Gluck Equine Research Foundation developing equine biological passport

The University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Foundation, with support from Stonestreet Farm, is developing an equine biological passport that aims to detect drug use in horses.

The passport will seek to identify and track specific biomarkers that could detect drug use by monitoring changes to peptides and protein abundance. The program's goals include serving as a platform to impact policy change and drug-testing protocols, and to further understand the impact of drugs and medications on Thoroughbred racehorses.

Gluck envisions the biological passports becoming a future tool for the industry, providing data needed to support changes in rules and regulations that will allow prosecution of violators and protect horses deemed at risk.

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"In the last few years, we have seen too many negative headlines around equine drug use," Dr. Scott Stanley, professor of Equine Pharmacology and Toxicology and director of the Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, said in a press release issued by Gluck. "As a research scientist with 30 years of regulatory drug testing experience, my team and I know this is a problem we cannot currently solve. We know that it takes time to develop new tests for each new emerging drug, so we will always be behind. We know that each horse metabolizes drugs at a different rate, making standard clearance and withdrawal times confusing. In addition, we know that there are environmental factors, human interactions, and hundreds of other variables that can impact our current drug-testing procedures.

"The EBP program is a tool that will enable us to rapidly identify new drugs and measure the physiological effect on the equine athlete," Stanley continued. "These data will be critical in differentiating between intentional doping and accidental contaminants, which can smear the industry image and damage reputations."

The program will receive funding from Stonestreet Farm, with farm owner Barbara Banke stating in the press release that her operation has contributed $100,000. Banke also urged other industry stakeholders to donate.

"At Stonestreet, we are proud of our integrity, our commitment to a level playing field, and our focus on the health of the horse above all else," Banke said. "An equine biological passport will give us a comprehensive program that provides full transparency for both competition and out-of-competition testing, for every stakeholder."