At a meeting held on Feb. 18, the North American Harness Horse Alliance (NAHHA) endorsed support for a research study into better detection methodologies of performance enhancing drugs and blood doping agents.

The NAHHA joins some of its member associations, along with the United States Trotting Association and the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association to support a research study with the Sports Research & Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) that will seek out legally defensible extraction methodologies for a variety of modified erythropoietin (EPO) biosimilars.

The SMRTL is one of two United States Anti-Doping Agency labs that researches and conducts testing in human sports for the World Anti-Doping Agency. SMRTL will, for the first time, extend its existing specific research on performance enhancing drugs in humans to equines.

The work will be done at the SMRTL lab in Jordan, Utah by Daniel Eichner, (PhD), President of SMRTL, and his associates Geoffrey D. Miller (PhD) and Chad Moore (PhD). This work is promised within three to six months after the first samples are made available for analysis.

“The NAHHA is proud to join the USTA and to do its part to support this important initiative in equine research,” said Renée Mancino on behalf of the NAHHA, which includes California HHA, HHA of Central NY, Florida SBOA, Kentucky HHA, Maine HHA, Maryland HHA, Michigan HHA, Michigan SBOA, Monticello HHA, HHA of New England, Ohio HHA, Ontario HHA, Saratoga HHA, SBOA of NJ, SBOA of NY, Virginia HHA and Western NY HHA.

To read the original announcements from the USTA, Ohio HHA, SBOA of NJ, SOA of NY and Pennsylvania HHA, click here.

(With files from NAHHA)