Lab Expects Kentucky Test Delays to End Soon
Description:
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission expects equine drug test results that had been delayed at the LGC laboratory by up to four months to be back on schedule by Thanksgiving.
KHRC equine medical director Mary Scollay, responding to questions from members of the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council during its regular meeting Nov. 12, said she received an email from the Lexington lab that conducts tests for KHRC saying it should be back on schedule by Nov. 27.
LGC officials blamed delays on a spike in the number of samples that required follow-up testing after initial analysis. They said at times the number of samples that required confirmatory testing approached a 100-fold increase compared with 2013.
Those sample results reportedly include some positive drug tests for Kentucky horses for overages of therapeutic medications.
Going forward, Kentucky could consider other labs when LGC's contract ends Jan. 31, 2015. Scollay said there are only three other qualified labs that could submit proposals to take over Kentucky drug tests.
She said if Kentucky were to renew with LGC, perhaps a shorter contract could be put in place to see if the Lexington lab is able to stay on schedule.