THE British and Irish racing industries will be the focus of attention in a BBC Panorama documentary titled The Dark Side of Horse Racing due to be aired at 8:30pm on Monday night.

The documentary looks set to focus on what happens to racehorses after their careers on the track and a number of Irish trainers may feature in the programme.

The promotional blurb for the documentary reads: “Horse racing is one of the most popular and profitable sports, a £5 billion industry in the UK and Ireland followed by millions.

“Panorama reporter Darragh MacIntyre investigates what can happen to racehorses when their careers end. The industry says that racing is now safer than ever, that the number of deaths on the track is falling and that the animals are looked after in retirement.

“Panorama discovers that off the track, many horses suffer career-ending injuries, and rather than being rehabilitated or retrained for life outside the sport, racehorses that have been owned and trained by some of the biggest names in the industry have been put down, some meeting grisly deaths.”

Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh was asked about the programme by Sinn Fein TD Matt Carthy at the Oireachtas hearing on Tuesday and confirmed HRI had been in contact with the production company.

“Yes we have had engagement with the production company over the last few days, as have the British Horseracing Authority,” Kavanagh said. “I’m not aware of any legal challenges. We’ve responded to queries and hope that that will be reflected in the programme which is due to be broadcast next Monday.”

In the same hearing, Irish Racehorse Trainers Association chairman Michael Grassick said he was aware that “three or four” Irish trainers had been contacted by the programme makers. Both Grassick and Kavanagh declined to make a specific comment on the programme in advance of its airing, but Kavanagh did explain the preventions that are in place for horses ending up in the food chain in continental Europe.