Nibiru Medication Case Exposes Oversight Failures in Irish Horse Racing

The Irish racing community has been confronted with troubling questions following a doping case involving Nibiru, a horse trained by Cathy O'Leary that tested positive for prohibited substances after winning a claiming race at Dundalk in October 2024.

The case has sparked debate about veterinary practices, withdrawal times, and oversight in Irish racing, particularly given the connections to trainer Tony Martin, who was serving a suspension at the time.

'Off Form' Horse Lands Gamble After Medical Intervention

Speaking on irishracing.com's Irish Angle show this week, editor Vincent Finegan commented on the timing of the horse's declaration: "Two days beforehand, the trainer says the horse is off form. That's the very time she declared that horse to run in Dundalk. So why would you declare a horse that you think is not well is the bottom line."

"The previous case that Tony Martin was suspended for, which is the reason he wasn't training this horse on that day, is for a horse called Firstman a year earlier. That horse got three injections the day before it won in Dundalk."

"We're constantly told there's no drugs in racing, they'll tell you constantly these horses are in five-star hotel accommodation. It seems to be more like nursing homes they're in really with the amount of medication they're getting."

Vet Advised 48 Hours - Withdrawal Time Was 5 Days

Racing journalist and broadcaster Johnny Ward added:

"I find it absolutely extraordinary that according to her [O'Leary] evidence two days before the horse went on to land a gamble in a claimer at Dundalk, she sought medical advice to help Nibiru get through the race as he appeared to be off form."

"The vet examined Nibiru. He found the horse was sore in his right hind and sore when flexing the fetlock. And he stated that what he administered... intravenously advised the trainer that 48 hours was a sufficient withdrawal time due to the low levels he administered but it wasn't, it was 5 days basically."

"If a horse is off form and you're looking for medical advice for him to be in a position to land a gamble two days later. I just find that absolutely mad stuff."

"If you laid the horse on the day, you laid a gamble that won that really shouldn't have won."

'Hard to Have Sympathy'

Vincent Finegan on accountability: "The thing when you come back to this as well is - there's no sanction against the vet who makes those decisions. He said 20 or 48 hours instead of 5 days. It just seems extraordinary that the vet can literally walk away here and carry on practicing."

Emma Nagle, who works in a racing yard said: "It'd be unusual to declare a horse for a race when you thought they were off form and especially when the [stable] has had similar situations in the past, you think they'd be more cautious."

"It's hard to have an awful lot of sympathy when the withdrawal times published by the IHRB are fairly clear."

Watch The Irish Angle in Full

Or Listen on Spotify