Delaware commission selects Truesdail Laboratory for drug testing

The Delaware Horse Racing Commission has reached a five-year deal with Truesdail Laboratory in California to perform the state’s drug testing, according to the executive director of the commission.

Delaware becomes the second state in the last month to select Truesdail for its drug-testing program, following the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. Both states had opted out of their long-term contracts with the LGC Sciences Lab in Lexington, Ky., late last year after that lab had run into delays in conducting drug tests.

Truesdail, one of the first labs accredited by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, is used by a handful of states in the Mid-Atlantic for drug testing, including West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey. John Wayne, the executive director of the Delaware racing commission, said on Friday that its reputation among states and its work for neighboring states played a major role in its selection.

“It was an easy decision for the commission to make,” Wayne said.

LGC’s last major client is the state of Kentucky, which worked with the lab throughout the winter to address the problems that led to the delays.