Baseball isn't alone. Only the hopelessly naive believe every race is won by the swiftest and not sometimes by the horse with the best, most powerful chemicals coursing through its system. But don't expect any corrupt trainers or veterinarians showing up at BALCO looking for the same stuff that has obviously helped some jacked-up ball players send home runs into the stratosphere.

Steroids have found their way into horse racing and they may be improperly used in some cases, but they are hardly a scourge. At least that's the opinion of Dr. Scot Waterman, who heads the NTRA Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and knows medication issues and controversies backward and forward.

"They are not typically used to promote muscle mass," he said. "The reason being is that you have these animals that are racing on four spindly legs. If you create a horse who is too muscle bound you would have all sorts of problems keeping that animal fit, healthy and on the track."

While 45 pounds of extra muscle may help a baseball player hit a ball an extra 30 feet and over the fence, Waterman says extra bulk on a race horse won't necessarily make it run any faster and can create injury problems. That's something no trainer should want.

"I don't think you can improve very much on what God gives that horse," Waterman said. "In fact, if you look at what Barry Bonds' frame used to be and what it is now and you did the same thing with a race horse you'd have all kinds of soft tissue problems…ligament, tendon, even bone. There's so much torque created in the legs when these guys are running that if you had too much pull in that muscle, I think it would lead to all sorts of potential problems."

Still, steroids play a role in the sport and some believe a positive role. Largely because they are believed to have therapeutic affects, they are legal in every state but Iowa. (Sir Bear tested positive for steroids when he won the 2000 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows). A trainer can use them at any time and in any amount without any fear of punishment. According to Waterman, they are used as general tonics that can improve appetite and enhance muscle recovery from exercise. Several steroid products have been approved by the FDA for use in horses.

Though they may not necessarily be a performance-enhancing drug, they could have positive effects that may not satisfy anyone who believes horses should benefit from nothing more than hay, oats and water.

"It's not a muscle, build type issue," Waterman said. "I don't know if an anabolic steroid will improve on genetics in a horse. What I have heard, anecdotally, is that in geldings and in fillies you can produce more aggression and competitiveness. You can take a filly and give her more courage, but not to any great extent."

A greater issue is the use of steroids with yearlings and 2-year-olds sold at auction. There are obvious benefits from pumping up a horse with steroids to make them look like strapping, physical marvels, a shady way to drive up their price at the sales.

Are these examples of cheating, albeit mild form of it? For now, the question is not a major issue. With so many other forms of drugs out there that may have more powerful performance-enhancing properties, the industry isn't about to devote a lot of time and resources to the issue of steroids.

"They are just so commonplace and there are so many other issues out there," said Jim Gallagher, Waterman's predecessor with the NTRA consortium. "It's just not that high on the Richter scale. Most people use it just to help a horse bounce back in its training of use it to help a frail filly."

Still, Waterman is not perfectly comfortable with racing's lenient attitude toward steroids. He knows their use doesn't cast the sport in a favorable light and he's not sure the industry has a firm grasp on how they may be misused.

"If you look at the negative public reaction over the whole thing with Bonds, Giambi and Sheffield, you see this a potential problem," he said. "If we're going to be proactive as an industry, and we have to be proactive because of the wagering aspect of the industry, it's something we have to tackle at some point. It's not going to be tomorrow, but we have to keep our head above the sand on this and make sure we hear if these drugs are being abused."