The late Milton Toby was recognized at the EQUUS Film & Arts Fest in November. His book “Unnatural Ability: The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing” received the WINNIE award in the Literary – Racing category.
In Unnatural Ability: The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing, 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.
Toby is a multiple award-winning author, journalist, and attorney with more than forty years of experience researching and writing about Thoroughbred racing and equine law. Unnatural Ability: The History of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Thoroughbred Racing is the tenth book on racing written by Toby and published by the University Press of Kentucky. His other books include Taking Shergar: Thoroughbred Racing’s Most Famous Cold Case, Dancer’s Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby, and Noor: A Champion Thoroughbred’s Unlikely Journey from California to Kentucky. His books are available on Amazon and the University Press of Kentucky website.
Toby served as a board member of American Horse Publications and American Society of Journalists and Authors for many years.