Friday afternoon at Aqueduct, 6-year-old Aussi Austin comfortably won the 8th race, earning for his connections a cool $42,600. That, alas, would not only be his last race, but also his last day on this planet. For you see, Aussi Austin suffered a spiral fracture during the race and is now dead. Unsurprisingly, his people first tried surgery – unsurprisingly, because this was Aussi’s third consecutive good-money win ($26,790 at Laurel on January 16th and $33,600 at Aqueduct on March 13th).
Friday’s fatal run was Aussi’s first under trainer/owner David Jacobson, who bought the horse for $50,000 back in March. For Jacobson, this makes 12 NY deaths since 2009. Also complicit: jockey Taylor Rice; Aussi’s three previous trainers – Mark Casse, Giuseppe Iadisemia, Rudy Rodriguez; breeder Gainesway Thoroughbreds; and prior owners.
Every time I see Jacobson’s name I cringe. But he helps fill race cards and that is what is important in this game. The horses are just the means and there is an overabundance of them…
Aussi Austin, I’m so sorry you ended your short life in this way and in the clutches of the “kings” of claiming
And pro-racing folks say a horse won’t run if he/she is hurt…that they cannot be “made” to run. Here another horse – Aussi Austin – proves them wrong. Put them in a running herd and they will run…whole or broken.
And Jacobson needs some investigation…or has that already taken place…
RIP Aussi Austin. I will always hold a deep respect for your life, now gone.
Jacobson was investigated for the “Toque” incident and found to have no fault associated with his actions in regards to his placement and subsequent death of the grey gelding. There are many advocates calling for a full investigation of Jacobson’s practices but as he is the top moneymaking trainer at NYRA they will fall upon deaf ears until we actually catch him doing something heinously illegal red-handed. He has pledged to set up a retirement program for his horses and $50 from each win that his syndicate gets will be donated to Thoroughbred retirement. So essentially he has appeased many with these actions. Unfortunately, most of the horses in his claiming cartel, never make it to retirement. They are over-raced until they breakdown way before they are deemed candidates for retirement under Jacobson’s system. Many of his lower level horses run more often than every 10 days. At Aqueduct this past meet it as determined by a well-respected turf writer, Jerry Bossert, that only 75 horses supported the regular race cards of the entire 79 day meet. These statistics are fairly disturbing. At the NYRA meet so far this year, Jacobson has 16 wins for his training stable and DAS, his syndicate, has 34.
I’m very aware of Jacobson and his history…I was expressing sarcastic DISGUST with the industry that allows this scum to destroy horses. But why would anyone be surprised…it’s an industry that chews horses up and spits them out on a daily basis. The steady stream of broken bodies has become a raging river. Jacobson is merely one of countless others. And as long as racing exists, the killing will continue. There is no “fix” except racing’s demise.
Apparently jockey Taylor Rice cantered a limping Aussie Austin to the winners circle.Not a good move!! She needs to be suspended.
You can’t “catch” someone without trying. He makes too much money for any serious effort from the industry and money is all that counts. Of course, the big $50.00 donation for
retirement is a PR effort. Big deal.. a whole $50.00 !!
PS Does anyone know where Be Bullish is ? He has not started since 2/17, is now 9 yrs. old and has earned almost a million. Maybe he “retired” on one of Jacobson’s $50.00 donations.
Are you implying that we as people who rehome OTTBs and rescue horses off feedlots aren’t trying? We aren’t in the shedrows and we aren’t in cahoots with NYRA. We can only fact find from the horses we monitor and tracing the paths of the horses we rescue. If it weren’t for the careful monitoring that our colleagues do by working cooperatively not even the Toque allegations would have been raised. At least Jacobson had to answer for his complicity even if he was held harmless. We’re trying alright, but we’re fighting a system that has way more resources than we do. Eventually we’ll find something that will stick, but please don’t tell me that the 100 or so advocates who each play a role in the safeguarding of as many old warriors and failed racehorses as possible aren’t trying.
Clarification: I was referring to the “officials” in racing. At one time there was talk of putting cameras in Jacobson’s barn. I have no ide if it ever came to fruition or not. I have the utmost admiration for the people who work so hard to help the voiceless. It is a very difficult job and not for the faint of heart. Thank you for what you do.
There is nothing we would like more than cameras in EVERY stall at NYRA. They are a great and actually highly cost effective monitoring tool. But sadly that won’t stop Jacobson from running his horses to death. He enters his horses in race cards with higher frequency than any other Monmouth, Laurel, NYRA trainer. If his “chemistry experiments” were the reason that he can do this then surveillance could help. I suspect though that he just doesn’t have any moral issues whatsoever with just grinding his horses into pulp with or without medication. Therefore we have to catch him on infractions or shipping horses to KBs-he’s gotten too cagey for the latter so we have to catch him on the former. He’s so very well insulated it’s worse than trying to trap a KGB mole. He’s a very touchy subject with many of us-he pulls my hair trigger. Sorry if I sounded harsh- just want him dealt with ASAP and oftentimes feel helpless in stopping his flagrant abuse of his claimers and other horses. Slave traders have possessed more scruples.
Jacobson! An infamous man involved with an equally infamous stable. His website proclaims “Drawing Away Stables – We Race Winners.” Sadly, looking through photos of his “winners” you find most of them dead or vanished. SHOULD say – “We race winners to death.” People like this should be barred from racing FOREVER.