Monzante, a former Grade 1 winner and half million dollar lifetime earner, is dead after breaking down at Louisiana’s Evangeline Downs on July 20th. He was nine. A onetime celebrated champion, the gelding, “talent” eroding, had descended to the lowest rung of competition, the decidedly unglamorous claiming race ($4,000, in this case). Monzante was traded three times in the last two years, with each new owner, like a used car shopper, hoping to squeeze out just a few more miles. A simple commodity. In truth, Monzante was worked to death, an ignominious fate surely awaiting many of this summer’s Saratoga starters.
photo credit: Daily Racing Form
And sadly, injured horses just like Monzante prior to his last race, who do make it across finish lines at tracks across this country end up with more joint injections, legal and illegal pain killers and are sent out again because they are disposable. If they are limping too badly after a race, they find no solace in their stalls. No wasted medication to ease their pain because they are “meat” now and basic animal husbandry even stops. Duct tape that fracture and sell the horse for slaughter. Please remember Monzante but do not forget those unknowns who do finish their races but find a painful journey to auction, then to a slaughterhouse and then hobble to their death on a slaughterhouse floor. RIP all of you.
So sad but true…we adopted 2 OTTB’s ten years ago best horses we ever owned.
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I JUST heard on the news that one of the horses running today will be injected with Lasix. This was mentioned by a guy who is touted by the news media as a handicapper. So now trainers advertise this fact? He mentioned that maybe you should bet on this horse, because of the drug, since he may be running faster!
Thanks for the comment, Tina. Yes, there is little doubt that Lasix improves times. I wrote this on the subject.
Despicable business! How can people say they love horses and treat them this way! How many horses live their lives with a single owner? Precious few I’d guess!
It is sad to say that death is the only relief that race horses have awaiting them. Their lives are fraught with pain, injectables, abuse, disrespect and disregard. Doesn’t matter how much they try, earn or perform. They are all useless beasts the minute they can’t run and the last penny is squeezed from them at the auction on the way to slaughter. There are no words for what humans have become, loss of humanity is putting it politely, We factorize living, breathing animals whether at the race tracks or behind closed doors. It wont be long before we turn on each other just as gruesomely.
… then hearing from the owner that “Monzante was part of the family” is a slap in the face of everyone who indeed treats his horse as a family member – those poor thoroughbreds are regarded as objects, illegal treatments, some trainers get caught, cough up some lame excuse, get banned for a bit, then they are back to business as usual – this shows that society does not really care ! Does this not throw a dark light on us humans? Watching animals suffer, betting on them, and having fun while the horses are dying (just remember Eigth Belles, dying live during the KY Derby, short uotcry then back to business!) … (sorry for going on but I just do not understand the human race any more!)
Thank you for your comments, Susanne. Of course, I completely agree.