The Keeneland Association is contributing $1.3 million to the University of Kentucky’s Keeneland Endowed Chair in Equine Veterinary Science. The gift will grow the fund to $3 million and will support the launch of an equine drug research and testing program.
Kentucky Thoroughbred Association Executive Director Chauncey Morris says testing has everything to do with finding and deterring the use of performance enhancing drugs or those masking ailments. “If you ensure that there’s proper and robust testing, you deter bad actors from doing things and ensure that the horses that are racing in races are going to be sound,” said Morris.
The drug research and testing program will be under the direction of Scott Stanley, an internationally recognized equine researcher. “He is one of the leading pharmacologists in the world and also oversaw the Ken Maddy lab at UC Davis, which is arguably one of the best laboratories in the United States for testing horses in training,” added Morris.
The lab at UK’s Coldstream Research Campus will provide drug testing services to both performance horse and racehorse industries.
