Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-05
DOPING HORSES GETS
DOWN TO A SCIENCE
Cullen Tells How Thorough
breds Are Fixed to Win
and Lose Races.
By Clarence L. Cullen
Special Correspondence of The Star

NEW YORK, December 4, 1909.
THE quick-pll and hurry-hypo people
put a lot of hot ones over during the
final weeks on the tracks around New
York" said an old-time trainer who has
been at the game for so many years that
he calls his sciatica SPAWN and his rheu-
matism ringbone. But, on the level
they've never had any sure-enough scien-
tifc horse doping on the New York tracks
that I've seen. The real horse chemists
were all developments of the western
tracks and they never cared much to do
any operating on this side of the Allie
ghenies. / knew a doper once on a west
ern track who could almost make a horse
do anything that four or even two
legged thing could De taught to do, from
running like a loose Stag freight on
down grade to walking backward on his
hind legs the whole length of the track
He had his different dopes nicely number
cd in his kit. from l to about 20. and
every one OF 'em was warranted to make
horse do something different.
IF you put a skate into a small field,
all good actors at the post, SO that it
was cinch that there'd be no delay at
the barrier, you'd pass the word to tins
lymph mixer that you wanted just a plain
dose of the lively liquid. The doper would
pass you the stuff that would just begin
to get a-gofng good in a horses veins
when he reached the post. and when the
flag dropped he'd dance out in front ana
come home on his mouth iron, and with
no more OF the white foam his side
when the hoy dismounted in front OF the
stand than IL he'd been shifting oats IN
his stall.
eff Won sent the same horse into race
with a big field. including a number of
bad actors and post kickers, THIS doper
would have a phial ready for your mutt
that could be given to him a quarter OF
an hour before post time and that
wouldn't begin to take effect for from
ten minutes to a quarter of an hour after
the lineup at the barrier. That's what
call sure-enough horse fixing.
This same equine chemist had just as
many different kinds of what he called
the negative dope as he had of the
straight go-ahead kinds For instance
s'pose you stuck plug in a mile race
and didn't want him to win. The morse
has a reputation as a spread-eagler that
goes right off in front. and you feel that
IL wouldn't DO for him to get mixed up
in the ruck and come home as a trailer
In case like that you could simply tell
This scientific fixer that you didn't ex-
pect to win that race.
Want to be able to say after the race
that your horse was short and that that
was the reason he curled upg he would
- on, something like that you'd make
answer.
We'll, I'll let you have a little No.
T. he'd say. Dye see that little tuft OF
extra green grass down there near the
sixteenth pole?
You'd see that little extra green tuft,
Of course.
Well. your plug will lead to there by
about four lengths, and right alongside
hat tuft of grass he'll shut up like a
bookcase folding bed in a bum boarding
house during a Grand Army convention
All you've got to do to To- SATISFY "a sly tine
hat you'd had no chance to work the
norse on account of the wet track. and
hat he was stodgy from lack Of exercise
see?
And he'd get away with 1t every time
Your spread-eagler would quit right there
ike a dog that runs like the wind after
cat that holds its ground, and that
suddenly concludes that he hasn't lost
any cat that stands still like that, and
then all you'd have to do would be to
snap your fingers and look sore and re-
mark TO the crowd standing around tnat
If that horse had got just about two
more good stiff works In him he'd have
oeen all right-aud then you'd slide into
The ring and annex the wad that was
coming to you on account of your fore
knowledge.
Included among these negative or re-
serse dopes was little bolus that he
called the swerve medicine. He was only
.afled upon to hand out this kind for use
on that kind of horses that there was no
hope of getting beat. even with a strong
armed boy, If they get off In front.
I've got that old hard-mouth Of mine
n the third race, six furlongs. tomorrow.
you'd say to the fixer, and they'll make
him a | to SHOT as sure shooting.
There's only one other in the race that
IAN beat my thing. and there'h be price
against that one. ] don't want to give
any of the stop tonic to my plug. 1t
would look too raw. for they know that he
never stops when he gets his head in
'front.'. Got anything that 'ud about ft?'
oh, I guess a little of the side-step
sarsaparilla 'ud be about tle article, he'd
-eply Your horse can lead to the head
If the stretch by about ten lengths. IL he
Sants to be gay as all that, but at the
lead of the stretch he'll take 1t into his
mind that he wants to curt along the out
side instead of the inside rail, and he'll
ose about thirty lengths making bronco
swerve to the off side. The only thing
Sour horse. being rank, got the devil into
Vim suddenly and burned up their money.
And that's the way It would happen.
The old heayymouth would buck-jump
ding in front. pulling for his head and
anlling the boy until his teeth Wouid
oosen but, just turning into the stretch
with lead that would make you think
hat nothing on earth short of a pole-ax
%ell thrown could possibly beat him,
Hhy, he'd do that circus ring dance to the
outside fence and then the one that you
rad sort of sneaky idea was going to
,op the currency would push through the
lunch on the inside rail and dodder down
q the wire as easy as cracking English
yalnuts with q steam hammer, while your
leavy-mouth would be getting the bat
rom the boy ard trying to recover his
ost ground by cutting across for the
middle of the track.
There were all sorts of novelties, for a
act. in that mans kit. Another Of the
hings tina. he would only be called to get
,ut Of his bag once In a while was what
ie called the Starters Woe.
This was the leave EN- att he-post
,rand OF dope. 1t was only used on over
yhelrning, top-heavy favorites. 1t was a
,raud of dope highly popular with the
cookies, and you'll hear old-time western
rainers lamenting to this day that they
iidnt lay in a supply of about four hogs
reads of it while they had the chance
rhe tremendous public favorite. fixed
iut with a cute little pinch OF this starters
Noe would trot to the post just as
sunnin' and nice az Marys little lamb
md would stand alert at the barrier and
ehaVe himself while all the rest of them
Ne-e flashing out with their heels and
taking nuissnces of themselves. But
ere wouldn't he anything cowlike or too
,umb about his way OF standing at the
ost He'd be just right and look the
:urest kind OF sure thing for getting
best OF the start at the throwing
own of the starters flag.
Il Il
alb the topheavy favorite would take
oix i,tro ayS{ iony han