THE Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board [IHRB] is seeking an additional €1.2 million from Horse Racing Ireland in order to increase the number of drug tests carried out on racehorses in 2024.

IHRB chief executive Darragh O’Loughlin and chief veterinary officer Dr Lynn Hillyer appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture this week and they were questioned by TDs and senators on the IHRB’s anti-doping programme.

O’Loughlin informed the all-party Committee that the IHRB has tested over 5,000 of the 34,000 runners in Irish races in 2022 but wanted to do more, in line with the recommendations of independent expert Dr Craig Suann last year.

“Dr Suann reported we [IHRB] at least matched best international practice, which is a good starting point,” O’Loughlin said. “He made 18 recommendations, the majority of which we have implemented.

“Some high priority recommendations require additional testing and funding, and there is a manpower cost too. We have outlined our plans to Horse Racing Ireland and the Department of Agriculture but we can only operate within the budget we have. If the additional resources become available then we can fully implement the recommendations.

“I estimate it would cost in the region of €1.2 million. I appreciate there are a lot of calls on the Department’s resources but it is not a huge amount of money and we will continue to make the case for it … we have put it into our budget for next year and are hoping it will be approved.”

Horse Racing Ireland is expected to outline its 2024 spending plans before Christmas, including its allocation to the IHRB. The IHRB received €11.7 million from HRI this year and, after payroll, its biggest expense is laboratory costs which come in at approximately €1.6 million.

Mazars report

In his opening statement to the Committee, O’Loughlin said he hoped the external review carried out by consultants Mazars into a financial governance issue within IHRB would be completed “within weeks”.

Last June O’Loughlin informed the Committee he had been made aware of a financial issue “of grave concern” and had launched the independent review but said could not give any details of the matter, other than to say he did not believe there was “any question of misappropriation or personal gain.”

Committee chairman Jackie Cahill TD said he was disappointed that the report had still not been completed, given the publicity around the matter.

Asked if the report would be available before Christmas, O’Loughlin said: “We are entirely in the hands of Mazars. We have given them six years of financial records and I understand they have interviewed everyone they wish to speak to.

“The impression I get is that they are coming very close to the end of the process. When they write their report it will be reviewed by their own lawyers to see if it is legally sound. That process takes a couple of weeks.

“So it is very difficult for me to say, at the end of November, if it will be before Christmas. I an anxious to see it before the end of the year but there isn’t anything I can do to make this any faster.”