It was announced today by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), following the approval of the IFHA’s Executive Council, that the Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan (LRC) has been provisionally appointed as an IFHA Reference Laboratory. This approval is the result of its application and a remote assessment conducted under the supervision of the Reference Laboratory Appointment Committee (RLAC). Due to travel restrictions arising from the global COVID-19 pandemic, the remote assessment was conducted in place of an on-site assessment, following which the LRC has been provisionally appointed at this stage.
“I want to congratulate the Laboratory of Racing Chemistry for being provisionally appointed as an IFHA Reference Laboratory,” said IFHA Chairman Louis Romanet. “This is the culmination of a significant amount of collaboration and hard work by the LRC, the RLAC, and the Japan Racing Association (JRA). The assessor appointed by the RLAC was very favourably impressed with the scientific expertise of the LRC staff and observed that the methods under assessment were carried out efficiently, and samples were analysed with a notable attention to detail.”
The LRC, established in 1965, is an internationally accredited horse racing doping control laboratory primarily used to provide professional analytical testing services for the analysis of equine biological samples including urine, blood and hair from horse racing and international equestrian events. LRC is the only equine drug testing laboratory in Japan, and its main role is to uphold the integrity of horse racing in Japan to ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders.
Under its provisional appointment, LRC joins Racing Analytical Services Limited (Australia); Laboratoire Des Courses Hippiques (France); LGC Group, Sport & Specialised Analytical Services (Great Britain); the Hong Kong Jockey Club Racing Laboratory (Hong Kong); and the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, University of California at Davis (USA) as IFHA Reference Laboratories. As part of the application process, IFHA Reference Laboratories successfully satisfy criteria that include but are not limited to the scale of operations, resourcing, research activity and capability to detect the use of prohibited substances, including the major doping agents (MDAs).
The IFHA Reference Laboratory White Manual with annexes, updated for May 2021, can be found at
https://ifhaonline.org/default.asp?section=IABRW&area=13.
About IFHA
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) is the world peak body for the international sport of Thoroughbred racing. Its members are the national racing authorities across the globe which stage Thoroughbred races.
Major areas of the IFHA’s activities include:
• Making and amending the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering (the IABRW)
• Policy development relating to welfare and safety of horses and riders
• International Race Planning and Grading (“black type”)
• World Rankings
• The fight against Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices
• Harmonization of Racing Rules
• Certification of IFHA Reference Labs
• Fostering commercial development of the racing industry globally
The IFHA is a foundation member with Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) of the International Horse Sports Confederation and is affiliated to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Additional details
The Japanese-based laboratory has attained this provisional appointment subject to a full on-site assessment of the laboratory by an RLAC-appointed assessor, which is intended to take place as soon as travel permits. As a provisionally appointed IFHA Reference Laboratory, the LRC is required to participate in all IFHA Reference Laboratory compliance and quality assurance-related programmes.
