3-year-old Western Sword broke down in last night’s 8th race at Penn National and is dead. This was the gelding’s fourth start, all under trainer Edward Allard and owner/breeder Gilbert Campbell. In a short two months, his value – as measured by the “for sale” tag – had dropped from $25,000 (in his first race on June 9th) to yesterday’s $7,500. Now, he is worth nothing. This is horseracing.
A race every 2 weeks for this 3 year old until he went down. Was it the bad step excuse ? There are no excuses. The horse was deliberately killed.
RIP Western Sword. You are safe from the abusers now. Unfortunately there will be others.
PS There are 1,037 yearlings for sale by the Ocala Breeders’ Company in Ocala, August 27- 28.
Gilbert Campbell and trainer Ned Allard are both outstanding horsemen. Ned Allard would NEVER race a horse that was unsound or unfit. If you want to continue to bash this industry, I highly suggest you LIVE the industry and learn which members deserve to have their names strung through the mud.
“Suggest” as you will, but I report facts: Western Sword died while in service to Allard and Campbell.
Western Sword was entering the downward spiral of the abusive claiming game. Dropped from $20,000 to $7,500. Hard to believe he was “sound”.
Also, the results of CA necropsies show 85 to 90% of break downs have prior injuries at the site of the fracture that ends the horse’s life.
Amen, Rose! Racing disgusts me more with each passing day.
RIP Western Sword. Even though your servitude to this gambling industry was short-lived, you deserved better. Three-years-old and DEAD. This abuse boggles the mind.