Harrisburg, PA — The Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory, in a Jan. 28 presentation before the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, outlined some productive projects from 2024 that will continue in 2025.
Dr. Mary Robinson, director of PETRL, said one of the primary research projects last year was to expand databases and libraries for screening blood and urine samples for targeted drug analysis. The lab handles samples from Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing.
Robinson said the lab used a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that looks for key identifying characteristics in samples and alleviates the time spent on manual evaluation. She told the PHRC one test can now screen for about 500 substances.
“It is ongoing,” Robinson said. “We keep adding to the targeted databases.”
Robinson said there is also “un-targeted detection” — with a goal to identify anything given to a horse even if the lab doesn’t know what a horse has been given. An algorithm compares control samples to the actual samples being tested.
Robinson said another research project centered on “perflurocarbons,” some of which can increase oxygen-carrying agents similar to blood-doping agents.
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium has provided grants to PETRL — one of the labs used by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority — to offset costs, Robinson said.
In response to a question from Russell Redding, chair of the PHRC, Robinson said AI is being used for targeted and un-targeted screening. It is being used for post-race samples as well to determine what is normally found in the samples and what is not found.
“AI is really about pattern recognition,” she said.
In other business at the PHRC meeting, Tom Chuckas, the Thoroughbred bureau director, said the commission continues to finalize agreements with HISA for 2025, and that the parties agreed to another extension to negotiate. HISA only pertains to the Thoroughbred industry.