TRAINERS and point-to-point handlers have been advised to carefully check the ingredients in any feed supplements they are using as they could risk losing their licence over a positive drugs test.

Yesterday Wexford handler James Doyle had his permit suspended for the remainder of 2018 following two positive test results for a prohibited substance returned by a pair of winning point-to-pointers.

Both Run Wild Fred (Dawstown, May 7th) and Howling Milan (Necarne, May 19th) tested positive for diisopropylamine [DIPA], a substance that dilates blood vessels.

A visit by veterinary officers to Doyle’s yard could not identify the source of the substance but they believed it was “likely to be as a result of exposure to a supplement claiming to contain pangamic acid marketed for ‘performance support’ when administered close to a racedate.”

Doyle was fined a total of €3,000 plus €500 in costs and both winners were disqualified.

Run Wild Fred was sold in June to a leading National Hunt owner for £225,000. The new owner is aware of the positive test result but is happy to keep the horse. Howling Milan was unsold at €75,000 in April.

The Referrals Committee noted it was open to them to restrict the horses from running for a period of time and such restriction would be effective even if the horses had been sold on or moved to another jurisdiction. However, they chose not to do so in this case but said they may do so in future cases.

Suspending Doyle’s permit for the rest of 2018, the Committee said that the short length of suspension reflected the fact that Doyle had addressed the matter in a forthright manner but reiterated that such breaches were unacceptable in the sport.

The race ‘won’ by Run Wild Fred was awarded to Easyrun De Vassy, another winner for champion handler Colin Bowe and leading rider Barry O’Neill. The Howling Milan race was awarded to Our Bubba, trained by Denis Murphy and ridden by Luke Murphy.

DIPA first came to prominence in racing circles in the 1980s when it was marketed as an ‘undetectable’ medication in Australia. It is a potent vasodilator and increases blood supply to skeletal muscles and the central nervous system. It is not an approved medication for horses in Europe.

Lynn Hillyer, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s chief veterinary officer, said: “The key message here is that trainers and handlers should exercise great caution when using feed supplements. Only use reputable suppliers and products you can trust.”