{"product_id":"unnatural-ability-the-history-of-performance-enhancing-drugs-in-thoroughbred-racing-hardcover","title":"Unnatural Ability: The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMilton C. Toby\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a mere twelve months, between May 2020 and May 2021, horse racing's most recognizable face--Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert--had five horses that failed postrace drug tests. Among those was the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit. While the incident was a major scandal in the Thoroughbred racing world, it was only the latest in a series of drug-related infractions among elite athletes. Stories about systemic rule-breaking and \"doping culture\"--both human and equine--have put world-class athletes and their trainers under intense scrutiny. Each newly discovered instance of abuse forces fans to question the participants' integrity, and in the case of horse racing, their humanity. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eUnnatural Ability: The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing\u003c\/i\u003e, Milton C. Toby addresses the historical and contemporary context of the Thoroughbred industry's most pressing issue. While early attempts at boosting racehorses' performance were admittedly crude, widespread legal access to narcotics and stimulants has changed the landscape of horse racing, along with athletic governing bodies' ability to regulate it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the sport at a critical turning point in terms of doping restrictions and sports betting, Toby delivers a comprehensive account of the practice of using performance-enhancing drugs to influence the outcome of Thoroughbred races since the late nineteenth century. Paying special attention to Thoroughbred racing's purse structure and its reliance on wagering to supplement a horse's winnings, Toby discusses how horse doping poses a unique challenge for gambling sports and what the industry and its players must do to survive the pressure to get ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eMilton C. Toby\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning author, journalist, and attorney with more than forty years of experience researching and writing about Thoroughbred racing and equine law. He is the author of eight books, including \u003ci\u003eTaking Shergar: Thoroughbred Racing's Most Famous Cold Case\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDancer's Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eNoor: A Champion Thoroughbred's Unlikely Journey from California to Kentuck\u003c\/i\u003ey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 440\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.9 x 8.4 x 6.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 08, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53557267267891,"sku":"9780813197432","price":35.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/s3xxpj-vy.myshopify.com\/products\/unnatural-ability-the-history-of-performance-enhancing-drugs-in-thoroughbred-racing-hardcover","provider":"The Celestial Starlit Phoenix ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}