Fired University of Kentucky equine lab director says allegations of fake test results are 'baseless'

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The former director of the University of Kentucky equine testing lab fired last month after the school said he falsified test results and mismanaged the lab said Friday he “categorically denies” the allegations.

Scott Stanley, a professor at the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and former director of the Equine Analytical Chemistry Lab (EACL), has been accused of falsifying negative results of a test for a banned blood-doping agent called Erythropoietin (EPO), and at least four other results from his lab are in question, according to an audit released by UK.

But Stanley, in his statement from lawyer Cristina Keith, said his team “repeatedly communicated the logistical challenges arising” while the lab was under Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit oversight as the lab took on additional work and had “ongoing resource limitations.”

“The suggestion that UK-EACL engaged in fraudulent activity is baseless,” Stanley’s statement said. “The report’s insinuations do not reflect the rigorous testing protocols in place or the long-standing integrity of UK-EACL under Dr. Stanley’s leadership.”

Under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the private anti-doping regulatory agency created in 2020 by Congress, racing has moved toward uniform standards in drug testing across the country. UK’s lab was one of six in the U.S. accredited by HISA to drug test samples for horses. UK tested samples for HISA for eight months, from May 22, 2023, to February 2024.

In all, HISA sent the university between 8,000 and 9,000 samples from Kentucky and Florida.

HISA is seeking more than $1 million from UK for tests that were billed but not conducted properly, and federal law enforcement officials are also investigating.

Stanley’s statement said the UK laboratory followed the standard two-stage testing process, “where initial screenings are followed by confirmatory tests only when necessary.” Stanley also denied allegations of issues with invoicing, saying the lab’s “billing processes have always been transparent and rigorously documented, with every sample tested according to established protocols.”

“If there were discrepancies, they stemmed from HIWU’s inconsistent guidance and lack of standardized operating procedures, not from any wrongdoing on the part of UK-EACL or its leadership,” the statement said. “Dr. Stanley remains unwavering in his commitment to integrity and excellence in equine testing, values that have defined both his career and UK-EACL’s service to the industry. He will continue to stand for these principles in the face of HIWU’s baseless and harmful accusations.”

Stanley was removed from his administrative role at UK in March, the same month the national racing authority removed UK’s testing lab from its accredited list — meaning drug tests could not longer be performed there for state regulators.

Stanley was head of the lab, which also performed drug test for the U.S. Equestrian Federation, beginning with the lab’s formation in 2019. In 2022, the lab began performing racing drug testing for the state of Kentucky.

According to UK, before HISA took over drug testing for many states including Kentucky, the UK lab performed testing for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Thoroughbreds from January 2022 to May 2023, on Standardbreds from January 2022 to March 2024 and for one quarter horse meeting in 2023. The lab did not conduct testing on Medina Spirit, the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner who was disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.

UK and HIWU conducted separate investigations of Stanley, after which HIWU informed the university that it had evidence Stanley had lied about analyzing a sample.

“The damage inflicted on Dr. Stanley’s personal and professional reputation is irreparable and has been fueled by media narratives that unquestioningly parrot HIWU’s claims,” the statement said.

Ben Mosier, HIWU executive director, said at a news conference last month that the organization determined the UK lab misrepresented its abilities to test for substances including EPO and cobalt. No EPO testing was being done at all, he said, and cobalt testing was being done incorrectly. Both are banned blood doping agents.

He said the UK lab reported as negative some samples that never had any testing done. HIWU reanalyzed all the tests that were still available and found two false positives and two false negatives.

Additionally, the audits said Stanley was “disruptive and disrespectful to colleagues.” He and the UK lab staff developed such a “contentious relationship” with the staff of the Florida Gaming Control Commission and racetracks there that both asked to transfer analysis of their racehorse testing samples to another lab, according to the audit.

Mosier and HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus met with UK, including Nancy Cox, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, on Feb. 13 to tell her they would no longer be sending samples from Florida to the UK lab. At the same meeting, Cox revealed that the university was conducting its own investigation into Stanely, and his access to the lab had been limited.

Auditors later documented two relationships Stanley had that “may constitute a conflict of interest.”

On March 1, UK advised the regulators Stanley had been removed as director of the lab.