A company that conducts equine drug testing in Great Britain but which has not been involved in testing of horses in America has been awarded the contract to handle the testing of horses racing in Kentucky, effective January 2011.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission unanimously approved the contract with HFL Sport Sciences on March 16 following the recommendation of the commission’s Equine Drug Research Council. The drug research council also unanimously approved the selection of HFL after lengthy discussion during a meeting that preceded the KHRC meeting.

Jerry Yon, MD, who chairs the Equine Drug Research Council, said "it was felt that the HFL laboratory offered a world-class laboratory with tremendous interest in research."

Yon said selection of HFL will save the Kentucky horse industry about 20% over the present cost of drug-testing and that there are provisions in the contract that offer additional benefits to the Bluegrass racing industry and the KHRC. He noted that if the British company enters into an equine drug-testing contract with another racing jurisdiction, 5% of the profits from any such contracts would be sent to Kentucky for equine drug research