In his Harness Tracks of America Daily Newsletter, Stan Bergstein today explained that the commonwealth of Kentucky has turned to Florida to help
with its medication policies.
According to the report, six laboratories applied to do Kentucky’s testing, and the Horse Racing Commission, acting on recommendation by the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, chose the University of Florida Racing Laboratory. The lab is run by Dr. Rick Sams, formerly of Ohio State, one of the most respected racing chemists in the sport.
Up until this point, Kentucky has been using Iowa State University’s lab for testing. With the move, Kentucky officials think testing costs -- which are paid by the tracks -- could drop 25 per cent.
The Florida lab will test for blood doping agents, including androgenic anabolic steroids, and sophisticated other tests on a large number of drugs used in racehorses for a cost of $175 a sample.
Carbon dioxide tests for milkshaking will be done for $10 a sample, and Dr. Sams will visit Kentucky to bring horsemen up to speed on the new testing.
(With files from HTA)