Unnatural Ability (eBook)

The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing

Milton C. Toby (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023
440 Seiten
The University Press of Kentucky (Verlag)
978-0-8131-9744-9 (ISBN)

Infos

In a mere twelve months, between May 2020 and May 2021, horse racing's most recognizable faceHall of Fame trainer Bob Bafferthad five horses that failed postrace drug tests. Among those was the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit. While the incident was a major scandal in the Thoroughbred racing world, it was only the latest in a series of drug-related infractions among elite athletes. Stories about systemic rule-breaking and "e;doping culture"e;both human and equinehave put world-class athletes and their trainers under intense scrutiny. Each newly discovered instance of abuse forces fans to question the participants' integrity, and in the case of horse racing, their humanity. In Unnatural Ability: The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing, Milton C. Toby addresses the historical and contemporary context of the Thoroughbred industry's most pressing issue. While early attempts at boosting racehorses' performance were admittedly crude, widespread legal access to narcotics and stimulants has changed the landscape of horse racing, along with athletic governing bodies' ability to regulate it. With the sport at a critical turning point in terms of doping restrictions and sports betting, Toby delivers a comprehensive account of the practice of using performance-enhancing drugs to influence the outcome of Thoroughbred races since the late nineteenth century. Paying special attention to Thoroughbred racing's purse structure and its reliance on wagering to supplement a horse's winnings, Toby discusses how horse doping poses a unique challenge for gambling sports and what the industry and its players must do to survive the pressure to get ahead.

Autor

Milton C. Toby is an award-winning author, journalist, and attorney with more than forty years of experience researching and writing about Thoroughbred racing and equine law. He is the author of eight books, including Taking Shergar: Thoroughbred Racing's Most Famous Cold Case, Dancer's Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby, and Noor: A Champion Thoroughbred's Unlikely Journey from California to Kentucky.

Inhalt

Introduction
1. The Death of Dr. Riddle
2. "Doc" Ring and the Modern Era of Doping
3. The Injection
4. Rule 162
5. The Drug Czar Goes Racing
6. Reports from the Field
7. US v. Parke
8. The Spit Box
9. "Those Bastards"
10. The Joint Board
11. The Not-So-Absolute Insurer Rule
12. The TRPB and the Defection of Dr. Kater
13. The Derby and the Doctor
14. Permissive Medication and the "E" in Ped
15. The Steroid Derby
16. The Indictments and the Wiretaps
17. The Balkanization of American Racing
18. Legislating Integrity?
19. Genetics, the Wealth Gap, and the Myth of the Level Playing Field
Afterword

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.8.2023
• Reihe/Serie: Horses in History
• Reihe/Serie: Horses in History
• Zusatzinfo: 6 tables, 9 b&w illustrations
• Verlagsort: Lexington
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 150 x 150 mm
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport ► Reiten / Pferde
• Schlagworte: "doc" ring • Doping • drug testing • federal bureau of narcotics commissioner harry j. anslinger • horse racing history • horse racing integrity and safety act • jockey club • lasix • Performance-enhancing drugs • Sports History • Thoroughbred racing
• ISBN-10: 0-8131-9744-9 / 0813197449
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8131-9744-9 / 9780813197449