HIWU and HISA Release Investigative Report Regarding University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) released today the results of HIWU’s investigation of the University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (UK-EACL). The full report can be accessed here.
The report details the events leading up to the investigation, including UK-EACL’s persistent delays in reporting results, unprofessional staff behavior, and unresponsiveness to HIWU communications. Ultimately, the catalyst for the commencement of the investigation was the discovery by HIWU of intentional misrepresentations that were made about Sample analysis.
Key findings of the six-month long investigation include:
- UK-EACL’s failure to comply with mandatory testing specifications and instructions, including its standard operating procedures and sample analysis methods.
- UK-EACL misrepresented both its ability to test for specific substances, including erythropoietin (EPO), and the completion of analysis for certain substances on specific Samples.
- At the direction of UK-EACL Director Dr. Scott Stanley, the laboratory failed to perform confirmatory analysis on 91 Samples whose initial screening showed the potential presence of a Prohibited Substance and therefore required follow-up, instead reporting the Samples as Negative.
As a result of these findings, HIWU re-analyzed and reconciled all remaining potentially affected Samples, and HISA has sought repayment from the University of Kentucky for the laboratory’s non-compliant services.
“A key component of HIWU’s mandate is to protect the integrity of Thoroughbred racing and resolve potential deficiencies as soon as possible,” said Ben Mosier, HIWU’s executive director. “Through our decision to investigate UK-EACL and consequent discovery of ongoing deceitful activities, we’re proud to have uncovered and halted these unacceptable practices that were unfair to our horsemen and put horses at risk.”
“HISA’s and HIWU’s actions to uncover these wrongdoings and quickly remedy them is a testament to how the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program is enhancing the integrity of our sport and ensuring fairness in competition,” said HISA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus. “We also thank the University of Kentucky for their partnership and cooperation in the investigation.”
To provide further assurance that the other Program Laboratories are in compliance with the ADMC Program requirements, HIWU has bolstered its Negative Sample Exchange Program and is preparing to implement HISA Equine Analytical Laboratory (HEAL) accreditation on January 1, 2025. HEAL accreditation will include enhanced compliance oversight by HIWU and a more robust Equine Quality Assurance Scheme sample program. Currently, in a transitional phase, lab accreditation is handled by the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium. HISA/HIWU were initially required to utilize the services of UK-EACL under the requirements of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act.
HEAL accreditation will give HIWU a strengthened ability to ensure strict compliance by all Program Laboratories with all ADMC Program requirements.
About the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority
When the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into federal law, it charged the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), HISA is implementing, for the first time, a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. HISA is comprised of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect on July 1, 2022; and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which went into effect on May 22, 2023.
The Racetrack Safety Program includes operational safety rules and national racetrack accreditation standards that seek to enhance equine welfare and minimize equine and jockey injury. The Program expands veterinary oversight, imposes surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhances jockey safety, regulates riding crop use and implements voided claim rules, among other important measures.
The ADMC Program includes a centralized testing and results management process and applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the United States. These rules and enforcement mechanisms are administered by an independent agency ,the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), established by Drug Free Sport International (DFSI).
About the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) was established in 2022 by Drug Free Sport International to administer the rules and enforcement mechanisms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The ADMC Program established a centralized testing and results management process that applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across all American Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions that HISA governs. As the enforcement agency of the ADMC Program, HIWU oversees all testing processes, including the selection of horses to be tested, training of sample collection personnel, and chain of custody procedures. Additionally, HIWU is charged with industry/stakeholder education, laboratory accreditation, results management and adjudication, and investigations. For more information, please visit hiwu.org.
Contact:
Alexa Ravit, HIWU Director of Communications & Outreach
(816) 516-9572
aravit@hiwu.org
Mandy Minger, HISA Director of Communications
(917) 846-8804
mandy.minger@hisaus.org