Equine Integrity and Anti-Doping Sciences Labs Granted Probationary HEAL Accreditation

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) announced today that Equine Integrity and Anti-Doping Sciences (EQIAS) Labs has been granted probationary Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Equine Analytical Laboratory (HEAL) accreditation and will start accepting Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program samples, effective immediately. EQIAS Labs, formerly known as the University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, is no longer managed by the university and is now operated by Eagle Diagnostics, an affiliate of The Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL).

EQIAS Labs applied for HEAL accreditation after the laboratory achieved interim Racing Medication & Testing Consortium accreditation under the University of Kentucky in December 2024. EQIAS Labs submitted detailed documentation demonstrating its qualifications and capabilities to perform the testing required under the ADMC Program in compliance with the Program Rules. Additionally, HIWU conducted a site visit and directed the distribution of multiple External Quality Assessment Scheme samples to EQIAS Labs for analysis.

All documentation and assessments were reviewed by the three members of the independent Laboratory Expert Group, who voted to approve EQIAS Labs for probationary HEAL accreditation. The Laboratory Expert Group is required by the ADMC Program Rules and evaluates the performance of Program laboratories, in addition to providing HIWU with advice and recommendations regarding the overall management of HEAL accreditation and the Equine Laboratory Standards included in the ADMC Program Rules.

“HIWU is excited to partner with EQIAS Labs and renew ADMC Program testing in Kentucky,” said Ben Mosier, HIWU’s executive director. “We are confident that EQIAS Labs will utilize the best of both equine and human anti-doping science and will be a positive addition to our Program.”

EQIAS Labs is led by Dr. Travis Mays, who spent more than 20 years at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, while SMRTL is a global industry leader in human drug testing and is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

EQIAS Labs will be analyzing ADMC Program samples collected in Kentucky, as well as assigned B Samples. The full list of Program laboratories is published on the HIWU website.

About the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) was established in 2022 by Drug Free Sport International to administer the rules and enforcement mechanisms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The ADMC Program established a centralized testing and results management process that applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across all American Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions that HISA governs. As the enforcement agency of the ADMC Program, HIWU oversees all testing processes, including the selection of horses to be tested, training of sample collection personnel, and chain-of-custody procedures. Additionally, HIWU is charged with industry/stakeholder education, laboratory accreditation, results management and adjudication, and investigations. For more information, please visit hiwu.org.

Contact: Alexa Ravit, Director of Communications & Outreach
(816) 516-9572
aravit@hiwu.org