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Originally Posted by Echo Farm
recipes for hop were as plentiful as recipes for corn bread and coming by ingredients wasn’t hard. Caffeine could be boiled out of black coffee. Strychnine (also used by human athletes for speeding up muscle contractions) was a common rat poison. Even cocaine, heroin, and morphine were legal for anyone with a doctor’s prescription to buy from a drugstore, until prohibited by the Harrison Act of 1914—and could be bribed from pharmacists long after that. But using those mixtures effectively was a fine art. Prudent trainers experimented during morning workouts, discovering the right dope and dose for each horse.
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DW,
I think what's being referenced in the earlier post's sweeping generalization, is the incident involving Johnny Loftus that grew out of Mad Hatter beating Sir Barton in November 1919 at Pimlico. Bedwell accused Loftus of taking money from Sam Hildreth to hold Sir Barton. Loftus, who had been aboard Sir Barton for his spring run through the Derby, Preakness, Withers and Belmont, never rode for Bedwell again.
A number of 'sporting journals' reported on the Bedwell-Loftus rift, and rather involved investigations took place publicly and privately that included August Belmont, The Jockey Club, Pinkertons, etc.. Loftus had also had a screaming match with Bedwell at Pimlico which included his claiming that Sir Barton didn't run the day in question because Bedwell hadn't given the horse his 'usual' hop.
Dorothy Ours talks about this incident in her wonderful Man o'War book.