The British Horseracing Authority has issued an unapologetic defence of its policy of taking pre-race blood samples from horses, following a complaint by the trainer Jessica Harrington
Racing’s ruling body has issued an unapologetic defence of its policy of taking pre-race blood samples from horses, following a complaint by the trainer Jessica Harrington. After her Millisle was narrowly beaten in a Group Three race at Salisbury last week, Harrington used her column in the Irish Field to complain that a vet with the British Horseracing Authority had taken a blood sample just 35 minutes before the race.
The County Kildare trainer, who has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Irish Grand National as well as top-class races on the Flat, said the vet’s intervention was “very disappointing” and suggested it may have affected the outcome. Having consulted her own vet, Harrington said that taking a sample “could raise a horse’s blood pressure, contract the spleen and/or provide an adrenaline rush, all of which you don’t want happening just over half an hour before a Group Three.
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