In 1908, a year when the Hart–Agnew Law banned gambling in New York, the number of Thoroughbred races was limited and the industry, without revenue from betting, was on the verge of collapse.

[1] Hired by major stable owners Harry Whitney and Richard T. Wilson Jr., Eddie Dugan won the first of his three American Classic Races, riding Royal Tourist to victory in the Preakness Stakes.

[2] Banned from competing, after his suspension expired Eddie Dugan returned to riding in January 1909 at Santa Anita Park in California.

With racing in the United States still limited from the effects of the Hart–Agnew Law that banned betting on horse races, in April 1909 Eddie Dugan went to England to ride for Harry Whitney but was not granted a jockey license after American Jockey Club records showed he had been suspended six times for rough riding [3][4] Returning to the United States, Dugan had an outstanding year, winning his second Suburban Handicap, plus the Brooklyn, Jerome and Saranac Handicaps.

[7] With racing still restricted in the United States and many New York tracks closed, in 1913 and 1914 Eddie Dugan and his brother Willie traveled to Russian Empire where they competed successfully.