Tramore case opens a can of worms and raises more questions than answers

At a time when the Irish racing and bloodstock sector is fighting a barrage of external threats from the double-barrelled bludgeon of Brexit and Covid-19, it could have done without an insider scandal to eat away at the sport’s reputational integrity.

After Jim Bolger’s incendiary comments at the end of last year, something as explosive as a nobbling controversy will fan the flames that have engulfed the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board for a while longer.

In the context of Bolger’s concerns, which appear to be rooted in performance-enhancing substances, the ACP saga surrounding Viking Hoard at Tramore is probably a bit of a red herring. And as a certain America rapper might put it, Irish racing has 99 problems when it comes to horses not running on their merits, but you’d like to think that tranquilised horses isn’t one of them.