Drugs Task Force report to be issued in New Year, says HRI

Horse Racing Ireland has indicated the long-awaited report from the Drugs Task Force set up to examine the extent of any potential doping problem within the racing and bloodstock industries here will be published early in the New Year.

The industry-wide Task Force, chaired by the Turf Club’s new Senior Steward, Meta Osborne, was announced at the end of 2014 on the back of steroid controversies which included high-profile trainer Philip Fenton being ‘warned off’ for possession of unlicensed animal remedies including a steroid.

A joint HRI-Turf Club statement at the time said that priority would be given to the report which was scheduled to be released early in the summer. A review by the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Dr Terence Wan of drug testing systems here was originally set for release in the Spring but that hasn’t been published yet either.

HRI’s chief executive Brian Kavanagh has now confirmed the Anti-Doping Task Force report will be released in the first quarter of 2016, along with details of the integrity budget for next year.

That confirmation came on the back of publication of HRI’s 2016 budget which sees prizemoney levels set to increase by over €3 million to €56.7 million with minimum race values due to rise by €1,000 to €9,000. There will also be increased percentages of prize money for placed horses in an attempt to increase field sizes for some races.

A key priority, HRI has said, has been to increase the values of lower grade handicaps under both codes in order to target the largest section of the horse population. Funding of €1.6 million will be allocated to point to point racing in 2016, an increase of 10 per cent.

The 2016 budget also sees provision for once-off restructuring costs arising from the enactment of the Horse Racing Ireland Ammendment Bill.