The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-28
DOPING THE RACE HORSES.
stimulates the Poorest Animals TO
Great Bursts of Speed.
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
The recent action of the stewards of
the Jockey Club at Morris Park in rul-
ing off the trainer of the horse Dr.
Riddle has met the approval of all
patrons of racing who have the good
name of the American turf at heart
DR.. Riddle was sent to the post so
full Of dope" that the most casual
observer could not have failed TO see
that the horse was unnaturally excit-
ed. The doping" was so palpable that
the stewards sent word TO Jockey Sail
ing. who was riding the horse, that he
need not make any attempt to get
away from the post. After the race
has been run DIR. Riddle was taken
back to the paddock and examined by
a veterinarian, who declared that the
horse had been given enough If the
drug TO kill it. DR.. Riddle died short
ly after he reached the stable.
The case has led the stewards to
take steps looking to the extermina-
ton Of this evil--one of the greatest
evils on the American turf. 1t has been
suggested that whenever a horse is
suspected of being doped veterinarian
examine him and if it be found that
he has been given a drug the owner
and trainer shall be ruled off for life.
Dope" as it is called, first came into
use among horsemen at the old Gut
tenberg track, in New Jersey. This
track on the palisades was the birth
place of many evils Of the turf, but
none was worse than that of doping
the runners. A veterinary surgeon
named Ring was responsible for the
Introduction of the practice. He was
employed by many of the trainers to
attend their sick thoroughbreds, and,
being of a speculative turn of mind, he
conceived the idea of concocting an
elixir of speed that would enable a
horse to run fast and retain his speed
long enough to win.
Put Speed in n Cripple.
The dope was first used on a big
black horse. a cripple. This horse had
once been very fast, but physical all
ments took away all his speed and a
great deal of his courage. His owner
a poor man with more hope than dol
lars. worked as a stable hand for more
fortunate owners in order to get mon
ey enough to buy oats for his single
chance to win a fortune. The old
horses legs were patched up so that
he could stand without shaking ana
he was started in several races, always
litliSLluS Lar OdCh llH the TuCh.
Then il was that DIR. Ring appeared
with his speed and courage producer
He told the owner of the black horse
that he had something that would
make the old skate" forget his pain,
would fire him with all his old ambi-
ton to race and that it would not cost
the owner a cent. Would the owner al
low him to inject the drug into the
horse? Would he?
DR.. Ring thereupon brought forth
his needle and gave the old cripple
the injection that was to fill his almost
broken heart and constitution with the
courage and exhilaration of a Gold
Heels. In a short time the stimulant
began to act. So did the old horse.
He jumped and snorted around like a
2-year-old. Apparently he forgot for
the time his ills and faint heart and
he went to the post with much of his
old-time life renewed. His speed sud
denly returned when he began to race
and at the finish the old black horse
was for in front of his field, pulled
TO walk DR.. Ring and the owner of
the horse cashed in thousands of dol
lars.
The doctor never charged for his
services when he used the dope" All
he desired was the consent of the own
er to use it and a promise of secrecy.
He would pick out horse that Nnce
possessed speed, but had lost its form,
give it an injection and then go into
the ring and back the horse. He made
the bookmakers pay his fee.
Practice Grew Common.
1t was not long before the secret of
DR.. Rings phenomenal success became
known to other owners and then the
practice of doping horses became very
was rarely race run in which sew
eral of the starters were not doped So
frequent did it become that the "tal-
ent" had to figure on which one of the
starters was most affected by the dope
In recent years dope has been I'M
proved upon and the formula that
made Dr. Ring rich at Gutenberg is
no longer used. The effort now is to
secure drug that can be given a horse
without the use of a needle and which
will retain it's strength long enough to
carry the animal through the race.
Veterinarians declare that a doped
horse can invariably be detected by
an examination of its eyes. Never
theless the practice is still kept up.
When the use of the needle became so
common that the turf authorities be-
gan to take notice of the evil trainers
resorted to the ball" This did not
leave telltale puff of the flesh behind
as the needle did and the only way
to discover when a horse had been
drugged. if he had not been given toe
much. as in the race of Dr. Riddle,
was by an examination of the eyes.
Dope" cannot make a horse that
never possessed speed run fast What
1t can do is to revive in a horse some
of its old courage and to exhilarate ii
to point where it will try to run its