Ky. racing panel acts to improve drug screening for horses and cut costs with targeted tests

Kentucky panel changes horse drug testing rules

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky racing officials say drug screening for horses will improve and become cheaper under a change to their testing system.

With a unanimous vote Tuesday by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the state became the first racing jurisdiction in the country to approve a new testing standard that provides for more targeted scrutiny for horses suspected of violating drug rules.

An independent panel first recommended the changes in the early 1990s. Under the change, fewer blood and urine tests will be analyzed in Kentucky, although racing stewards will have more flexibility in choosing which horses to test.

It could allow the cash-strapped racing commission to cut 25 to 30 percent of the costs out of its drug testing program.