Investigation by the horse protection unit HISA shows that the University of Kentucky laboratory did not follow testing guidelines | iNFOnews

September 17, 2024 – 08:33 am

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (AP) — An investigation by the animal welfare unit of the federal horse racing regulator accuses the Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Kentucky of failing to meet testing standards and misrepresenting its ability to test for certain substances.

The results of a six-month investigation by the unit and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), released on Tuesday, also said the university’s laboratory failed to carry out confirmatory analyses on 91 samples and then reported them as negative, on the instructions of then-director Scott Stanley. A re-examination matched all remaining potentially affected samples, the report added, and the university will be asked to pay back for non-compliance.

In a separate press release, the university said it was seeking to dismiss Stanley, who is currently a professor in the School of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Stanley was removed from his post as head of the Laboratory of Analytical Equine Chemistry, which is inconsistent with his role as a lecturer, in March after an internal investigation into his leadership was launched the previous month.

At that time, HISA and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit also met with the school to raise concerns about management and customer service. Kentucky’s investigation found that Stanley communicated a test result to a customer even though the lab had not tested the sample in question.

HIWU director Ben Mosier said they were “proud” to have uncovered and stopped unacceptable practices that were unfair to horse owners and put horses at risk. HISA executive director Lisa Lazarus thanked the university for its cooperation and praised its anti-doping and drug control program for improving the integrity and fairness of the sport.

HIWU plans to implement HISA laboratory accreditation on January 1 to ensure compliance with ADMC requirements and strengthen its negative sample exchange program, the press release added.

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