RMTC extends suspension of British laboratory accreditation for another six months

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has extended the suspension of accreditation of the University of Kentucky’s Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory for an additional six months.

The RMTC had already suspended its accreditation of the laboratory in March after it was revealed that the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) had stopped sending samples to the laboratory due to “concerns about the performance” of the facility.

Previously, the laboratory was one of six drug testing facilities used under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) drug testing program.

According to Michael Hardy, executive director of the RMTC, the UK Lab requested an extension of its original 60-day suspension period on May 7.

“The RMTC recognizes the laboratory’s sincere efforts and willingness to cooperate during the originally required 60-day period and has approved an extension of up to six months to allow the laboratory more time to achieve full compliance with the Code of Standards,” Hardy wrote.

A spokesperson for the British broadcaster confirmed the extension of the suspension, adding that the university believes the “timeframe is sufficient” for the laboratory to fully comply with RMTC standards.

If the laboratory had not made the necessary corrections in a timely manner and the RMTC had rejected the extension request, the organization could have requested a complete withdrawal of the facility’s accreditation.

“If that were to happen, we would have to start from scratch, and that can be a very tedious and time-consuming process. So we really want to do our best to maintain accreditation so we can focus on moving forward,” deputy lab director Cynthia Cole recently told the TDN.

The extension of the RMTC is the latest development in a complicated story that has received little public explanation.

After the delivery of samples to the British laboratory was stopped, HIWU and HISA announced that they had launched an investigation into the facility’s performance in parallel with the university’s investigation into the matter.

In the same statement, authorities said the university was conducting “an ongoing personnel investigation” regarding Scott Stanley, the former head of the UK Lab, and that “Dr. Stanley is not permitted to have direct communication with the rest of the lab’s staff.”

Stanley told the TDN that he had resigned from his position as head of the UK Lab at the beginning of March and taken on a new role within the university.

When first asked about the reason for the RMTC’s suspension of accreditation, Hardy referred to a code of conduct that lists ten possible reasons that could lead the organization to take such action.

RMTC accreditation is a prerequisite for a laboratory to be included in the HIWU drug testing facilities.

In late March, the university announced that it had hired Cole as interim lab director. Cole previously served as associate clinical professor and director of the Racing Laboratory at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2006, then again from 2018 to 2023, when the lab closed.

In a Q&A with the TDNCole reported that the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is also no longer sending samples to the British laboratory because it has similar concerns as HISA about the laboratory and because processing times are not being met.

Cole also said it was “possible” that recent developments at the UK lab could call into question the legitimacy of any HISA/HIWU-related samples previously processed at the facility.

However, Cole expressed optimism that the lab’s problems would be resolved in time to avoid a complete loss of RMTC’s accreditation.

“I’m optimistic that we’ll get there. I think we’ve already made great progress in addressing some of their requests and concerns,” Cole said during the question and answer session.

“Some of them are just a little more time consuming. So I think with an extension we can address almost all of their (RMTC’s) concerns.”