Top trainer Jim Bolger will be invited to appear before an Oireachtas committee investigating claims of doping in horse racing.
Bolger stated his belief that "there will be a Lance Armstrong in Irish racing" in a recent interview with Paul Kimmage in the Sunday Independent.
The 2000 Guineas winning trainer also questioned the standards of anti-doping testing in racing. The IHRB insist that they maintain “the highest standards of integrity within Irish racing” and have a “zero-tolerance approach to doping”.
Agriculture Committee chairman Jackie Cahill says Bolger's comments are causing "serious reputational damage" to the industry and has called for the claims to now be "substantiated or put to bed".
The Tipperary Fianna Fail TD added that he says it's "hugely important" that the Oireachtas Committee probe the claims in order to preserve Ireland's reputation in racing.
"We're seen as the world leaders in horse racing. For a small country our success is phenomenal.
"We really punch above our weight and for a lead trainer, Jim Bolger, to say that there would be a Lance Armstrong incident in Irish racing is extremely serious. It just can't be ignored it must be dealt with."
