Evening star., 1901-05-17
"DOPE" AN AMERICAN TERM
ITS USES AND ABUSES ON THE
WORLDS RACE TRACKS.
English Authorities, Aroused by Talk
of American "TOuts" on Foreign
Courses, Are to Act.
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
Since the turf attained the dignity of
language of it's own there has never been
coined a term which has attained the pop
ularity that the one dope" has achieved.
For a number Of years the expression has
been common on American race tracks, but
in the past two seasons it has gone further
afield and extended its usage to England
and continental Europe. Not only do Brit
ish turfmen nowadays chatter of dope"
but the French turf has taken up the term,
and Paris has as much to say Of the ''dop-
ing Of horses as has the community that
has it's being close about the confines Of
TattersalTs in London. Even to Austria
the term has made It's way, and at the
further side of the earth, in distant Aus
tralia, the use Of dope is known If not
practiced. Though the word, If it be per-
missible to so classify it, is used most fire.
quently as a term which implies impro-
priety, or at least the use of methods that
do not come strictly within the provision
Of the rules Of horse racing and the meth
DDS that the usages Of the turf as sport
have recognized as legitimate and fair.
In England last year dope" meant for
the INSCRIPTIONS American "touts'' who
swarmed to the English race tracks to take
advantage Of the sudden popularity of all
things American, that no chance must slip
when the impression might be spread that
dope meant a mysterious something
that made slow horses fast and cowardly
horses brave, and in general was a some
thing that put it In the power of the Yam
kee contingent to so control results that
they could make any horse win they were
disposed to so favor. That they were be-
lieved is not surprising, for in this country
the same means of Swindling the unso-
phisticated public has been in general use
ever since the use of stimulants other
than old-fashioned alcohol was invented.
In England it has been less the actual
practice Of doping horses than the scan
dal that grew out Of the talk that the
American touts indulged in and the i'm
preston that they managed to spread
throughout the country by their mysterious
hints of trickery that has stirred the turf
authorities to the discussion of a reform
measure That the English Jockey Club
will take action on the matter this COM
ing season can hardly be doubted. What
shape the proposed racing legislation will
take is conjectural. but even If 1t does not
put a stop to the uses Of the prohibited
stimulants there will be cause for con-
graduation. q
Stringent Turf Laws.
In America there are stringent turf laws
against dope" On most of the great race
tracks special officials are employed to
keep supervision over the horses as they
are being prepared for the track, and to
see that they are not dosed In any way,
either to stimulate speed or to have con-
trary effect. With all the precautions that
racing officials observe in that special di-
rection, however, the tout" remains un-
suppressed, and Is as much a nuisance in
the United States as he Is abroad, with the
difference that victims are very much
harder to find on the tracks OF the United
States. where even the casual racegoer has
been educated to the wiles of the conf
dence man and tipster, whereas in both
England and France the novelty of "dop-
ing'' horses, taken in connection with the
myster that always surrounds racing, ap-
peals even to people who ought to know
better
Nearly a dozen years of experience in
this country, however, has had the effect
of disseminating knowledge Of about how
far drugs are capable Of improving a
horses speed. and the smoothest talking
exponent of the art Of getting other peo-
ple's money without giving fair return
nowadays has a hard time of it to convince
any but the merest novice that dope" can
do all that is claimed for it. The reverse