Michael Hardy

Founded by Josephine Abercrombie in 1952, Pin Oak Stud has entered a new era under the ownership of Jim and Dana Bernhard. The Bernhards purchased Pin Oak Stud in November of 2022 and acquired an additional 465 acres from Adena Springs in September of 2023. "Pin Oak has always strived to breed horses that can compete at the pinnacle of our sport, this vision begins with the decisions that we make when selecting our matings each year," Pin Oak's Michael Hardy said. "Our team works in close collaboration, carefully selecting...

The Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (RMTC) has awarded 25 veterinary students externships which will provide experience working alongside racetrack practitioners and regulatory veterinarians. "The success of the racing industry is dependent on the recruitment, availability, and retention of motivated attending and regulatory veterinary professionals to oversee the safety and welfare of its participants," said RMTC Executive Director Dr. Michael Hardy. "The RMTC will join other equine industry organizations taking an active role in promoting careers in equine veterinary medicine." The RMTC created the Racing Industry Veterinary Student Externship Program...

The University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory was assigned interim laboratory accreditation after the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium lifted its suspension of the lab Tuesday. The lab's suspension was triggered in March for what the RMTC termed nonconformities associated with its Laboratory Code of Standards, Section 2.4.9.2. The suspension was lifted after the Horserace Testing Laboratory Committee, which oversees the RMTC's Laboratory Accreditation Program, completed its review of the UK-EACL's response and associated corrective actions and determined the lab had successfully fulfilled the designated requirements for accreditation reinstatement...

The Racetrack Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has afforded the University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Lab (EACL) and the University of Illinois Chicago's (UIC) Analytical Forensic Toxicology Laboratory additional time in their efforts to seek reaccreditation from the organization. News of the UIC Lab losing its RMTC accreditation broke in early September. The facility was initially issued a 60-day accreditation suspension period. According to RMTC executive director Michael Hardy, the RMTC's executive committee approved an additional 60-day extension to the laboratory's suspension "to provide them ample opportunity to fully...

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has issued a 60-day accreditation suspension of the University of Illinois Chicago Analytical Forensic Toxicology Laboratory (UIC-AFTL), one of five laboratories contracted by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unity (HIWU) to conduct drug testing for the agency. According to RMTC executive director, Michael Hardy, the agency notified UIC's Analytical Forensic Toxicology Laboratory of its suspension Tuesday. "The Horserace Testing Laboratory Committee (HTLC), which is tasked with overseeing RMTC's Laboratory Accreditation Program, will, upon receipt, review the laboratory's response and associated corrective actions. Accreditation...

Michael Hardy, the former Head of Sales for Goffs and general manager of Margaux Farm near Lexington, has been appointed as the new director of farm operations and property at Jim and Dana Bernhard's Pin Oak Stud, officials at the nursery announced Monday. Born into a racing family in Northern Ireland, Hardy gained early experience on his family's stud farm before completing a degree in Equine Science at the University of Limerick. He was a participant in the Irish National Stud's Management Course in addition to the Godolphin Flying Start...

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has extended for another six months its accreditation suspension of the University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory. The RMTC initially suspended its accreditation of the laboratory back in March, following news that the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) had stopped sending samples to the lab due to "concerns with the performance" of the facility. Prior to that, the laboratory had been one of six drug testing facilities used under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) drug testing program. According to...

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) has suspended its accreditation of the University of Kentucky's Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, according to the RMTC's executive director, Michael Hardy. This follows news last week that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) have opened an investigation into the UK Laboratory's performance, and that the agencies were cooperating with the university's own investigation into the matter. The university is also conducting an ongoing personnel investigation relating to former lab director Scott Stanley and that "Dr....

Veterinarian Dr. Michael Hardy has joined the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Horsemen's Advisory Group, the organization announced in a release Tuesday. The advisory group of racing industry participants was formed by HISA in 2022 to provide formal feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of its Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) regulations. "The Horsemen's Advisory Group continues to provide HISA with invaluable input, and we're thrilled to have Dr. Michael Hardy join the group," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "In...

Michael Hardy, who was Equilume's USA Territory Manager, has been appointed as the new Goffs Head of Sales as of July 12, the sales company announced on Monday. Hardy, who was a Gold Medallist graduate of the Irish National Stud Course, as well as a Godolphin Flying Start alumni after graduating from the University of Limerick with a BS in Equine Science, had been with Equilume since 2019. Hardy was the Margaux Farm General Manager from 2012 to 2019. In 2019, he also started Hardy Racing, a racing and bloodstock...