This famed vet was hired by a group of people to make sure a horse turned up dirty.

The First Time

Back in the day, the fix really was in.

This famed vet was hired by a group of people to make sure a horse turned up dirty.

The group hated the owner of the horse.

The vet was a visionary when it came to cheating and doping and he was for hire.

He was also the person this disgraced former A+ list athlete turned to help him with his cheating.

I always thought it fitting that the vet died the same year as the last title.

Equine veterinarian: Alex Harthill

Horse: Dancer’s Image

Owner Peter Fuller

Lance Armstrong

When was the last time a Kentucky Derby horse was disqualified for an illegal substance?

Maximum Security was disqualified from winning the 2019 Kentucky Derby for dangerously impeding the paths of others, but the last time a horse was dethroned for a prohibited substance was Dancer’s Image in 1968.

A mandatory post-race urine test revealed phenylbutazone, a non-steroid inflammatory medication used to decrease pain. Because it was not considered performance-enhancing, “bute” was allowed at many race tracks at the time — but not Churchill Downs.

Equine veterinarian Alex Harthill administered bute to Dancer’s Image six days before the Derby for ankle problems, per The Post, and the medication was expected to leave the thoroughbred’s system within 72 days.

Testing determined that the drug persisted and Dancer’s Image, which went from last place to first in the race, was stripped of the Derby title and dropped to 14th place by stewards.

Dancer’s Image is the only Derby winner to date that has been disqualified for an illegal substance. Owner Peter Fuller was respected in horse racing circles and unsuccessfully fought to clear his horse’s name through the court system. After years of legal wrangling, the decision was upheld in 1972.- Source