Mr. Denis Egan:

On behalf of the IHRB, I thank the Chair and members of the committee for their invitation to appear before them. The IHRB was pleased to accept the committee's invitation and the opportunity it provides to address statements in the media which have been made about integrity and drug usage in Irish racing. We appreciate the fact that the Chair and members have given time in what is a busy work programme to allow us to set the record straight. We look forward to answering the questions that the Deputies and Senators may have.

For those who do not know me, I am Denis Egan, chief executive of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. I am joined today by my colleague, Dr. Lynn Hillyer, who is the head of anti-doping and chief veterinary officer for the IHRB. Lynn joined the IHRB in 2016, having worked as a regulatory specialist in anti-doping for the British Horseracing Authority since 2005. She is recognised globally in her field, having published specifically on the detection of prohibited substances, and is chair of the International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians, a member of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, IFHA, and its advisory council on prohibited substances and practices, and a member of the , EHSLC.

We are also joined by Dr. Clive Pearce, laboratory director and director of sport and specialised analytical services at LGC Laboratories, who has been working with us since 2018. As a racing chemist and laboratory director, Dr. Pearce is active in major international organisations associated with the regulation of animal sports. He is a board member of the EHSLC, a member of thelaboratory and prohibited list groups, and theIFHA's reference laboratory technical committee and its advisory council on prohibited substances and practices. LGC Laboratories analyse all our equine samples. LGC is one of only five laboratories in the world certified by the IFHA to analyse racing samples to a benchmark which exceeds accreditation. My colleague, Niall Cronin, IHRB communications manager, is also in attendance.

I will now provide some background information on the IHRB. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board CLG is a company set up by the Turf Club and Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee to carry out the functions assigned to the racing regulatory body under the Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016. It is responsible for the integrity of Irish racing, including doping control and forensics. It carries out its functions through a team of highly trained professional racing officials and administrative staff, as well as dedicated and experienced voluntary race-day stewards and committee members.

In 2016, the Irish racing and breeding industries came together on a single issue, namely, tackling doping in the wake of the John Hughes case which had been prosecuted in the courts. The subsequent recommendations of a task force comprising industry representatives which were reiterated in an updated policy document in 2018 are the foundation for our work today. The appointment of Dr. Hillyer as head of anti-doping, an established expert in her field; a public procurement process to appoint one of the best laboratories in the world; and a seismic shift in increasing out of competition testing were all early tangible outputs from those industry agreements.

The IHRB’s equine anti-doping programme has developed into a sophisticated and extensive risk-based and intelligence-led strategy in which it is not just the numbers of samples which matter, but from what horse they are taken, where and when. Regarding the where and when, in addition to the authority the IRHB has under the rules of racing in respect of licensed people and premises, 12 IRHB officials, including five qualified veterinary surgeons, were appointed as authorised officers under the Animal Remedies Act on 21 May last. These officials can identify and sample any thoroughbred at any time and in any place, and have the authority to seize products, documentation or other evidence as necessary. The ability to do this is ground-breaking and part of our armoury in protecting the integrity of Irish racing, which no other racing authority has.

I will briefly outline what we do on the anti-doping front and how we do it. The IHRB samples horses both on and off the racecourse, taking blood, urine and-or hair. Using these different samples allows us to detect a range of thousands of substances for varying lengths of time. Taking the right type of sample from the right horse at the right time is an essential part of any modern anti-doping programme's test distribution. The IHRB continually refines this, for example, now taking more out-of-competition samples than ever. We are the first racing authority to take hair samples routinely on the racecourse.

All sampling is witnessed by a representative of the person responsible for the horse. A sample is split into an A and B portion and anonymised and sealed in a tamper-proof bottle. The process is automated using an app-based system which ensures integrity, real-time data transfer and minimises the risk of human error. The process is similar to those used in all sport bodies, whether for human or animal athletes. As Mr. Kavanagh stated, I would like to emphasise that all samples are analysed, with screening results usually reported to the IHRB within seven working days. All adverse analytical findings for prohibited substances are prosecuted via a disciplinary procedure. The trainer has the right of appeal against any penalty.

LGC Laboratories in Newmarket has been the contracted laboratory for IHRB samples since 2018. Established in 1963, LGC has a long history as a world leader in the development and application of cutting-edge approaches to detect existing and emerging drugs, from anabolic steroids in the early 60s through to more complex biological threats and gene doping in 2021. In a typical year, LGC carries out analysis on over 50,000 equine and canine samples and has an ongoing commitment to investing in new technology, with contractual requirements to share with the IHRB the outputs of new methods of testing and research as well.

LGC is one of five IFHA-certified laboratories, enabling the IHRB to continually benefit from data and intelligence shared between the best racing laboratories in the world. An extensive programme of ongoing technical work to evidence performance is required to maintain this certification. LGC's reputation in anabolic steroid and hair analysis is recognised globally. In LGC, the IHRB has access to the most pioneering laboratory in the world in these two areas, as well as meeting the highest standards, along with the other laboratories, in the context of analysis of samples for other prohibited substances.

In carrying out its equine anti-doping programme, the IHRB applies a risk analysis and intelligence-based strategy to its selection of premises and horses for testing. In the six months since the start of the year, the IHRB has inspected 33 premises, testing at 18 of these, seven of which were unlicensed. The unlicensed yards included studs, pre-training yards and sales consignors' premises. We also tested at the recent barrier trials.Prior to the appointment of the 12 IHRB officials as authorised officers, it would not have been possible to access and test at the unlicensed premises.

The IHRB has unique anti-doping powers that are unparalleled in any other jurisdiction.

The appointment of IHRB officials as authorised officers is a game changer as it enables those officials to access any thoroughbred at any time, in any place, without notice.

We continue to work with LGC, one of the leading laboratories in the world, which is a pioneer in the analysis of hair samples. We have a top-class anti-doping team, headed up by Dr. Lynn Hillyer, and while we continue to evidence that there is no systematic attempt to cheat through doping in Irish racing, we will continue, with the assistance of the industry and those outside, to effectively detect, disrupt and deter such behaviour. It will not be tolerated. We will continue to seek it out and where discovered, we will take all actions within our power to combat it without fear or favour.

I thank the Chairman and committee members.