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Drug Testing in RacehorsesLegally prescribed, veterinarian-administered therapeutic medications are the only types of medication allowed in Thoroughbred racing in North America. All racetracks must participate in a post-race drug-testing program, whose dual goal is detterence and punishment for using drugs that may be harmful to equine athletes and/or affect the outcome of a race and thereby undermine racing's integrity.
After each race, the stewards, who are responsible for enforcing the rules of racing, select a group of horses to be tested. Not all competitors are tested; some are tested based on finish in the race - for example, the race winner - others may be tested at random. Anytime an equine athlete displays an unexpectedly poor (or superior) performance based on its previous racing record, it too may be tested.
Horses designated for testing are immediately led to the test barn, where they give a urine and/or blood sample. The numbered, dated, sealed samples are held in a secure place until they are transported by a bonded courier to the testing lab.
Source: The Thoroughbred Athlete and the Racing Industry (1995)
Click here for a question-and-answer with Dr. Scot Waterman of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium in which the basic procedures for drug testing and medication rules of racing are discussed. |
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American Association of Equine Practitioners |
