With private eyes and political muscle, horse racing’s elite pushed to punish dopers

The Jockey Club expertly timed an all-out political push. It had formed a political action committee, or PAC, in late 2015, the same period in which it initially contracted with 5 Stones. In the 2020 election cycle, the PAC contributed $64,000 to the campaigns of federal candidates or affiliated committees, most of them Republicans. It sent $20,000 to McConnell and a committee in his name, and $5,000 to the Senate Georgia Battleground Fund, which was working to help Republicans, and McConnell, keep Senate control. The Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity, which includes the Jockey Club, other horsemen groups and animal welfare organizations, has spent $830,000 on lobbying since 2018, according to OpenSecrets.org.