Sporting activities have always provided multiple opportunities to win rewards for athletes and even followers. For some athletes, their passion to win sometimes see them making scandalous moves, some of which became infamous milestones in the sport’s history.
From misconduct around faking a horse’s death to rigging the betting system, we detail some of the most popular horse racing scandals in history, and have come up with 5 spectacular events.
Top 5 Famous Horse Racing Scandals
The Sport of Kings may be one of the most exciting for racehorse lovers, but it has also seen some of the most ignoble sporting scandals in history. Here are the five most famous scandals in the racing industry’s history.
1968: The Kentucky Derby winner tests positive for phenylbutazone
The winning stallion, which was a horse named Dancer’s Image, tested positive for phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory drug after darting from last to first across the finish line at the May 4, 1968 Kentucky Derby. Although the rules permitted the drug’s usage off race day for pain relief, the sport’s anti-doping program meant that no horse would have it on race day.
Dancer’s Image’s win was erased after the discovery for being another episode of doping scandals. Although the horse’s owner, Peter Fuller, disputed the disqualification in court for years, he was ultimately unsuccessful. The owner could only put up with a theory about what happened.
1970s: “Big Tony” fixes hundreds of races
The early 70s saw Anthony Ciulla, also called “Big Tony”, bribe jockeys over hundreds of races. He told them to reduce their horses’ have so they don’t finish in the final three, ensuring that the less likely horses won to deliver massive gambling wins. Ciulla once admitted to fixing matches in all American states except one.
During a 1975 racing event at Atlantic City, a bribed jockey couldn’t hide his art of reining in the horse, eventually inspiring a thorough investigation into the sport.
The jockey owned up to Ciulla’s participation. Ciulla spent time behind bars but eventually got out after he testified for the FBI in a federal inquiry into the horse racing industry via a Witness Protection Program.
1977: A doctor fakes a horse’s death
Dr. Mark Gerard was a racehorse caregiver and veterinarian when a horse under his care, Secretariat, won the Triple Crown in 1973. Dr. Gerard also worked as an agent to import two horses – Cinzano and Lebon to America in mid-1977.
While Cinzano was a high-level stallion in his former country (Uruguayan winner of the country’s Horse of the Year award in 1976), Lebon was just about average. After the racehorses arrived at Gerard’s, the veterinarian recorded that Cinzano died in an accident.
Soon, Lebon surprised most viewers when he won a New York’s Belmont Park race in September 1977. Gerard earned $80k from the event. However, a Uruguayan pressman soon told the New York Jockey Club about Gerard’s foul play. The victorious Lebon was Cinzano. While both stallions looked similar, the white stars on their foreheads looked differently. Gerard served time behind bars for switching the horses’ identities.
2002: Three fraternity brothers rig the betting system at the Breeder’s Cup
Following the Breeders’ Cup in late October 2002, Derrick Davis won “Pick Six” gambling tickets. In a “Pick Six”, bettors try to predict the leaders of six consecutive races. Davis did and won over $3 million. However, suspicion rose around the circumstances as he was the only gambler to win a Pick Six. Davis correctly predicted leaders in the first four races while predicting all horses to win in the final couple of events.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Chris Harn, one of Davis’ fraternity brothers, was a senior computer programming expert at the company behind the telephone betting service Davis used. Harn succeeded at altering Autotote’s system after the first four events, letting him select the winners for Davis’ tickets.
Harn also rigged wagers with another fraternity brother Glen DaSilva. All three involved persons bagged jail terms ranging from one year to 37 months.
2019: 30 horses die within six months at a California racetrack
30 stallions died at California racetrack Santa Anita Park between December 2018 to June 2019, 23 of which occurred by the end of March. The massive deaths generated a public outcry, a lingering controversy, and continuous conversations concerning animal protection, the use of whips, thoroughbred racing, post-race care, banned substances (like Viagra), performance-enhancing drugs, and the dicey subject of legal and illegal drugs.
The track temporarily shut down, before phasing in a ban on Lasix, a drug used to prevent bleeding in horses’ lungs. Being a diuretic, the drug also made horses lose weight before a race.
The cause of the deaths was tied to trainers feeling pressured to put horses on the track and possibly poor record-keeping. However, there were no discoveries that the trainers used drugs to enhance performance or make young horses run faster, leading to the deaths. It stirred the need to protect horses more.
“If you want to understand the effect of weight on a horse, try running for a bus with nothing in your hands. Then try doing it with your hands full of shopping. Then think about doing that for four and a half miles.” ~ Jenny Pitman.
Horse Racing Betting Tips
For many fans in the racing world, following events in the sport requires more than watching the racetracks to winning wagers from races. However, success in this endeavor requires more than desire.
A good way to ensure you get it right is to be careful in picking a sportsbook. According to top tipster Evelyn Balyton, your choice of bookmaker can make or mar your wagering experience. This is why you should consult trusted review platforms to discover the most reliable horse racing online betting platforms before you begin.
Sticking to these betting tips will also help:
- Doing adequate research on horses, tracks, and jockeys
- Taking note of favorite horses
- Avoiding overbets
- Choosing a betting strategy and sticking to it
- Choosing the right wager
- Gambling responsibly
“Horse racing is animated roulette.” – Roger Kahn.
Final Thoughts
Of course, there are several other high-profile scandals aside from the five above, like horse Medina Spirit testing positive to betamethasone after failing a drug test, indicting a notorious trainer Bob Baffert – who has a history of failing over 28 drug tests and pushing horses beyond their limits in 40+ years. However, the above five aptly capture a wide range of varying scandalous activities in the race’s history.
The scandals highlight the need for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Act, which can establish national standards for drugs and medication, alongside testing and enforcement measures, which took effect from July 1, 2022.
