Two horses have been killed at Finger Lakes in as many days:
In the 9th race yesterday afternoon, 7-year-old Elsaroarin, making start number 44, broke his right front pastern. And today, 4-year-old Western Grit, with two DNFs in the past year, went down while training. Over the last 2 1/2 months, 11 athletes have perished at the western NY track. This is horseracing.
It is hard to believe but racing disgusts me more every day. Two horses, both in the prime of their lives, destroyed by racing. Just another day in the gambling world…
A racehorse owner who comments infrequently here (I’ve only seen his comments on the California Chrome post), and who made certain we understood his horses run at a “high level”, remarked more than once about his horse(s) running at “The Spa” – Saratoga. Well as we all know, most horses that run at Saratoga don’t stay at that “high level” for their entire careers. They drop lower and lower, and find themselves no longer running amongst the “elite” at Saratoga but against the “cheap horses” at the “cheap tracks”. Elsaroarin and the former Asmussen-trained Western Grit ran at Saratoga…now they’re dead.
I agree, Joy. Horses do not remain at the “high level”. The vast majority enter the hell of the downward spiral known as the claiming game.
Owners who talk about their horses just running at tracks like the “The Spa” are either deluding themselves or attempting to delude others.
This ugly business is built on the backs of the “claimers”.