Keeneland Association donates $1.3 million to equine drug research and testing program

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland Association, the not-for-profit racing and sales company, has donated $1.3 million to an endowment that will fund an equine drug research and testing program at the University of Kentucky, the company and the university announced on Wednesday.

The donation will bring the endowment to $3 million, according to Keeneland and UK. The endowment will fund the equine research efforts of Scott Stanley in the UK’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment’s Gluck Equine Research Center. Stanley, one of the foremost equine researchers in the country, was hired by UK last year after serving as the longtime director of the K. L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California-Davis.

Keeneland’s donation underlines a recent shift in gift-giving in the U.S. racing industry as the sport attempts to reduce the incidence of catastrophic injuries and to develop new tests to detect the next generation of performance-enhancing drugs. In the past, Keeneland has focused its donations on organizations within the Central Kentucky community that were not necessarily related to horses (although the company has also supported other equine-related charities and research projects).

Last week, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s charitable arm donated $100,000 to the UK’s Equine Surfaces and Racing Laboratory, which was launched after UK hired Mick Peterson, an expert on racing surfaces. In addition, last week both Keeneland and Churchill Downs donated $100,000 each to the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation, in part to fund research into methods to detect when horses might be at greater risk of catastrophic breakdowns.

“Keeneland applauds UK’s commitment to create a true center of excellence at the Gluck Center,” said Bill Thomason, the chief executive officer of Keeneland, in a release. “In support of our mission, Keeneland has long championed UK’s goal to become an industry leader in equine safety, integrity and research. We believe the important work undertaken by Dr. Stanley will serve as a platform for change in Kentucky and beyond.”