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An Irish greyhound trainer has been cautioned in the UK and fined £300 after prohibited substance meloxicam was detected in a greyhound.

At a meeting on 17 October 2023, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s Disciplinary Committee heard that "a urine sample taken from the greyhound Ballymac Seanie at Towcester Stadium on 20 May 2023 was analysed by LGC Health Sciences as containing the presence of meloxicam" and that professional trainer Liam Dowling "had in his charge a greyhound that showed the presence of a substance that by its nature could affect the performance of the greyhound or prejudice its wellbeing".

He was found to be in breach of Rules 174(i)(b), 152(i) and 217 of the GBGB Rules of Racing.

A previous local inquiry held on 10 June 2023 recorded that "Mr Dowling is an Irish trainer who on 20 May 2023 came over and entered Ballymac Seanie for a trial at Towcester Stadium in preparation for the English Derby intending to be an international entry." That inquiry heard that Ballymac Seanie had dislocated a toe on 13 May 2023 and was seen by a vet on 15 May 2023 when he was treated and an injection of meloxicam was given. 

A report in the GBGB Calendar publication (10 November 2023) outlines that "Mr Dowling asked [vet] Dr Hill how long the withdrawal period would be as the dog was being prepared for the English Derby and Dr Hill informed Mr Dowling that the withdrawal period would be 72 hours."

"Ballymac Seanie was taken to the vet again a couple of days later (on or about 17 May) and declared fit," the report continues. "In fact Ballymac Seanie dislocated his toe again in the trial and was not entered for the English Derby."

The Disciplinary Committee heard evidence from Independent Scientific Adviser Professor Tim Morris that meloxicam is available as a veterinary medicine and is in the class of drugs known as Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) which relieve pain, reduce fever and reduce inflammation and that "all NSAIDs have the potential to induce adverse reactions, some of which can be life threatening". 

It also heard that "there is no evidence that meloxicam itself could directly affect the performance of a greyhound but the alleviation of symptoms by meloxicam could have an indirect effect on performance by mitigating the adverse effects of pain or inflammation."

"Given the level of meloxicam found Professor Morris thought it likely that a clinical dose of meloxicam had been administered on or about 17 May," the Disciplinary Committee report continued. "Mr Dowling said that he was not aware of any meloxicam being given, other than the dose on 13 May, but could not exclude the possibility that a second dose had been given by Dr Hill or one of his staff on the second visit around 17 May. Notwithstanding the advice from Dr Hill, the guidance from GBGB is clear and is that a dog should not be raced or trialled within 30 days of being treated with meloxicam. If racing in the UK, it was the duty of an overseas trainer to follow UK guidelines." 

"The Disciplinary Committee decided that on the evidence available, the presence of meloxicam derived from the injection on 15 May or a later application around 17 May, although there was no evidence as to who was responsible or that Mr Dowling was aware of this second application. Mr Dowling’s evidence was that he was not aware. Either application would have been given within seven days before the trial on 20th May. In analysing the alleged breaches the committee did not decide that rule 174(i)(a) had been breached. While meloxicam had been administered with the approval of Mr Dowling, the Committee did not consider that there was a breach when the prohibited substance had been administered by a vet. On the other hand rule 174(i) (b) provided for strict liability if a prohibited substance were found in the greyhound with only limited exceptions, and the Committee did consider this rule to have been breached. Rule 217 had been breached in its terms first by the finding of meloxicam and secondly by the administration of meloxicam whether on the 15 or 17 May in that Ballymac Seanie had been entered for trial within seven days of meloxicam being administered. There was also a breach of the GBGB guideline that a dog should not be raced or trialled within 30 days of the administration of meloxicam."

In considering a sanction, the committee noted that "the screening level for meloxicam in Ireland was such that a normal application would not exceed the screening level and Mr Dowling might not have expected any difficulty" but that they "considered that Mr Dowling had been over casual in his research on British requirements".

The Committee "ordered a caution and penalty of £300 in respect of all breaches".

Read the full Disciplinary Committee report at
https://gbgb-prod-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/10080849/Calendar-10-November-2023-Vol-15-No-23.pdf#page=7
 
The Greyhound Racing Ireland website shows that Ballymac Seanie is owned and trained by Liam Dowling. The dog was born on 16 September 2021 and has been entered into 13 races in Ireland since 4 March 2023 at Limerick, Curraheen Park (Cork) and Shelbourne Park tracks. He has also been trialled at Tralee track. He was most recently used in racing at Shelbourne Park on 2 December 2023.

Liam Dowling has 5,683 Recorded Race Entries, including 364 in 2023. He has 1,389 Recorded Winners, including 92 in 2023.