THE addition of Regumate to the list of medicines which should not be found in a training yard here is “hopefully a short-termy measure” according to Lynn Hillyer, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s head of anti-doping.

Widely used to help regulate the fertility cycle of fillies and mares, Regumate (or Altrenogest) was declared a banned product by the British Horseracing Authority last week and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board was quick to replicate the move here.

The BHA issued its ban following tests which showed that the product contained traces of an anabolic steroid, trendione.

Speaking from Dundalk Stadium last evening, Hillyer said: “It appears to be a contamination issue with a batch of the product. Trendione would not normally be found in Regumate and so hopefully this is just a short-term measure.”

A notice circulated to trainers by the IHRB last week said: “The presence, use or administration of Regumate Equine could result in serious breach of the Rules with impact on the horse and those associated with it.”

Michael Grassick, CEO of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, expressed surprise at the move. “A lot of smaller trainers are also breeders and they may have this product legitimately on their premises.”

The development is also being closely monitored by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, which is involved in sensitive discussions with the IHRB and other stakeholders on allowing inspectors into stud farms. Shane O’Dwyer, CEO of the ITBA, said: “Regumate is commonly used by breeders and there is no replacement for it. Even from a welfare perspective, breeders will be using it at Goffs next week to keep colts away from fillies.”

At Tuesday’s anti-doping seminar in the IHRB offices, breeder Peter Downes asked Dr Hillyer what medicines would be on the banned list should breeders sign up to the Anti-Doping Task Force. She replied that it would mainly involve anabolic steroids and the list would not extend to all medicines prohibited from racing yards.

Tuesday’s seminar – the second of three entitled ‘Prohibited Substances – Managing the Risk’ was attended by approximately 90 people, mainly trainers, point-to-point handlers, senior stable staff and veterinary surgeons.

The seminars aim to increase awareness of the spike in positive drug tests this year, a situation the IHRB believes is mainly due to “bad practice, not malpractice.”

The authority denied that “the goalposts have moved” or that screening limits had been changed. Asked if the switch in testing laboratory earlier this year had played a part, IHRB chief executive Denis Egan said: “We don’t know. Irish horses run abroad and they do not return positive tests. We send 10-15% of samples to France for testing and they do not show up anything out of the ordinary.”

Newmarket laboratory LGC Fordham is currently carrying out forensic testing for the IHRB and a tendering process for the long-term contract is due to be awarded soon.

IHRB veterinary officer Alan Dunlop was asked to clarify remarks attribute to him at the first seminar on the use of feed supplements. He acknowledged that horses with specific medical conditions often benefited from supplements and he confirmed that using electrolyte supplements posed no risk to trainers. “Use common sense when presented with performance-enhancing claims,” he said.

The issue of equine welfare was raised repeatedly. Hillyer said that the industry needed to be aware of how mainstream society views the use of medication on racehorses. It becomes a problem when horses can only race when given medication. “If you are patching up a lame horse so that it is sound enough to race, that horse shouldn’t be racing.”

Dunlop aid that raceday officials would view jugular puncture wounds with suspicion. “If a horse needed a shot of duphalyte [electrolyte] within 48 hours of a race, bring the veterinary certificate to the races, as it will need to be explained.”

The question and answer session was dominated by veterinary surgeons, most of whom wanted more clarity on withdrawal times for drugs such as the nebuliser flexitide and gastric ulcer treatment ameprazole.

Dr Hillyer said in many cases definitive withdrawal times could not be given as controlled tests had returned such variation and margins of error.