dr. cynthia cole | Horse Racing Free Tips

Dr. Cynthia Cole has been named the acting laboratory director of the UK Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (EACL), effective March 15, 2024, according to a press release from the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Cole brings over 30 years of experience to the role, with a diverse background spanning academia, industry and research, according to the UK release. Previously, Cole served as an associate clinical professor and director of The Racing Laboratory at the University of Florida from 2002-2006 and again from 2018-2023 when the laboratory closed.

Just last week, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) suspended its accreditation of the University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, according to the RMTC's executive director, Michael Hardy.

That followed news the prior week that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) had opened an investigation into the UK Laboratory's performance, and that the agencies were cooperating with the university's own investigation into the matter.

The university is also conducting an ongoing personnel investigation relating to former lab director Scott Stanley and that “Dr. Stanley was not permitted to be in direct communication with the other staff at the laboratory,” HISA and HIWU wrote in a joint statement two weeks ago.

HIWU stopped sending samples to the UK Lab on Feb. 16. Prior to that, the laboratory had been one of six drug testing facilities used under HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program. According to the RMTC's Hardy, his organization alerted the University of Kentucky to the RMTC's laboratory accreditation suspension on Mar. 11.

Cole was one of the founding faculty members of the KL Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California, Davis (1995-2002). She holds a D.V.M., Ph.D. and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida and is recognized as a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology. Cole has also made significant contributions in her industry roles at Mars Petcare, Novartis Animal Health, IDEXX and Piedmont Pharmaceuticals.

In her role as acting director, Cole will oversee all operations of the laboratory, including reviewing procedures from sample receiving to results and ensuring compliance with all applicable accreditation criteria.

“With the resources, energy and support that UK, the racing industry, elected policymakers and other stakeholders have invested in the Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, it is poised to be an industry leader in forensic drug testing,” said Dr. Cole. “Moving forward, and working with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit and regulators of sport horse competitions, I am confident that we can achieve that vision.”

Leveraging her background in veterinary medicine and pharmacology, Cole will also provide guidance on chemistry and sample analysis to ensure the accuracy and reliability of testing procedures. Additionally, she will supervise daily laboratory activities, offering leadership and support to staff members to maintain the highest standards of performance.

“We warmly welcome Dr. Cole to the college,” said Nancy Cox, vice president of land-grant engagement and dean of Martin-Gatton CAFE. “Her extensive experience and proven leadership will be instrumental in advancing the EACL's history of providing drug testing that meets the highest industry standards. She will also be instrumental in upholding the integrity of the equine industry, advancing the health and welfare of the horse.”

The post UK Hires Dr. Cynthia Cole As Acting Lab Director appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

It was nearly two years ago when former harness horse trainer Ross Cohen was among 27 trainers, veterinarians and others snared in the largest horse doping prosecution in U.S. history.

In a New York courtroom on Wednesday, Jan. 26, Cohen surfaced on the stand as a key government witness against Dr. Seth Fishman – the first of those arrested in the case in March 2020 to go to trial on charges of conspiring to violate adulteration and misbranding laws.

As Fishman observed from the defense table, Cohen testified that when he was training horses at Yonkers Raceway years ago, he purchased performance-enhancing drugs from Lisa Giannelli, who worked as a distributor for Fishman and the veterinarian's Florida-based drug manufacturing business Equestology.

Cohen, 50, of upstate New York, testified he discussed with Fishman a product called “Frozen Pain.”

“He said it takes away pain and stops horses from getting tired in race,” he said. “It had a performance-enhancing effect.”

Cohen testified about another conversation with Fishman in which he complained that Frozen Pain worked great for some horses when they were racing in his stable but not so much other horses.

Cohen said the drug's inconsistency upset him.

“He said it was hard to keep it stable and to get good employees to make it,” the witness testified, referring to Fishman. “He said he was going to stop making it.”

During his testimony Cohen said he agreed to flip in June of 2020. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to testify on behalf of the government in exchange for leniency at sentencing. Prosecutors kept the plea deal under wraps until Wednesday. Prosecutors say Fishman produced performance-enhancing drugs that trainers administered to horses to boost their chances of winning races. They said the doping put racehorses at risk of breakdowns and death. They said Fishman sought to create drugs that couldn't be detected in post-race testing.

As he was questioning Cohen, prosecutor Andrew Adams introduced photos of six of those charged in the case and had the witness identify them. One of the photos was that of former top trainer Jorge Navarro, who has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy. He was sentenced in December to five years in prison.

After Cohen identified Navarro, Adams played for the jury a video of the Navarro-trained sprinter X Y Jet winning the $2.5 million Golden Shaheen (G1) in Dubai in 2019. The video shows an exuberant Navarro celebrating the victory in the paddock.
Adams next had the jury read a text Fishman sent to Navarro and the response he got.

“Congratulation, just saw the race,” Fishman's text read.

“Thank you, boss. You're a big part of it,” Navarro replied.

Cohen admitted to a checkered past when he was a harness trainer. He served suspensions for drugs and had been barred from racing at Monticello raceway and Yonkers. He was eventually allowed to return to Yonkers.

In the plea agreement, Cohen admitted to fixing races.

“I paid drivers for somebody to hold their horses back in races,” he testified.

Maurice Sercarz on cross-examination sought to suggest that Cohen had turned on Fishman to save his own skin.

“Who decides if you're telling the truth?” the lawyer asked.

“I assume the government,” Cohen responded.

The trial's sixth day in U.S. District Court in Manhattan also featured testimony from Dr. Cynthia Cole, director of the racing lab at the University of Florida, where she oversaw drug testing of horses competing at Florida tracks.

Cole was called as expert witness to identify the drugs Fishman was peddling and if they would be performance enhancers if administered to horses when they raced. In her opinion, Fishman's products were PEDs.

During her time on the stand, Cole was asked to comment on a Fishman product called Serenity. She said it appeared to be a sedative.

It was her testimony that it may seem counterintuitive to administer a sedative to a horse before a race but she explained that some horses, especially young horses, can be high-strung.

“The ability to produce a mild sedative that could take the edge off, if you will, could help a horse perform better in a race,” she told the jury.

The trial resumes Jan. 27.

The Thoroughbred industry's leading publications are working together to cover this key trial.

The post Indicted Harness Trainer Who ‘Flipped’ Says He Bought PEDs From Fishman Employee appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post