History

The year 2001 saw several key events that laid the groundwork for the development of a national organization committed to tackling issues relating to the medication and post-race testing of racehorses. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association's
Task Force on Racing Integrity and Drug Testing released the initial results of its Supertest project at The Jockey Club Roundtable meeting in August.

The report was a culmination of three years of research into the state of post-race testing in the United States, including results from over 1,000 cleared split samples that were put through an additional rigorous battery of tests. The report served to highlight some of the challenges the industry faced in order to improve the post-race detection of prohibited substances.

On December 4, the American Association of Equine Practitioners hosted the Racehorse Medication Summit at the Annual Symposium on Racing in Tucson, Ariz. The Summit brought together individuals representing a broad spectrum of organizations across the racing breeds for a facilitated closed-door meeting to determine potential consensus points on the most basic elements of a uniform national medication policy for racehorses.

Those involved that day vowed to continue the effort beyond Tucson, leading to the formation of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.

Click here to view the minutes from the 2001 Racehorse Medication Summit