Unnatural ability : the history of performance-enhancing drugs in thoroughbred racing / Milton C. Toby.

Cover -- Praise for Unnatural Ability -- Halftitle page -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Dedication -- Epigraph -- Contents -- Introduction: D�ej�a Vu All Over Again -- Part I. The Man Who Made Them Run -- 1. The Death of Dr. Riddle -- 2. "Doc" Ring and the Modern Era of Doping -- 3. The Injection -- 4. Rule 162 -- Part II. Anslinger's War -- 5. The Drug Czar Goes Racing -- 6. Reports from the Field -- 7. The United States v. Ivan H. Parke -- 8. The Spit Box, Trainer Responsibility, and the Modern Era of Drug Testing -- Part III. Silent Tom's Atomizers -- 9. "Those Bastards" -- 10. The Joint Board and the Courts -- 11. The Not-so-Absolute Insurer Rule? -- 12. The Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau and the Defection of Dr. Kater -- Part IV. NSAIDs, Lasix, and Steroids -- 13. The Derby and the Doctor -- 14. Permissive Medication and the "E" in PED -- 15. The Steroid Derby -- Part V. New Challenges, New Solutions -- 16. Indictments and Wiretaps -- 17. The Balkanization of Thoroughbred Racing in America -- 18. Legislating Integrity? -- 19. Genetics, the Wealth Gap, and the Myth of the Level Playing Field -- Conclusion: The Racing Imperative -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix 1. Selected Timeline: Modern Era of Doping -- Appendix 2. Federal Doping Investigations, 1932-1934 -- Appendix 3. Doping Formulary -- Appendix 4. Smith v. Cole -- Appendix 5. Kentucky State Racing Commission v. Fuller -- Appendix 6. Dutrow v. New York State Racing and Wagering Board -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography -- Index -- Horses in History

"In 2021, horse racing's most recognizable face-Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert-had five horses that failed postrace drug tests, including that year's Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit. While the incident was a major scandal in the Thoroughbred racing world, it was only the latest in a long string of drug-related infractions among high-caliber athletes. Stories about systemic rule-breaking and "doping culture"-both human and equine-have 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on May 12, 2023).

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