What are the current procedures for testing racehorses for illegal medications?
Dr. Waterman: All horses that win and those that are selected by the stewards for testing must report to the test barn at the racetrack immediately after the race. In the test barn, urine and blood samples are collected and are sent overnight to a forensic laboratory employed by the racing commission. Samples are screened for a wide variety of drugs by the laboratory. If there are no suspicious findings, the laboratory clears the sample. If there is a suspicious finding on the screening test, a more specific, confirmatory test is employed to either confirm or deny the screening test result. A positive is called if both tests are in agreement and the commission is notified of the result. Depending on the specific laboratory finding and the results of any investigation, the horse may be disqualified and the trainer penalized with a fine and/or suspension.
