For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

U.S. Racing Drug Test Results Comparable to USADA & WADA Testing


LEXINGTON, KY The results of anti-doping drugs tests conducted in 2013 by state racing commissions, the United States Anti-Doping Agency, and the World Anti-Doping Agency are “virtually identical” according to an analysis of all pertinent testing results.

“The numbers don’t lie,” said Racing Commissioners International President Ed Martin, noting that U.S. racing commissions sent 340,932[1] biological samples to a network of professional drug testing laboratories in 2013.

99.65% of those samples were found to have no violation.

By comparison, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) performed 9,197 doping control tests in 2013.[2] Of the samples tested, approximately 99.55% were determined to have no violation.[3]

In 2013, testing authorities reporting to the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) performed 207,513 drug tests. Of that testing, 98.97% were found to have no adverse analytical finding.[4]

“The anti-doping testing effort of U.S. racing regulators is 60% larger than the entire world wide effort of WADA. Our program is thirty-seven times larger than the one operated by USADA,” Martin said.

“Drug testing oversight in racing is performed by government agencies not beholden to anyone but the public. We all have the same challenge and we are all combatting it the same way and our results are similar,” he noted. “All sports have a challenge with those who would deliberately rely on doping to affect performance. We must continue to be vigilant in detecting and developing tests for substances that emerge.”

In 2013, racing commissions cited a total of 1,140 medication rule violations. Of that number, 1.2% (14) were for the most egregious Class 1 doping substances; 5.9% (68) for Class 2 doping substances.

The overwhelming majority of violations - 60.3% (687) - were for overages of Class 4 and 5 substances considered therapeutic overages and not doping. 32.5% (371) of the violations were for Class 3 substances.

The following chart is a state by state breakdown of the results of racing commission drug testing conducted during 2013:

Jurisdiction
Drug Tests
Violations
Adverse Analytical Finding Rate (%)
Clear Rate (%)
Alabama
1,576
1
0.063
99.94
Arkansas (Failed to Report)
Arizona
5,518
28
0.507
99.49
California*
26,005
89
0.342
99.66
Colorado
1,176
3
0.255
99.74
Delaware Harness
4,504
3
0.067
99.93
Delaware Thoroughbred
1,889
8
0.424
99.58
Florida*
68,317
251
0.367
99.63
Iowa
9,825
24
0.244
99.76
Idaho
363
5
1.377
98.62
Illinois
13,817
30
0.217
99.78
Indiana
8,792
5
0.057
99.94
Kentucky
7,588
56
0.738
99.26
Louisiana
12,806
74
0.578
99.42
Massachusetts
4,805
23
0.479
99.52
Maryland
8,898
1
0.011
99.99
Michigan
1,936
20
1.033
98.97
Minnesota
4,523
18
0.398
99.60
Montana
61
3
4.918
95.08
North Dakota
106
0
0.000
100.00
Nebraska
970
3
0.309
99.69
New Jersey
9,611
22
0.229
99.77
New Mexico
3,061
51
1.666
98.33
Nevada
182
1
0.549
99.45
New York
53,136
67
0.126
99.87
Ohio
14,311
75
0.524
99.48
Oklahoma
8,308
42
0.506
99.49
Oregon
1,211
9
0.743
99.26
Pennsylvania
32,678
52
0.159
99.84
South Dakota
132
0
0.000
100.00
Texas
11,010
68
0.618
99.38
Virginia
1555
26
1.672
98.33
Washington
1,179
8
0.679
99.32
West Virginia
20,923
73
0.349
99.65
Wyoming
160
1
0.625
99.38
All Jurisdictions
340,932
1,140
0.334
99.67
* Fiscal Year 2012-2013

Comparison of Testing Results


U.S. Racing
USADA
WADA Worldwide
Number of Tests
340,932
9,197
207,513
Adverse Analytical Findings (Violations)
1,140
27 sanctioned + 8 referred + 7 pending
2,135
Clear Rate
99.67%
99.55%
98.97%



[1] Government data provided by all official racing regulatory entities except Arkansas.
[2] USADA 2013 Annual Report, page 14.
[3] USADA 2013 Annual Report, pages 15 and 18.
[4] World Anti-Doping Agency, 2013 Anti-Doping Testing Figures, Table 1-Summary.