Horse Juicing: A New Steroid Scandal Rocks The Track

Jose Conseco and other sluggers aren’t the only athletes with a reputation for getting juiced. It seems that athletic substance abuse is moving from the diamond to the track—and we’re not talking about Ben Johnson’s infamous fall from grace in 1988. We’re talking about horses. And for those who love to bet on horse racing, this could be an off track betting game changer.

Yup, four-legged thoroughbreds are the latest athletes to be put under the microscope for steroid use as the latest horseracing scandal begins to unfold.

Well, technically not steroids. But the results are just the same. The waxy monkey tree frog, a small critter from South America, has been found to dramatically improve the performance of horses on the track. Apparently, its skin produces a powerful substance known as dermorphin that works hard to mask pain, effectively making horses run faster.
And if you think this isn’t a serious issue, think again. In the last few weeks, more than 30 horses in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisianna have tested positive. The use of the horse steroid has likely spread to Texas, too.

As a sports bettor who loves to bet on horse racing, you have good reason to be concerned. No one wants to drop big money on a race only to have the results tainted by an unfair and illegal advantage.

Thankfully, the industry is cranking down. Not only is the use of the substance illegal under horse racing rules, it’s actually illegal in the eyes of the law. The substance can put the horse’s life, and in turn the jockey’s life, in serious danger.

And that means trainers caught administering the drug will have a number of charges handed to them.

As fans of the sport who also love betting on horses, we’re keeping an eye on this one to see how it all plays out. The bad news is that there’s a danger of drug use in every sport.

The good news? The horseracing industry seems to be taking this a lot more seriously than other major league sports. And with the story in the spotlight this week, you can be sure that trainers will shy away from monkeying around with the substance.

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