Enhancing Drugs in Race Horses

Enhancing Drugs in Race Horses

One of the biggest letdowns in horse betting is when you are excited about a horse only to have it disqualified because it tested positive for performanceenhancing drugs. And what about that horse you bet on who wins, but later gets outed as a drugenhanced animal? Does that mean all your research and statistics were irrelevant? The good news is if your horse is disqualified you won't lose any money, but how can you avoid betting on drugenhanced horses in the first place?

The sad truth is, sometimes you can't avoid this because many horses are not routinely tested for drugs. Usually race horses are only tested if something suspicious comes up. For example, if a true underdog horse wins several races in a day, it may look suspicious and the horse may need to be tested. If the horse tests positive it may be suspended from racing and the trainers will be fined or even fired. Less than 10% of all race horses are tested each year in the UK, leaving punters in the dark about whether they are betting on or against a drugenhanced horse.

Drug enhancement in horse racing is also a problem because it skews statistics. It's a fact that most experienced punters, horse racing tipsters, and bookmakers base their bets, odds, and advice on a horse's historical performance. But now that we know many horses are routinely enhanced with drugs, we don't know if the stats are accurate on any of the horses bet on. The horse racing industry (not to mention the betting industry) needs clean statistics in order to function.

A solution is not to shut down horse racing, because it is a fun and profitable hobby for many punters around the world. Instead, enthusiastic punters should call for more accountability in horse racing drug use. If you see a law in action or a newspaper article about performanceenhancing drugs in horses, speak out and take action. There is no need for one of the best betting sports out there to be tainted by drugs. The horses are amazing racers as it is and the sport should be brought back to its natural and perfect state.