RMTC

Updated: ‘Seven Missed Positives’: Indiana Racing Commission Releases Audit Of Truesdail Labs

by Edited Press Release

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission has released its staff report on the audit of its former primary laboratory – Truesdail Laboratory (Tustin, California). Findings include a total of seven missed positive tests over the twenty-six days in which audit testing was conducted, one of which is for a Class 1 drug – Methylphenidate (Ritalin).

The Commission terminated Truesdail Laboratory in May for its failure to meet agreed upon performance metrics. At that time, three missed positives, all for corticosteroids, were found by the audit and referee laboratories.

“We have learned a valuable lesson. Moving forward a vigorous Quality Assurance Program will become a cornerstone of our drug testing program,” said Joe Gorajec, Executive Director.

Industrial Laboratory (Denver, Colorado) has been retained as Indiana’s primary laboratory.

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission will review the report at its regularly scheduled public meeting on July 15, 2015 in Indianapolis.

The Staff Report on the audit results can be found at www.in.gov/hrc.

Truesdail currently conducts testing for horse racing authorities in Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium is in the process of reviewing Truesdail’s accreditation, according to RMTC executive director Dr. Dionne Benson.

New Jersey is in the process of pricing contracts to begin a quality assurance program similar to Indiana’s, New Jersey Racing Commission executive director Frank Zanzuccki told the Paulick Report Tuesday afternoon. Delaware officials told The Racing Biz blog in early June that they would soon be sending split samples to another laboratory for quality assurance testing. Maryland’s racing commission will not move the state’s contract, but is in the process of putting together a quality assurance program.