RMTC Suspends Accreditation of UK Laboratory

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

This follows news last week that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) have 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 last week.

According to Stanley, he stepped down as the UK Lab's director at the beginning of March and has been reassigned within the university. Blood-Horse reported that he had been “removed” from the position.

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.

When asked what specific developments had prompted the RMTC to take this action, Hardy pointed to the RMTC's laboratory code of standards, section 2.4.9.2.

The document outlines 10 possible considerations that may prompt the RMTC to suspend its accreditation of a laboratory:

  • Accreditation suspensions by international lab oversight bodies.
  • Failure to take appropriate corrective action after unsatisfactory performance either in routine Analytical Testing or in proficiency testing.
  • Failure to comply with any of the requirements or standards listed in an international laboratory accreditation cooperation document.
  • Failure to cooperate with the RMTC or the relevant State Horse Racing Authority in providing requested documentation.
  • Lack of compliance with the RMTC Laboratory Code of Ethics.
  • Major changes in key staff without proper and timely notification to RMTC.
  • Failure to cooperate in any RMTC enquiry in relation to the activities of the Laboratory.
  • Non-compliances identified from laboratory on-site assessments.
  • Loss of financial and administrative support jeopardizing the quality and/or viability of the Laboratory.
  • Material breach of contractual obligation to a State Horse Racing Authority.

Hardy declined to elaborate on the nature and severity of the issues identified by the RMTC with operations at the UK Lab. Hardy wrote, however, that “the Horserace Testing Laboratory Committee (HTLC) will, upon receipt, review the laboratory's response and associated corrective actions. Accreditation will not be restored until the laboratory is in full compliance with the Code.”

According to the RMTC's code of standards, the “period and terms” of the suspension shall be proportionate to the “seriousness of the non-compliance(s) or lack of performance and the need to ensure accurate and reliable drug testing of Horses.”

The RMTC can suspend accreditation for a period of up to six months, according to the code of standards, during which time any problems must be “corrected, documented and reported” to the RMTC at least six weeks before the end of the suspension period.

“Delay in submitting the proper corrective actions may lead to an extension of the Suspension period,” the code of standards explains. If the problems are not rectified, laboratory accreditation will be revoked, the document states, “unless an extension, not to exceed two (2) months, is granted by the RMTC.”

In a brief phone interview with the TDN, Hardy added that the RMTC has been “very pleased with the response and communication with executive staff at the University of Kentucky regarding the laboratory and have been assured that they are proactively seeking to redeem those requirements.”

Since Feb. 16, all samples collected in Kentucky and Florida that previously would have been analyzed by the UK Lab have been redirected to Industrial Laboratories in Colorado.

The TDN has reached out to the University of Kentucky for comment. The story will be updated as necessary.

According to a HIWU spokesperson, both agencies were “not party” to the RMTC's decision to suspend its accreditation of the UK Lab.

“Pending implementation of the HISA Equine Analytical Laboratory (HEAL) accreditation standards, a laboratory must be accredited by the RMTC to be eligible for consideration as one of the ADMC Program labs,” the HIWU spokesperson wrote.

Lab accreditation is only one prong of the RMTC, which is also involved in the research, education and advocacy of horse racing's anti-doping and medication control programs.

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Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit to be Held at UK

The 11th Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit will be held June 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Longship Room at Kroger Field on the campus of the University of Kentucky. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be co-hosted by the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and The Jockey Club.

Annise Montplaisir, equine education coordinator of the Kentucky Equine Education Project Foundation and president of Amplify Horse Racing, will emcee the event, which will be livestreamed.

Topics for the summit include a presentation by Dr. Tim Parkin on the latest statistics from the Equine Injury Database, work being done by state veterinarians, harmonizing pre-race inspections, track surfaces, and other issues affecting horse safety.

“Keeneland has always been a great host. When its construction coincided with this year's summit, Dr. Nancy Cox, dean of the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, immediately stepped up to host the summit,” said Jamie Haydon, president of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and deputy executive director of The Jockey Club. “Dr. Cox and UK have been great partners with The Jockey Club and Grayson on multiple projects, and we look forward to working with them on our 2024 summit. I am certain they will be an excellent host.”

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Investigators Tradecraft Displayed On Day One At Parx Conference

With a strong first day program which ran the gambit from the centrality of horse racing's societal license to the destructive use of xylazine to an update from the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, horse racing investigators at the annual Organization of Racing Investigators were immersed in some of the most pressing issues affecting the sport.

Hosted by Parx Racing and sponsored by everyone from Keeneland to the Breeders' Cup, over 100 specialists who protect racetracks in America and several other countries, listened, asked questions and made connections, all in the service of equine athletes.

As one investigator said about why he was in attendance, “We are here to protect those who cannot protect themselves and being in a room with like-minded individuals on our 24/7 mission is how we stay ahead.”

Each year conference participants swap tradecraft and those conversations lead to communication which crosses jurisdictions. It is a network behind the scenes, and that is why industry afficionados and the public do not necessarily have the opportunity to see the machinery at work.

“What we talk about here isn't secret, but our members need to have a degree of anonymity as they liaise with various groups of law enforcement, and that is one of the reasons why we don't open this conference to just anyone,” said this year's conference chairman Jason Klouser.

The morning sessions included several case studies about a variety of topics including horse welfare and how investigations have yielded important results. Members of the FBI's Philadelphia Office presented how xylazine used to sedate horses can enter the drug trade on the street illegally.

A highlight was the University of Kentucky's Dr. Camie Heleski, who spoke about the need for all horse sports to improve their optics by directly addressing its societal license to operate.

In other words, developing categorical areas to focus studies like recognizing physical and emotional stress in horses, what happens to them during the other 23 hours in a day when they are not performing and how tack and equipment can be used differently to improve the overall health of the sport.

HIWU's Shawn Loehr and Shaun Richards | J.N. Campbell

HIWU's Shawn Loehr and Shaun Richards gave an update concerning their investigative operations. The pair now have four investigators on staff, along with a pair of analysts, and they will be adding more soon. Concerning states that do not have a voluntary agreement with HIWU–like New York or Oklahoma–they explained how they have come to rely on independent contractors and that their developing relationship with ORI members continues to be significant to their operations.

“Our mission is to catch doping, protect the horses, serve the Thoroughbred industry, and for instance, our 150 plus barn searches and tip lines continue to yield results,” Loehr said. “ORI is such a valuable resource and being able to talk with them during this conference is essential to our mission.”

During the evening, which shifted venues from the Parx racetrack to the casino, an awards banquet included the TDN's CEO/Publisher Sue Finley, who delivered the keynote over the power of integrity and the precarious position news outlets find themselves in when it comes to coverage of horse racing.

“Some organizations and individuals accuse us of being pro-HISA,” said Finley, speaking about the importance of independent journalism in horse racing. “The only thing we're accused of more? Is being ANTI-HISA. Sometimes, we write an article which generates complaints from some that we are pro-HISA, while others write us and say we're showing an obvious anti-HISA bias. All from the same article.”

The first day activities ended with the awarding of the organization's most prestigious honor which is named for longtime investigator John F. Wayne. The lifetime membership award went to Tampa Bay Downs's Deanna Nicol.

ORI's 28th meeting continues on Tuesday, Mar. 5. Click here to access the schedule.

 

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HISA Review Finds A Multitude of Factors Contributed to Saratoga Fatalities

The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Thursday released the report covering its investigation of the rash of fatalities that occurred during the 2023 Saratoga meet. The report found some factors that may have contributed to the fatalities, while also concluding that there was no link that covered all 14 deaths.

“This report concludes that there are a multitude of risk factors that likely contributed to the fatalities during the 2023 Meet. These findings will drive HISA's data collection, recommended racetrack practices and regulatory scheme going forward.” the report concluded.

HISA examined several factors, including the racetrack surfaces, the potential impact of weather, the veterinary histories of the horses that broke down and the necropsy reports that were done following their deaths, the exercise history of each horse and a review of any potential HISA rule violations that may have contributed to the injuries.

The closest HISA came to pointing a finger at one particular factor was its conclusion that weather may have played a role. It was a particularly wet meet at Saratoga with 11.03 inches of rain coming down during the racing season. In 2022, 7.76 inches of rain fell.

“…the significantly increased rainfall during the 2023 Meet compared to previous years cannot be overlooked and available data suggests that the rainfall could have played a role in the increased risk of fatal injury during the 2023 Meet,” the report read. “HISA is working cooperatively with the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory to collect and analyze additional track surface data to better understand the effects of weather on racetrack maintenance.”

Three of the 11 horses that suffered  fatal musculoskeletal injuries received corticosteroid injections in the affected joint within 30 days of racing. HISA is in the process of trying to change its rules regarding corticosteroids so that they cannot be injected into a horse within 30 days of it racing.

HISA also discovered that there may be red flags associated with horses who undergo an excessive amount of exercise.

“…an analysis of the exercise histories of the deceased horses showed that horses having participated in more frequent high intensity exercise and furlongs were 2.5 times more likely than the control group to be injured.”

The report also found that one of the horses that suffered a fatal injury was on the veterinarians list as unsound at the time of the injury. Two others had previously spent time on the vets list.

Following the report, NYRA Vice President for Communications Pat McKenna issued a statement, which read: “Continuously improving equine safety is a fundamental responsibility shared among racetrack operators, regulators, trainers, breeders and owners. HISA's review of the 2023 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course enhances our understanding of the myriad factors that may contribute to injuries sustained during training or racing.”

“To prevent serious injuries before they happen, NYRA is embracing science and technology to provide veterinarians and trainers with the tools necessary to identify underlying conditions and further reduce the frequency of equine injuries. Beyond the adoption of biometric wearables and artificial intelligence, NYRA is working with the University of Kentucky and Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory to expand our understanding of how weather conditions impact racetrack performance. Ensuring the safety of horses and jockeys competing on the NYRA circuit is our highest priority, and we thank HISA for investing the time and resources to develop an informative review of the 2023 summer meet.”

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