The RMTC board granted Interim Accreditation to the University of Illinois at Chicago Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory at its Feb. 6 meeting at Gulfstream Park. The laboratory performs testing of Thoroughbred and Standardbred samples for the Illinois Racing Board.
“We are pleased to see another laboratory in our sport working to meet the RMTC Laboratory Accreditation standards for testing expertise and proficiency,” said RMTC Chair Alex Waldrop. “We hope to see additional laboratories join the University of Illinois-Chicago within the year. RMTC Accreditation ensures that laboratories can consistently and reliably detect a wide variety of substances at low concentrations, which is a key to providing a racing product in the U.S. that is safe and fair.”
The board also heard from the RMTC Glaucine Task Force, which reported that glaucine is not only present in some bulk shavings, but is also available in injectable forms online. In shavings, it is a result of the presence of the tulip poplar tree, which contains a number of plant alkaloids.
Due to the presence of glaucine in shavings, a horse could accidently ingest it resulting in a positive test, which makes screening limit alone insufficient. The task force recommended new screening limits and the removal of bulk shavings 24 hours before a race.
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