Crio’s question: Performance enhancing

I remember my Dad many years ago wondering about all the fuss regarding “performance enhancing”.
“It’s the ones they stop!”, he’d anguish.
What’s wrong with doing whatever it takes to be the best?
And, as an addendum…what’s then the problem with backing yourself to win? It’s OK in NZ.
Beats the hell out of trying to lose!

Comments

  1. Anyone remember Rocket Racer dropping dead after winning the Perth Cup when full of elephant juice. What if it dropped dead on the home turn? I would think that one of the biggest problems with “performance enhancing” is that because it’s a secret thing, no one really knows exactly how much of whatever is really going to. There’s plenty of stuff given to horses to help performance that’s legal but just not within x days of racing, also it’s not a level playing field as not everyone gets or has access to the “magic stuff”.

    Backing yourself to win.- I’d like it to be manadatory for jockeys, have half the ride fee on best fluc. and also I’d like to see every vet who does an inspection at the barrier have to back the horse to win $500 at whatever odds it is. How many times do you see one get inspected behind the barrier and then perform to expectation, almost never in my experience.

  2. My recollection is that Rocket Racer took an extra lap to pull up and then “collapsed” in the mounting yard. Was taken away and subsequently died before a sample could be taken. That was Perth for you in the Laurie Connell period! No further questions your honour, I’ll take the cheque thanks.
    Love Jock’s idea of the vet’s puting their money on the line re barrier inspections.
    Re backing your horse, that’s fine by me but Olly was backing another runner while riding in the same race. Can’t condone that .

  3. Allegedly

  4. Sorry, I allegedly love Jock’s idea..

  5. Crio,

    G’day, mate. Nice, baited question. Flo Jo, dead, heaps crook for life. Lots of East German heart attacks, etc… Many athletes presured since childhood, so you can’t just say “They were grown-ups who made a choice”. Not all the time.

    But, above all else, America would win everything!!! They have the most money, and, buy the best scientists from around the world, and produce the best juice. It would be nothing more than a cash clash.

    In the L.A. Olympics, the Olympic Village cleaners went on strike because of the amount of needles in the U.S. rooms.

    Basically. It ain’t fair. And a killer. And defeats the perpose of elite sport. To see who is the best. Not what drug is.

    So, um, yeah!

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