The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-05

RAJ 5-,,es of every name and descrip-
tnes1' Tsed to dope horses so that
tioi. ~ win stakes. The poor animals
tiis' st,ffed with all sorts of stimulants
az cherry to strychnine. In majority
o' - the injury to the horses is per-
-snt Their legs swell, the tendons
Inc stiff, and running sores break
o,,t in various parts of the body.
,,nnrincipled trainer can give even
.be .Heathen Chinee points in ways
,ha+ are dark and tricks that are vain"
NJ can start off his horse with good
Nv, Of winning or he can so handicap
him that the very elect can scarcely de-
,..t tbe difficulties under which the poor
animal is Iaboring. The story seldom
1sal,s out. But after a time the noble an
mai that crossed the finish amid the
shouts of spectators, disappears from the
track. a victim of drugs and stimulants.
This is no day-dream. 1t has been
verified again and again by responsible
urfmen by the millionaire owners of
big stables, by trainers of national rep
utation, and by the testimony of respon-
sfble veterinary surgeons.
While the horse show was in its glory
last October, talked with number of
the prominent trainers who came to Madi-
son Square from ALI parts of the country.
The information 1 obtained as to the
tricks of the trade'2wou fill big book.
From a mercenary point of view, sac
rificing a horse to win stakes of from five
10 ten thousand dollars doesn't seem such
a terrible thing; but from a humane point
of view it is brutal and indefensible. That
mans best friend should be "dosed"
and doctored to death for gambling pur-
poses, is a sad comment on the morals
of our day and generation.
had a chat with Robert Bonner re-
earding the matter. He told me that he
had no experience with running horses,
for the reason that he did not own any.
He knew, however, that brandy, whisky
and cocaine were given to trotting horses.
Cocaine is certainly great stimulant
TO a lazy horse" said Mr.. Bonner, but
for a spirited horse it is unnecessary, II
not injurious. We know the effect OF
stimulants, and especially drugs, on hui
man beings. Continual doping Will GER
tainly break down horse. But the ami
NAL is at the mercy of his trainer. Rum
ming horses, undoubtedly, are 'doped'
From Charles Davis, an old trainer for
Senator Leland Stanford at the Palo Alto
stud l learned that the California mil.
lionaire would not allow any KIND or
"dopes' to be used upon his horses, in
Sisting that they would be most on thelr
mettle when in the finest physical fettle,
Mr.. A. J. Cassatt, the. Philadelphia
railroad magnate and well known turf
man, discaimed all knowledge on the
subject and said. that no such practice
was employed in his stables.
1t seems that doping has had Its de-
velopments like. everything else, AT
first coffee and sherry We're used. rnen
came brandy, whisky, and other strong
alcoholic stimulants. Later such drugs
as Fowlers solution OF arsente, Spanish
fy cocaine, chloral, valerian, and bella
donna, were employed. And now cleo
sr,tN
everything from ginger to grog is en-
ployed to make the race horse speed over
the turf in the fastest time possible; ana
what can't be poured down his throat
with impunity is injected under the skin.
In the event of these two kind OF fortunes
failing, electrical spurs or saddles are
reSOrted to. No wonder the poor animal
runs wildly and makes such fearful
plunges! If only the trainer could be
visited with similar punishment the law
of compensation would never operate to
so good advantage.
one trainer told me how he won sew
eral races at Clifton, New Jersey, by the
aid of cocaine. He had two horses nam
ed Falcon and Middlestone," who
were inclined to be sulky at times. The
inevitable "horse DOCTOR, whose sole
on the scene, and injected the cocaine
under the skin of the poor animals just
before the races. Sure enough the horses
won the first time; but in subsequent
race, by a curious retribution, they fail
ed. even with the aid of cocaine. Sub
sequently the legs of the poor creatures
for cart horses The doctor got his
. fee from the bookmakers, and the horse
got it's death from the doctor.
The general testimony of the trainers
whom / met was to the effect that the
Alexandria Island and st. Asaph tracks
near tnn p G took sd tRe pam
race en eomes off at ether Of these places
horse in the list of entries. sAs one Of
my informants put it, I'VE only use drugs
on plugs, and not on first-class horses
Doping won't make a horse run that can
run, but it puts life into sulky brutes
and compels them to get over ground as
last as their legs can carry them.
had a long talk with Frank McCabe
the trainer for Mr.. Phil Dwyer, presi'
dent of the Brooklyn Jockey Club. Mr.
McCabe said that he had trained the bes1
horses and ridden them on the track
but that in all his experience he never
had need of "dopes." He held that they
We're Injurious, and that the Society t9l
could not employ its time better than il
breaking up such practice. Frank Beard
lhe Brooklyn millionaire and horseman
ana other turfmen of prominence, shared
the same view.
From New York veterinary surgeons
learn that not only strychnine and similar
stlmulants were employed on the race
tracks of the country, but also gases
5uch as oxygen and it's compounds. In
iced, was given to understand tha
,.N.lS IdSHlOudDle sets, iihS the lhtduOM
brook Hunting Club, doping was re
sorted to occasionally to give spirit tC
NE steppers." Heaven pity a fashion
able, horse these days! Their tails are
shhlhilated, and in order to make higf
steppers of them cow-itch, turpentine
ana what not, are rubbed on their legs
ana lastly they are "doped" to death!
trainers tell me that it is a very com
mon thing to use stimulants in order
W make horses run, but curiously enough
each one blames the practice on the 9th
~. l only found one man who admit
tea that he did it. The others cited tracks
.oVer the hills and far away" where
me practice prevailed.
II, IN my effort to get material and inter
Jew as many reliable authorities of thu
rack as possible, l incidentally picked
Up good deal about the tricks of thu
aGe horse track is about as risky
pace to speculate as Monte Carlo,
adI the stories l heard are TO be believ
gu. There seems to be as much inge
utulty displayed to handicap a horse a.
mere is to hurry his heels. Everything
aom big dring of water to pinches o
Morphine injected under the skin go t
il,ake up the category of ways how t,
r Use race. Sometimes 1t is just as val
faole TO reach the winning post last 81
ar tar as the trainers pocketbook is con
ish - 20 " pe e'S niSs a. 'iie -
Spectators have wondered time an'
OF 1.