University of Kentucky names new owner, director of equine drug testing lab
The University of Kentucky equine testing laboratory has a new director and has come under new ownership, the university announced Thursday.
The Equine Analytical Chemistry Lab is now owned Eagle Diagnostics, and will now be called the Equine Integrity & Anti-doping Science Labs. Additionally, Travis Mays, who has worked in a similar lab at Texas A&M University, has been appointed the new director of the lab, the university said in a news release.
The lab was established at UK in 2019 through a contract with the U.S. Equestrian Federation to drug test show horses. In 2022, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission also began using the UK lab to drug test Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Quarter Horse racehorses, testing thousands of samples over the past several years.
UK said it was considering selling the lab last year, when an investigation into former director Scott Stanley revealed he had falsified negative test results for a banned blood-doping agent, calling into question at least four other results from his lab and revealing concerns about how Stanley ran the lab. Federal law enforcement officials also investigated, and Stanley was fired from his position as director. The process of terminating him as a faculty member is ongoing, a university spokesperson said.
“This transition underscores our commitment to meeting the highest industry standards for equine drug testing and expanding innovation and collaboration in equine research,” said Jamie Matthews, associate dean of research at UK’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. “We look forward to working closely with EQIAS Labs to ensure that the regulatory needs of the equine industry continue to be served.”
Mays, the new director, has spent more than 20 years at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, overseeing daily operations of the lab’s drug testing and toxicology areas.
Eagle Diagnostics is a laboratory diagnostic testing company located in Utah, specializing in “conducting supportive and complementary tests to bolster cases involving athletes who have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs,” according to its website.
“We are excited about this new partnership and the opportunities it brings,” said Chris West, CFO of Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, representing Eagle Diagnostics. “EQIAS Labs looks forward to continuing our strong collaboration with the University of Kentucky, fostering future research initiatives and advancements in equine science.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 10:25 AM.