamentary hearing

BHA and IHRB insist claims of steroid positives not supported by lab tests

Pre-race drug testing in Ireland imminent, according to regulator

Jim Bolger tells committee he will not attend key hearing on doping allegations

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