The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, which was established by Drug Free Sport International to administer the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, announced Oct. 4 that it has named Dr. Mary Scollay as its chief of science.
In this role, which she commences Oct. 10, Scollay will oversee HIWU's science department, including the HISA Equine Analytical Laboratory accreditation program, and education efforts ahead of the ADMC Program launch in January 2023. She will also prioritize research development into prohibited substances while engaging with veterinary scientists, pharmacologists, and other experts in the Thoroughbred industry. Additionally, Scollay and her team will manage a prohibited substances database that will be available for industry stakeholders to use as a reference tool.
Scollay joins HIWU after serving as the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium's executive director and chief operating officer for three years. While with the RMTC, she directed the advancement of world-class laboratory drug-testing standards, promotion of RMTC-recommended rules and penalties for prohibited substances and therapeutic medications, monitoring of emerging threats to the integrity of racing and the health and welfare of racehorses, and administrative oversight of RMTC-funded research projects and educational programs.
Before leading the RMTC, Scollay spent more than 30 years as a racing regulatory veterinarian, including 11 years as the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's equine medical director.
"Dr. Scollay's extensive experience in the areas of anti-doping rules, testing standards, and veterinary regulation in the Thoroughbred industry will make her a key asset to HIWU," said Ben Mosier, executive director of HIWU. "We are fortunate to retain her knowledge and skill set as we prepare for the implementation of the ADMC Program on Jan. 1, 2023."
Named to HISA's ADMC standing committee in May 2021, Scollay has resigned from that responsibility to take on her position with HIWU.
"HISA represents the way forward for Thoroughbred racing, the only way forward," said Scollay. "I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the sport during this transition, and I am committed to working with HIWU to deliver a best-in-class equine anti-doping program to the industry."
The ADMC Program will create a centralized testing and results management process and apply uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across all American Thoroughbred horse racing jurisdictions that HISA governs. HIWU will oversee testing, educate stakeholders on the new program, accredit laboratories, investigate potential violations, and prosecute any such violations.
HISA was established when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into federal law in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and is responsible for drafting and enforcing uniform safety rules and anti-doping and medication control rules in Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission, HISA was created to implement, for the first time, a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. HISA is composed of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect July 1; and the ADMC Program, which goes into effect Jan. 1.
Drug Free Sport International administers comprehensive drug testing programs, manages national and international collections, develops drug-testing policies, and provides educational services to a wide range of professional and amateur athletics organizations around the world.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
