Trainer Ger Lyons at his Glenburnie Stables© Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Ger Lyons has given his backing to Jim Bolger and his Sunday Independent article with journalist Paul Kimmage, criticising the IHRB for an apparent lack of action but adding he himself has merely heard rumours and innuendos regarding possible doping in the sport.
Speaking on Newstalk's Off the ball with presenter Joe Molloy yesterday evening, Ger Lyons mentioned “when Jim won the English and Irish Guineas recently, I texted him joking asking him had he gone to the dark side, found the magic dust. It is in jest but I guarantee you I am in the Jim Bolger camp and back him 100%.
“I trust him, I respect him and while I don't agree with everything he does, I would tell him I don't agree.
“I'm a huge fan of Jim Bolger's, I have huge respect for him and would say I would agree with 90% of what he says. It is worrying when someone of that stature comes out and says what he said.
“I'm licensed by the IHRB but have no faith in the IHRB if one of our top trainers of the last 40/50 years has come out and said that. They should have been down on his doorstep, not twice, they should have been in with him, and lived with him until they sorted this out. It shouldn't be for Jim to go to Paul Kimmage to chase this up - do the authorities want this put to bed properly?”
“Jim brought this up last October and my take is what have the authorities done since? If they hoped it would just go away, shame on them. In summary it's down to the police — our police need to be doing their job, if they're not, then we need to get new police.”
In contrast to breeder/owner/trainer Bolger, Lyons has trained for a wide variety of owners, many internationally based, and in 2020 won Irish Classics with the late Khalid Abdullah-owned Siskin (2,000 Guineas) and Coolmore's Even So (Oaks).
He added “look at what Bob Baffert has done in America — he has single handedly destroyed our faith in that sport over there, with 37/38 infractions. That wouldn't be fair if I was lining up against him every day of the week, you'd stand up and say something. You can't just stand out here and name names unless you have proof, otherwise you'd be in the High Court but it shouldn't be my job or Jim's job to do that.”
Regarding his own experiences, he said “I'm for zero tolerance in the sport and the only thing that gets me up in the morning is believing that there is zero tolerance in the sport. That would be naive to think that everybody is clean — in every walk of life there will be bad people who want to get an edge and I'm sure there is in our sport.
“I couldn't and don't know anyone who does (cheat), I've my head in the sand a little and don't go racing since Covid. I have my own life to live and don't want to be in turmoil worrying about everyone else.
“But when somebody as much as I respect as Jim Bolger says this, I'm worried. But I'm more worried that the authorities aren't listening to him and haven't done anything since October.”
“If somebody of Jim's stature comes out, he must be listened to, not by me or you but by the authorities. It is up to the authorities to prove him right or wrong, that's their job.”
