In the wake of the Mitchell Report, baseball fans everywhere have a great deal to be disappointed about. After all many of their heroes' "love of the game" was revealed to be nothing more than lust – lust for fame, glory and wealth.
Nevertheless the recent steroid scandals within Major League Baseball should serve to remind us that -- here in
Kentucky Horse Racing, for the most part, has managed to remain extremely stern and exceptionally honest when it comes to the prohibition of performance enhancing drugs.
Other states with much lower regulatory standards have experienced the fatal consequence of allowing performance enhancing drugs on the track.
The use of steroids not only threatens the horses’ lives, but also hurts the game. Arguably, fair play is much more important in horse racing than in other sports like baseball, since wagering by the public is not only legal but is the lifeblood of the sport.
Fortunately intentional medication abuse on
According to Dr. Thomas Tobin from the
The new standards put in place by the Kentucky Racing Authority combined with the advancement of drug testing technology, has allowed the detection of performance enhancing drugs to be increasingly accurate and precise; even capable of detecting minute amounts of substances over long periods of time.
Dr. Tobin also pointed out that given the high technology and increased accuracy of drug testing, one might assume more medication abuse would be discovered. The reality is quite the contrary. Dr. Tobin found that, "Increased technology has actually revealed racing as a clean, upstanding industry."
Given this high level of technology Dr. Tobin can see how many people would assume that more medication abuse might be discovered. On the contrary the reality as Dr. Tobin found is that, “Increased technology has actually revealed racing as a clean, upstanding industry.”
Yet on the rare occasion that foul play is found, the punishment is swift and harsh. Recent examples include veterinarian Rodney Stewart and trainer Patrick Biancone – both of whom were immediately suspended from their respective positions upon being found guilty.
My stepfather Jay Wilkinson is a horse trainer in
The significance of Kentucky Horse Racing maintaining its strict policies and upholding its integrity becomes all the greater as
According to the event's website, the World Equestrian Games are expected to generate an
Perhaps more than any other sports, horseracing and baseball revere their record books above all else. Neither sport has changed significantly in over 100 years and the records are considered sacrosanct. While baseball's record book has been unquestionably tarnished by questions about sluggers such as Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire, horse racing records have no such blemish.
