RMTC gives UK lab interim accreditation

News release from the RMTC

Racing Medication & Testing Consortium Gives University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Interim Laboratory Accreditation.

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has notified the University of Kentucky that its Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory’s (UK-EACL) suspension of RMTC’s Laboratory Accreditation has been lifted and assigned Interim Laboratory Accreditation on December 23rd, 2024.

Nonconformities associated with RMTC’s Laboratory Code of Standards, Section 2.4.9.2, triggered the suspension on March 11th, 2023. The Horserace Testing Laboratory Committee (HTLC), which is tasked with overseeing RMTC’s Laboratory Accreditation Program, has completed its review of the UK-EACL’s response and associated corrective actions and has determined that UK-EACL has successfully fulfilled the designated requirements for accreditation reinstatement and is in compliance with RMTC’s Laboratory Code of Standards.  UK-EACL has been assigned Interim RMTC Laboratory Accreditation with a one-year monitoring period after which the lab will be eligible for Full Accreditation.  

“The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium continues to serve the racing industry through the critical role of its Laboratory Accreditation Program”, stated Dr. Michael Hardy, Executive Director.  “The importance of such a program is to assess and validate laboratory capabilities which support industry regulation of anti-doping and medication control programs”.

The RMTC is a 501(c) 3 organization comprised of 23 industry stakeholder organizations with a shared commitment to engage in research, education, and advocacy for science-based initiatives that promote the health and safety of the racehorse and the integrity of competition. More information can be found at RMTCnet.com.

Jennie Rees is a communications and advocacy specialist in the horse industry who spent 32 years covering horse racing for The (Louisville) Courier-Journal before taking a corporate buyout. In addition to handling communications for the Kentucky HBPA, Rees serves as a consultant to the National HBPA. Other projects include the Preakness Stakes, Indiana Grand’s Indiana Derby Week and work for various HBPA affiliates and horsemen’s associations.