The following, unless otherwise noted, were “vanned off” American tracks last week.
Tuesday:
2-year-old As High as the Sky, Beulah, race 1
3-year-old Fatherscountrygirl, Beulah, race 5 (“broke down”)
5-year-old Master Splash, Finger Lakes, race 2 (“in distress”)
6-year-old Mam Bird, Parx, race 6 (“fell”)
Wednesday:
5-year-old Brandy’s Big Guy, Aqueduct, race 9
3-year-old G’s Calling, Delta, race 4 (“broke down”)
4-year-old Pleasant Closing, Hawthorne, race 8
5-year-old My Fever, Hawthorne, race 9
Thursday:
3-year-old Sacred Ovation, Hollywood, race 5 (“bleeding from the nostrils”)
3-year-old Orangeyouacutie, Hollywood, race 5
3-year-old Monster Dinner, Charles Town, race 6 (not vanned but “bled”)
7-year-old Hammurabi, Golden Gate, race 6 (“broke down,” unclear on van off)
2-year-old Smokin Deal, Remington, race 1 (“pulled up in distress”)
4-year-old Cat Tail Cutie, Remington, race 3 (“broke down”)
Friday:
4-year-old M One, Churchill, race 3
3-year-old Heza Tipping Fast, Evangeline, race 5
5-year-old Bo Devil, Retama, race 5
Saturday:
4-year-old Fiftyfour Forever, Aqueduct, race 9
8-year-old Henry the Lover (47th start), Charles Town, race 4
4-year-old Flavored Punch, Charles Town, race 7 (not vanned but “bleeding from nose”)
6-year-old Awesome David, Charles Town, race 9 (“pulled up lame”)
2-year-old Like a Deputy, Delta, race 3 (2nd consec DNF – “shied from whip” on 11/1)
2-year-old Dashing Nic, Evangeline, race 5 (confirmed dead)
2-year-old Jess Spicey (after winning), Evangeline, race 9
Sunday:
6-year-old Rock Solid Charm, Golden Gate, race 9
4-year-old Let’s Get Lucky, Hawthorne, race 6
2-year-old Jagger Br, Los Alamitos, race 9 (“took bad step,” “in distress”)
6-year-old Mufaajy, Portland, race 7 (“went wrong”)
8-year-old Joy of the Lord (60th start), Turf, race 6
29 horses…vanned off, pulled up, in distress…in only one week…and how many others that we know nothing about. But the industry just moves along with their blinders on, taking no responsibility for their welfare and their lives…but happily taking the money made off their backs.
Joy, just to be clear, I do not include horses who are able to walk off after being “pulled up” or “eased.” So, yes, the list of injured runners is actually longer than what’s shown on my “ambulance reports.”
I called the phone number in the ny condition book over the summer and reported mp joe as lame. Peter Chin, his trainer would take the horse out of the stall at least 1 hour before the state vet came to examine the daily entries. This way the horse had all of his kinks out and the vets saw nothing. My phone call fell on deaf ears and now joe is gone. Trainers like peter chin should loose their license to train.
Rock Solid Charm is alive, well, sound and in my barn in California. Being trained for his new owner.