Horse sense

The Hong Kong Jockey Club laboratory has built a global reputation for thoroughness to discourage the chicanery that has sometimes marred horse racing in Asia.

In an unusual incident last year, for example, someone sneaked onto a racecourse here and buried pneumatic tubes and sedative-tipped darts in the turf where the horses start.

The scheme, at a different site in Hong Kong from where the Olympic competition is being held, was uncovered just before racing began. The police have speculated that the plan may have been to place bets on long-shot horses, then fire darts into the bellies of the favorites, but detectives have failed to find the culprits. --NYT

(Via Jane)