DENIS Egan has been chief executive of the IHRB for 20 years. An enthusiasm for the sport had prompted the chartered accountant to apply for a job as financial controller of what was then the Turf Club in 1995, but it isn’t just racing that gets his blood flowing.
GAA, music and golf stimulate a torrent of conversation once an hour and a half of discussing doping, welfare, Covid-19, racing weights, the whip, governance, his wages and more has been passed.
Offaly’s All-Ireland U20 football success the previous day has him glowing but he gets even more animated talking about music. A DJ in his college days, he admits to listening to “anything from Pavarotti to Aerosmith”, guffawing at the famed tenor’s collaboration with the Spice Girls and admitting to a tendency to disappear down a variety of Spotify rabbit holes.
The frustration of walking onto a green buoyant after a laser-like wedge shot, only to leave crestfallen, having missed another four-footer weighs heavily upon him, however. Thank God for playlists.
It has been a testing two-year period beyond the putting, and Covid-19 wasn’t the worst of it. The upshot is that Egan, who will be 61 next month, posits that there will be changes in some areas that prompted commentary and questioning.
Regardless of what the specifics may be, they will occur under someone else’s watch as he takes early retirement on September 30th.
What was the background to the decision?
I have been here for 26 years. I have been CEO for 20 years. The opportunity came to take early retirement. I think I am young enough to be able to do something else and it gives me an opportunity to do that.
The IHRB as it is now, has come a long way from where it was 20 years ago. And will continue to evolve and develop into the future to meet the needs that are there. I think the time is right to pass on the baton to somebody else to take it to the next level.
I hope to continue in racing. It may not be here in Ireland but hopefully there will be a role for me somewhere.
I’m not looking for a full-time role but there is certainly consultancy work and there are a few areas that I am looking at which I hope to be able to develop and do something with.
What are you most proud of since becoming CEO in 2001?
I joined in 1995 and unfortunately two years later, we had a very serious accident on the racecourse when Shane Broderick suffered a life-changing injury. A fundraising venture was set up for Shane called, A Drive to a Million.
And the idea at the time was that if they got to a £1 million that would keep Shane going for the rest of his life. They actually raised £1.6 million but it didn’t because of the costs involved.
But following on from that the Jockeys’ Emergency Fund was set up a year later. And I think this is probably one of the best racing charities in the world in the sense that it’s financed by a levy on prize money.
And if any rider suffers an injury which is life-changing, where they require 24-hour-a-day care, there is a funding in place to look after them for the rest of their lives.
In 2003, we set up the Safety Review Group, unfortunately, following on from the deaths on the racecourse of Kieran Kelly and Sean Cleary within 12 weeks of each other in August and October. And I think that has been fundamental to changes in Irish racing for the better.
We set up a number of research projects to improve safety. And these have evolved into improving jockeys’ health, safety and welfare.
We are working with Waterford IT at the moment and there have been quite a number of doctorates out of the research work. It is an area where we are a world leader. Adrian McGoldrick was a pioneer of the research at the time, he is still involved. Jennifer Pugh has taken over and it has been hugely successful, with the cooperation of the jockeys.
In 2013, there was a challenge to the constitutionality of the rules of racing, which we won in the Supreme Court. That would have had huge implications for the sport, if the rules of racing had been found to be unconstitutional. So I’m particularly proud of that.
In 2018, the Turf Club and the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee transitioned into the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board which is a company limited by guarantee. And that has been operating for the last three and a half years.
The Covid protocols which were introduced which got racing back before any other sport in 2020, again, through the great efforts of Jennifer. The protocols have been so good that they have been copied by other sports as a base for getting their own sports back in action. And then this year, the appointment of IHRB officials as authorised officers with legal powers to enter any unlicensed premises has been huge.
With jockey welfare in mind, where are you on racing weights?
Our researchers, together with John Moores University in Liverpool, are doing work on the weight structures in racing.
Once we have the work completed, we will approach the IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) and the relevant authorities to propose an increase in the weight structures.
Mental health has become a bigger and bigger issue for jockeys in racing. There is lots of angles to mental health. There is obviously the social media aspect, but there is also the day-to-day job that they do.
More racing authorities now realise that mental health is an issue and they are putting supports in place. In Ireland, through the Jockeys’ Pathway, the jockeys have access to Dr Ciara Losty at any time they want. And certainly her services are in demand.
Overall, we need the supports to be in place for everybody in racing, that if they have a problem they can confidentially go and get help.
Only having 500 at the racetracks is very unfair. Is racing admin pushing hard enough?
I think Horse Racing Ireland has done a tremendous job. They have been in constant touch with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on this, with various government departments.
There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Other sports maybe are doing their talking through the media but I know HRI, in conjunction with Jennifer, are doing lots of work.
It is really a matter for the government. They don’t have an easy job with regard to trying to satisfy everybody. We have worked with them to get crowds back. We have the owners back which is positive.
I think the government are reviewing the possibility of increasing numbers for Listowel and also for Champions Weekend. And whatever decision the government makes, we will be bound by it because they are best placed to make that decision.
What has been the biggest challenge of the last couple of years?
Covid has been challenging but I think what has been the most difficult for us is the whole issue of drugs in racing, and the belief out there among some people that we are not doing our work in that area, when nothing could be further from the truth.
There was a myth out there that we are taking samples, not all being tested and that we are not prosecuting some positives. None of which is the case. Never has been. I have been here 20 years and that has never ever happened. All samples taken are tested. And all positive results are prosecuted
Jim Bolger got the discussion started by raising the topic with me in these pages last October. Do you accept he has genuine concerns or think he’s being mischievous?
I am sure he has genuine concerns. There is no reason for him to be mischievous in any way. In fairness to him, he wants the industry competing on a level playing pitch. We have no reason to believe it is not a level playing pitch. But if there is any information out there on the use of illegal substances, we will follow it up and deal with it.
With the change of lab to LGC in 2018 that brought about an immediate spike in positive tests, the introduction of hair testing last year, the 12 authorised officers getting their warrant cards in May and the commitment to increased levels of testing in and out of competition for the next year and beyond, it seems a far more robust system now than it was not so very long ago.
We now have access to the best state-of-the-art technology and expertise at one of only five IFHA-Certified labs in the world.
And obviously they have a huge amount of expertise as they test 50,000 samples a year, both equine and canine, as opposed to around 6,000 samples that will be generated in Ireland this year.
Do you keep old samples?
We do. They keep samples.
Given the improvement in expertise, technology and knowledge, would it not be worth going back to retest some of them, particularly where information was received and testing hadn’t unearthed anything in the past?
The testing systems are getting better every day but they probably have to be because the threat is getting bigger every day. So there is the opportunity of retesting samples. Yes, we can certainly do that.
What are your observations were on the US doping scandal, that it was as a result of an FBI investigation and has been admitted to, despite there being no positive tests?
Reading some of the elements it truly was horrific what was going on. Dr Lynn Hillyer has said many times in the past that there are various strands to anti-doping and to getting it right. Intelligence is so important and that is why as an organisation, we always encourage anyone with any intelligence to contact the IHRB or alternatively they can contact the Gardaí or DAFM if they so wish.
There is a perception of a conflict of interest in the IHRB boardroom, a view of the board as a gentleman’s club, benefiting from the boat not being rocked. Is there value in the anti-doping unit being completely independent of the IHRB, just to remove that perception?
What I would say in very general terms is that if there is anything the IHRB can do for the betterment of Irish racing, be it board level, be it operational level, it will be considered. And certainly our board are considering the issues of independence which arose at the Joint Oireachtas Committee. I have no doubt that they will deal with the issues in the context of what’s best for Irish racing.
Our board are only involved in policy. They are not involved in anything to do with day-to-day decisions that are taken with regard to prosecutions or anything like that. That is an executive decision. We have got very strict conflict of interest policies in place both at board level and on the racecourse. And we also have codes of conduct.
If any issue arises at the board where one of the directors has a conflict of interest they will stand out, in the same way as a steward will stand out on the racecourse if there is a conflict of interest.
I think it is important that people who were involved in the governance of racing have some understanding of racing. And one of the points that came up in the Oireachtas, is that the Turf Club and National Hunt Committee are elitist. It is now the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board; the Clubs still stand on their own.
But I believe it is important that anybody who becomes a member of either body, who may ultimately become a race-day steward, has some knowledge of racing, for the simple reason that they are going to be acting as referees on the racecourse.
And the other point I’d make as well and it gets missed time and time again. None of the members or board members gets paid. They do everything on a voluntary basis. They don’t even get expenses. They have a huge commitment to the sport and will always give their time freely for the good of the sport.
So you are saying that no one would ever have a whisper in the ear?
Absolutely not. I have worked under probably eight or nine different senior stewards. For the last three years I have been working under the chairman of the IHRB. And there is no issue with regard to their independence. They will stand back if necessary.
Paul Kimmage wrote an article in the Sunday Independent and referred to a number of cases where he said information of nefarious activity was not followed up on.
Any information received is assessed and acted upon by the relevant department in the IHRB.
It is very important that we know where horses are at all points in time
How do you look back on the Gordon Elliott case?
It was a difficult situation for Gordon, it was a difficult situation for us. We had a job to do, we did it. I think the outcome was fair.
I think Gordon made a huge mistake, he’s acknowledged he has made a mistake. I have no doubt he will move on from it.
But the one point we have made consistently is that we had been in Gordon’s on 12 occasions prior to the actual hearing. And there was never an issue in his yard with welfare.
Were you peeved with the BHA’s pre-emptive action?
No comment.
Charles Byrnes was suspended out of the Viking Hoard case but you were unable to take it all the way home.
There were areas of frustration. We didn’t find out who administered the substance to the horse which was unfortunate.
I think the main thing is the stewards on the day in Tramore had the foresight to actually say this doesn’t look right.
And that would have been before they had betting information. And they got the horse sampled and I think they deserve great credit for that.
Did you get the Garda Síochána involved, given the betting activity?
If we feel that any investigation requires Garda involvement we will certainly do it. We have got a good relationship with them. If they are investigating any matter, we generally stand back until they complete their investigations. And if we come across anything that requires Garda assistance, we pass all the relevant information over to them.
We have got a very good relationship with the Department of Agriculture. We will always involve them if we need support on anti-doping or welfare issues.
We have no evidence there was criminal involvement with Viking Hoard. It was a criminal offence but the difficulty was we got so far with the betting but we weren’t able to go the whole way. And we went as far as we could with the case based on the evidence that we had.
Betfair has now closed down the ability of third parties to bet into them in situations like Viking Hoard as a result.
Trainer Steve Mahon appealed his four-year ban for a second welfare offence. It was the biggest ban ever handed out by the IHRB but people were appalled that he would be allowed to continue working with horses after that initial judgement.
I can’t comment on that as the matter is under appeal and a decision is awaited.
Rather than rail about Panorama’s obvious agenda, and we all know the practices in the abattoir were horrific, racing needs to address the traceability issue.
Horse Racing Ireland are working very closely with the department on this but one of the things I think, as an industry, we need to pay greater attention to, is what happens to horses after their racing career is over.
And that they are treated in the best possible way, whatever that is. They deserve absolute respect because they bring so much joy to everybody involved in the sport and it’s the least the sport can do.
Traceability is something even from an anti-doping front that we we’re looking for. As it came out of the Oireachtas, one of the best tracing systems in the world is in Irish cattle.
So if we can put a similar system in place for horses it would be hugely helpful to us. It is very important that we know where horses are at all points in time, so that if we want to access them for anti-doping, similar to human anti-doping, we know their whereabouts. I think there is momentum there now to make it happen.
The complaints of stewarding inconsistencies continue, and with that, calls for professional stewarding.
We are happy with stewarding at the moment. Having said that we always have to be conscious of how it can be improved. The way I do my job can be improved. And the day we think it can’t be improved is the day we are in trouble. But generally speaking the standard of stewarding is good.
We monitor all decisions and if we are not happy with a penalty they impose, we have the power to appeal a lenient sanction. The stewards undertake training on an annual basis and all stewards appointed now have to have undertaken the trainee stewards’ scheme. One of the best things about the stewarding structure that is in place at the moment as opposed to professional stewards, is that no one will never end up in front of the same panel of stewards. The panels are different every day.
Will we ever see whipless racing in Ireland?
No, I can’t see whipless racing in Ireland for the foreseeable future. I could possibly see the number of strikes being reduced but I can’t see whipless racing, certainly in the short to medium term.
The non-publication of your salary as CEO has come up for discussion.
The IHRB applied to the department in November 2020 and were granted a derogation that it didn’t have to be published. This is similar to derogations that have been granted to other similar bodies.
The department has all the information, it is not that it is being hidden or anything like that. Again, it is a point that came up in the Oireachtas and it is something that directors will look at for the future.
Is there a need for two highly paid CEOs to run racing, with HRI and the IHRB?
We have got a different role than Horse Racing Ireland. Their job is promotion and governance in respect of their functions. Our job is regulation and licensing. And having regulation and promotion in the same basket is not ideal because sometimes they can be conflicting.
If the Joint Committee makes recommendations for change, how will the IHRB respond?
If the Department of Agriculture makes suggestions to us, they will be taken very seriously. We all want to do what’s right and we certainly consider and take seriously any recommendations that are made.
What was the most difficult case in your time?
The challenge to the rules of racing. That was absolutely huge. There were five or six different challenges but one of the ones was that we didn’t have the power to make the rules of racing. There was a High Court decision which went in our favour, which was appealed to the Supreme Court.
And we were literally waiting for a Supreme Court decision, with racing that afternoon. That was absolutely the most difficult one by a long way.
What advice would you have for your successor?
My advice is, it is very important to understand the role, understand what we do, how we do it and why we do it. We have very lucky to have great staff both on and off the racecourse.
In any sport it is easy to knock the regulator and the referee, but I see every day the dedication of the staff and members and the often tireless work that goes on behind the scenes that nobody knows about.
They are the organisation’s greatest asset and the next person coming in will be very fortunate to have such a great team.