THE Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has defended its decision to withdraw Petrol Head from Thursday’s Guinness Galway Hurdle just hours before the race, in what was an unprecedented move by the racing authority.

Trained by Katy Brown in Co Kildare, Petrol Head was a heavily-backed favourite for the feature race, following an impressive recent win at Bellewstown.

However, on Thursday morning the IHRB received confirmation from a Newmarket laboratory that the horse had tested positive for a prohibited substance at Bellewstown and a decision was made to prevent the horse from running at Galway, apparently to protect the integrity of the sport.

Brown claims she is being unfairly treated by the IHRB, most likely because Petrol Head was previously owned and trained by Ronan McNally, who is currently serving an eight-year suspension for serious breaches of racing rules by deliberately not running horses on their merits to deceive the handicapper and the betting public.

Speaking to Racing TV at Galway, IHRB chief executive Darragh O’Loughlin said: “This is a horse that won at Bellewstown a small number of weeks ago. Ran well, won well. Samples were taken from it, as they are from every winner of every race. And in this case, we got notification that there was a screening finding, which is an indicative finding that there was a prohibited substance in the sample.

“We started an investigation at that stage, and just this morning, at 11 o’clock, we got confirmation that there absolutely was a prohibited substance found in the sample taken from the horse on that day. There’s a rule that specifically provides for that, Rule 21, and in circumstances where a horse holds entries but a sample has shown signs or presence of a prohibited substance, it is open to the IHRB to prevent that horse from running in any race until the Referrals Committee has made its findings.”

Asked if the horse’s background influenced the decision to withdraw Petrol Head from the Galway Hurdle, O’Loughlin said: “It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, but it is very important for us to maintain the integrity of horse racing; that when we come into information, we act on that information. We make decisions based on the information that we have. However colourful or interesting the back story of the horse might be, it’s actually not a factor in a decision like this.

“Was there a prohibited substance present in the sample? Yes, there was. This is a high-profile race. It’s an important race for all of racing in Ireland and, as such, we have to do what’s right for horse racing. We applied the rules as they are written. We do it in an even-handed fashion. We only got the information quite late in the day, so it all seems a bit hurried, but there’s a methodical approach to this. And when we get the information, we make the decision and we take the action beyond today.

“In this particular case, we have to conclude the investigation, and then all the evidence will be presented as appropriate to a Referrals Committee. How they work is they consider the evidence in front of them, they take evidence, and then they make a decision based on that, and if it’s appropriate, they’ll apply a sanction at that time.”

At the time of the withdrawal, the IHRB issued a statement which said: “The IHRB will not be commenting any further on the matter until the disciplinary process is complete.”

However, Brown did speak to The Irish Times and she alleged that the IHRB had harassed her and her staff in the lead-up to the race.

“I’ve had a nightmare of a week with the IHRB,” she said. “They’ve been chasing me around the country. They’ve been harassing my staff.”

She added: “They never told me until 12 o’clock that the horse couldn’t run, and basically all that showed up in that horse’s sample was clenbuterol, which is a syrup. It actually showed up in a hair sample, not in the urine. My opinion is they’re only like this because of the horse’s previous owner and trainer. That horse has a profile. I’m not an eejit. I know rumours going around and whatever. That horse is always going to have a profile. I was lucky enough to get to train him but I just feel, because of who used to own and train him, I’m getting the backlash of it.”

In early 2023 the IHRB flagged to trainers that there is an international move among racing authorities to introduce more specific restrictions around the use of clenbuterol on racehorses.

A prohibited substance on racedays, clenbuterol is used in equine practice to manage lower respiratory disease by widening the airways and so facilitating airflow.

A ready winner of his only two starts this year after a 708-day layoff, Petrol Head had been as big as 16/1 overnight for the Galway Hurdle before shortening up to as tight as 9/2 favourite prior to his withdrawal.

The positive test relates to his €50,000 Bia Energy Bellewstown Handicap Hurdle, though it is not the first time this horse has hit the headlines in relation to an IHRB investigation.

Petrol Head featured in Ronan McNally’s high-profile case with the regulators, having been disqualified for several runs due to concealment of ownership, when listed as being trained by David Dunne in 2020 and 2021.