An update on the January 2014 casualties.
The following were reported as “vanned off”:
Holy Simone, Delta, Jan 1, still active
Leavin Here, Parx, Jan 1, hasn’t been heard from since
Ezinmotion, Portland, Jan 1, hasn’t been heard from since
Ben’s Starry Night, Portland, Jan 1, hasn’t been heard from since
Trando’s Tremor, Santa Anita, Jan 1, hasn’t been heard from since
Time for Alex, Turfway, Jan 1, hasn’t been heard from since
Beyond Midnight, Laurel, Jan 2, still active
Buckel Bunny, Sunland, Jan 2, hasn’t been heard from since
Music and Me, Santa Anita, Jan 3, still active
Behind the Bossman, Turf, Jan 3, hasn’t been heard from since
Madelyns Itsybitsy, Fair Grounds, Jan 4, still active
Shimmering Star, Golden Gate, Jan 4, still active
Chicks Luv Roses, Sunland, Jan 4, hasn’t been heard from since
Yankee Romance, Los Alamitos, Jan 5, still active
Chatterboxsecret, Los Alamitos, Jan 5, hasn’t been heard from since
Hye I’m Jack, Santa Anita, Jan 5, hasn’t been heard from since
Baran’s Prospect, Tampa Bay, Jan 5, still active
Practice Squad, Delta, Jan 8, hasn’t been heard from since
Shoeless Jackson, Turf, Jan 8, still active
Holy Waters, Charles Town, Jan 10, still active
Minister Machine, Los Alamitos, Jan 10, hasn’t been heard from since
Slick Invader, Los Alamitos, Jan 10, hasn’t been heard from since
Trukarma, Fair Grounds, Jan 11, still active
Flat in Charge, Gulfstream, Jan 11, still active
Danderek, Santa Anita, Jan 11, hasn’t been heard from since
Lea’s Exchange, Tampa Bay, Jan 11, hasn’t been heard from since
Pass the Tap, Aqueduct, Jan 12, hasn’t been heard from since
Ambassy, Los Alamitos, Jan 12, still active
Penamaniac, Sunland, Jan 12, hasn’t been heard from since
Cute N Famous, Sunland, Jan 12, hasn’t been heard from since
Wakati, Sunland, Jan 12, hasn’t been heard from since
Wishingonastar, Aqueduct, Jan 13, hasn’t been heard from since
Bounce Twice, Beulah, Jan 14, hasn’t been heard from since
Western Pine, Sunland, Jan 14, hasn’t been heard from since
La Capitana, Turf, Jan 14, still active
Mr Oz, Tampa Bay, Jan 15, hasn’t been heard from since
Amy H, Tampa Bay, Jan 15, hasn’t been heard from since
One Fine Yank, Delta, Jan 16, still active
Tiz Tee Time, Oaklawn, Jan 16, hasn’t been heard from since
Miss Aisle Band, Penn National, Jan 16, still active
Surfer Dave, Turf, Jan 17, hasn’t been heard from since
Wolfgang, Turf, Jan 17, hasn’t been heard from since
Sporting Gent, Turfway, Jan 17, hasn’t been heard from since
A Boy Named Em, Penn National, Jan 18, hasn’t been heard from since
Made Strong, Sunland, Jan 18, hasn’t been heard from since
Wealth Transfer, Sunland, Jan 18, still active
Classic Harbor, Golden Gate, Jan 19, still active
Running Out of Time, Sunland, Jan 19, hasn’t been heard from since
Ha Dee, Sunland, Jan 19, still active
Cash At the Line, Sunland, Jan 19, still active
Could Be Michael, Beulah, Jan 20, hasn’t been heard from since
Soul Searcher, Golden Gate, Jan 20, hasn’t been heard from since
Raised for Speed, Gulfstream, Jan 20, hasn’t been heard from since
Cameo Lady, Gulfstream, Jan 20, hasn’t been heard from since
Suzzona, Gulfstream, Jan 20, hasn’t been heard from since
Diamonds Fallin Star, Hialeah, Jan 20, still active
Warren’s Rail Bird, Santa Anita, Jan 20, hasn’t been heard from since
Hi Moon Beams, Sunland, Jan 21, still active
Three G Speed, Sunland, Jan 21, hasn’t been heard from since
One Foxy Private, Sunland, Jan 21, hasn’t been heard from since
Horizonbound, Turf, Jan 21, hasn’t been heard from since
Holleran, Wednesday, Beulah, Jan 22, still active
Shakitsugaree, Turf, Jan 22, still active
Worldly Lad, Golden Gate, Jan 24, hasn’t been heard from since
Mo’s the Man, Gulfstream, Jan 24, hasn’t been heard from since
Inexcsessofperfect, Los Alamitos, Jan 24, still active
Shesonlyseventeen, Los Alamitos, Jan 24, hasn’t been heard from since
Aful Alibi, Sunland, Jan 24, hasn’t been heard from since
Said I’m Lucky, Sunland, Jan 24, hasn’t been heard from since
Skinny Margarita, Aqueduct, Jan 25, hasn’t been heard from since
Concrete Cat, Charles Town, Jan 25, hasn’t been heard from since
Polly’s Dancer, Los Alamitos, Jan 25, hasn’t been heard from since
Girl On the Lam, Santa Anita, Jan 25, hasn’t been heard from since
Alasharchy, Santa Anita, Jan 25, hasn’t been heard from since
Cancan Magee, Sunland, Jan 25, hasn’t been heard from since
My Mans No Lady, Portland, Jan 26, still active
Pepe Le Feu, Portland, Jan 26, still active
Us Chicks, Sunland, Jan 26, hasn’t been heard from since
Nicolas Cajun, Turf, Jan 27, hasn’t been heard from since
Divine Daniell, Delta, Jan 31, still active
Of the 80 horses loaded onto ambulances, 53 – or 66% – have simply disappeared.
Although not reported as vanned off, these 7, too, have not resurfaced:
Lexis Hero, Parx, Jan 1, bled
Havanadaydream, Calder, Jan 10, bled
Lady of Athens, Golden Gate, Jan 12, bled
Sizzling Dot, Sunland, Jan 19, “returned sore”
Corona Favorita, Hialeah, Jan 26, “returned lame”
Chilean Brothers, Gulfstream, Jan 31, bled
Cartel Tease, Hialeah, Jan 31, bled
Equibase reported 5 horses as “euthanized”:
Uncle Smokey, Aqueduct, Jan 2
Blonde for Ever, Parx, Jan 6
Casey Lynn, Delta, Jan 9
Battle Silk, Delta, Jan 9
Dixie Sparkle, Aqueduct, Jan 26
…and 23 as “broke down,” all of whom either later confirmed dead or vanished:
Aunt Meanie, Fair Grounds, Jan 1
Shand, Santa Anita, Jan 2
Sassy Cherokee, Charles Town, Jan 4
Classic Ford, Fair Grounds, Jan 4
Side Street, Gulfstream, Jan 4
Clodhopper, Turf, Jan 6
Devils Afleet, Turf, Jan 8
Skip the Limit, Charles Town, Jan 11
Golden Archway, Tampa Bay, Jan 11
Mystery Taste, Beulah, Jan 14
Past Glory, Charles Town, Jan 16
The Mikester, Penn National, Jan 16
Actin Lucky, Charles Town, Jan 18
Diplomatic Gal, Charles Town, Jan 18
More Nuggets, Hialeah, Jan 18
Trick the Queen, Laurel, Jan 18
Longevity, Oaklawn, Jan 18
Top Data, Fair Grounds, Jan 20
Vanessa Flag, Sunland, Jan 21
Electric Eddie, Santa Anita, Jan 25
Silent Blessing, Calder, Jan 26
Gimmenosass, Turf, Jan 26
Royal Affair, Beulah, Jan 29
Taking into consideration that a few of the vanned may have been “retired”/rescued, I think it reasonable to assert that some 85 horses – or almost 3/day – were killed in January 2014 (which is among the slowest racing months). But remember, that’s just in-competition, Thoroughbreds and QuarterHorses – no harness or training deaths are reflected here. In short, more than 24 racehorses are dying on American tracks each week.
(If any of the above are alive, their current people – whether racing, rescue, or private – should disclose; if done, I will dutifully report.)
Patrick, do any of the deaths listed include horses that died at the track during training? Of course, no way to know off track training facility deaths nor the sales prep deaths nor those having to be euthanized if they limped into a rescue and were deemed by the veterinarian to be “unsalvageable” because we know those are not on here but wondering if any racetrack training deaths are included. If not, from what we know about the percent of deaths in training at the couple racetracks that do count them and make that public, how much higher would it be than 24 deaths per week?
And, of course, this figure does not include the number of Thoroughbreds that go to slaughter — the second highest breed sent to slaughter — yet those horses are just as dead. How heartbreaking!
Jo Anne, no, this tally does not include training deaths, although when available (e.g., NY deaths), I do include them on our “Killed in Action, 2014” list. For context, though, 43% of all NYS on-track deaths last year occurred during morning practice. So a similar percentage added to the broke down/vanned off on this list would increase the death toll dramatically. That’s why I say that more than 24 racehorses are dying on American tracks each week.
I believe Electric Eddie- reported as “broke down” and “vanished” exited the Cal Cup with a condylar fracture, had three screws placed, and was recovering nicely at the last report. I don’t know if he did indeed heal up well, but the plan was to retrain him as a riding horse.
Nope- you’re right. He had complications and eventually died of his injury.
Suzanne, would you be willing to reveal your source?
Patrick, I have seen comments regarding Electric Eddie on another forum…I believe titled Race Horse Injuries and Deaths. A comment by someone named Casey described some details about EE’s injuries (plural), his surgery, subsequent laminitis, and rotation of the coffin bone which broke through his sole. Excruciating suffering this poor horse endured…if those are, indeed, the facts. This was posted near the end of May. It is most likely a fact EE is dead from his injuries.
Why is Ms.Eschenbach’s statements scrutinized in the manner mine were? Ms.Aten is proof not needed in this instance? Is her word more credible then mine? Also Holy Waters was moved to Virginia and is supposedly being bred to warm blood mares. I will try to get video, drawn blood, a fecal sample, and a letter from Mary Poppins because my word is not enough. Ms.Eschenbach please understand this comment has nothing to do with your credibility and everything to do with mine. No disrespect meant.
Mr. Oviedo, I’m not certain what it is you feel I should be asking of Ms. Eschenbach about the dead Electric Eddie?
Your defensive attitude was and is obvious. I simply asked for confirming information about a horse you said was removed from racing and therefore “safe”. The fact that you find that offensive raises a red flag…what’s the big deal about sharing good news? This isn’t my first rodeo, and here is a short list of horses off the top of my head that were reported as being retired and safe, only to show up running in bottom-of-the-barrel claiming races or in a neglected/abused state; Saucon Creek, Greenwish, Jugamoney, Tyme Champ, Mayor Marv, Heza Mountain Man, Radio Time, Juan’s Bouncer, Leader of the Pact, Claims my Name…I’ve got lists from personal experiences if you need to see more.
Ms.Aten please return and read your comment immediately following mine. You were certain about what you should ask me and how you should ask it. You addressed me as if I had something to gain by making up stories about those horses. There were no points added to my credit score. I am pretty sure I have not received any extra frequent flyer miles. What benefit to me would there have been?
I read this blog often. I have maybe commented 3-4 times. I am not one to argue futile points, which seems to be the norm in this blog. I thought I had relevant information pertaining two horses mentioned. Your first instinct was to attack.
Futility is my quest of the day I would assume.
Mr. Oviedo, there are many reasons that we, who advocate for the horses, don’t believe those in racing who “babble” that horses are in a “good” place. An example would be Mark Wedig who hauled two horses off the grounds of Beulah Park over two years ago. Wedig said the horses were going to be re-trained as pony horses. He then changed his story and said they were being rested so that they could return to racing. When he realized that no one believed him, he then changed his story for the third time. Both horses were on a wonderful “farm” here in central Ohio. Yes, the horses were here in central Ohio with the contract kill buyer, Mr. Fred Bauer, and were ultimately sent to the slaughterhouse. Because these horses were filled with documented drugs (imagine racehorses filled with drugs!), they were rejected by Richilieu and sent back to the states. Both horses are alive and well because the racing folks were caught with their pants down. By the way, the horses’ names are Cactus Cafe and Canuki. The lies come fast and furious in racing!
Mr. Oviedo, I have looked for the comments you and I made about the horse you said was safely retired but have been unable to find it. If you can identify which post our comments are in, I will be happy to go back and look at exactly what it is I asked of you. But without doing that, I’m quite certain that all I asked for was more information about the horse’s retirement…when, to whom, current physical condition…the same I would ask of anyone. I wasn’t attacking, although the written word, being without tone, can be perceived in a manner quite different than how it was intended. That being said, I don’t blindly trust what you – someone I don’t know at all – are telling me. And although I could “blame” many past experiences, I won’t…I choose to question, I choose to be wary. It’s for the horse that I do.
I was not asking for an argument, nor did I attack you. I simply asked for details regarding the retirement of a horse, something most of us here would be very interested in knowing. Why would you claim something that wasn’t true?…I don’t know why YOU would…but I think I know why others have. What I know for certain is that they did.
Ms.Aten the post was about 24 horses a week. Your first statement was “Please do tell”. As you say there is no tone to written words, but you did CAPITALIZE some words which tends to dictate tone.
I am sure that it would be a massive waste of time, but how would one go about confirming a horses health? Case in point: My daughter showed me a picture on Facebook of a horse I know is on one of the list in here. Not sure what category he is in, I just know I saw his name. I have not seen the horse in person because I do not know the people who have him. I DO KNOW THE HORSE. I CAN pick him out of a crowd. Even though he has won 4 stake races and close to $350k he just might have the worse confirmation of any horse I have ever seen. He can be described as being built with spare parts. As I said I do not know the people that have him so I can not ask their permission to give their name. I would hope you agree that some of the people in here are not what you call friendly. So I probably would not give their name if permission was granted. Please do not play the “Oh we would just want to check on him” role. I have seen some hateful statements made in here and would not recommend anyone that is remotely involved in horse racing to expose themselves to this page.
So how would you recommend I confirm my statements? Without throwing unexpected people to the crowd?
Mr. Oviedo, your original post was something very close to this…Lil Dale and Stored Away are happy and healthy. To which I replied, C&P below:
“Please do tell, Mr. Oviedo. I’ve heard that MANY times only to find out the horse is injured and receiving no treatment for it. Or that the horse is with a “loving family” and they’re trail-riding…and then the horse REALLY gets rescued…Mayor Marv, to be exact. He was found in horrific condition with this “loving family”…emaciated and no certainty he would even survive.
So please share the details. I’m, for one, not naively trusting anymore.”
-Yes, you are correct…I capitalized two words. So sure, I was emphasizing the fact that I have heard the stories of “rescued” horses from racing supporters MANY times…then only to find out, the horse at some later point is REALLY rescued. If capitalizing “many” and “really” is what you perceived as me acting on my first instinct and attacking, then so be it.
-I’m sorry, but I do not understand how your account of the poorly put-together horse on FB has anything to do with our discussion. Maybe questioning if a photo could be used to confirm a state of health?…I would say most certainly not.
-I definitely agree that “some of the people in here” are not friendly. I probably get called more names here (and on the HW FB page) than I did after being part of a hidden camera investigation that exposed a racing owner/trainer who confessed to running injured horses! Anyone who has had any involvement with horseracing knows it’s a pretty rough culture. AC2 readily confirms that…using mother f***** is a term of endearment at the track! So really, Mr. Oviedo?…are you telling me that someone would feel threatened simply giving the details of a rescued racehorse?
-And once again, I agree with you about not recommending racing supporters to visit and comment here…not because we are going to hunt them down, but because I believe “reforming” racing supporters is not the intent of this blog. We simply have different value systems…it is what it is. MY hope is that HW will educate the folks who are where I used to be. I guess racing supporters staying away from HW could be compared to those of us who are anti-racing not commenting on Alex Brown’s forum…well, it’s a bit different…I was blocked years ago from commenting there whereas Patrick allows everyone’s comments.
-So how would I suggest you tell a more convincing account of Lil Dale and Stored Away arriving at their current happy and healthy state? Well, for starters, I would bet you’d tell it quite differently to a friend who you knew had concerns about the two horses…I doubt the concerned friend would be satisfied with “they’re happy and healthy and that’s it.” And then there’s the questionable full and honest recounting of racing supporters’ claims of rescued racehorses known to be in a precarious state. Very recent cases in point; two here on HW, Impregnable and Immortal Eyes – one on the Paulick Report, Mayor Marv – one on Susan Salk’s blog, Coaltown Legend – and two personally, Bojan and Tyme Champ.
Mr. Oviedo, I believe you and I are at an impasse. I’ve tried to answer all of your questions. We can leave this alone, as you’ve made it quite clear you have no intentions of sharing any details you might have on Lil Dale and Stored Away. Lastly, when you mentioned the “unfriendliness” here, I thought on that and how we humans are so hard on one another…and it reminded me of a sad but true saying, the author of which is unknown; “Man’s inhumanity to man is only surpassed by his cruelty to animals.” It’s the cruelty to animals that many don’t want to acknowledge.
Ms.Aten you danced right around my question. It was simple. How would one confirm the safety of a horse with out dragging unsuspected people in to the mix? Your answer(the way I see it) is you want them in the mix, or you don’t care if the horses are ok.
The poorly put together horse was just another that I could try to confirm. That is why he was mentioned. I have found out he belongs to the CT CANTER lady. Might be easier for you to confirm.
The impasse you speak of I am to believe is solely mine. I have ventured into a situation that I am the only one that gives a damn. So I am really just wasting time. I have figured out that this blogs aim is less about helping horses and more about degrading people in the horse industry. They may say the end result is the same but when offered a way to take horses off their “never seen again list” they become combative. They do not want to know about horses being safe. That would be contrary to this site. They do not care about other animals in harms way. They care about making race horse people out to be abusers. Some should ask why they chose this specific genre. The reason is Headlines. It is graphic, shocking and that is what they believe will get THEM noticed. Everyone of these post get sent to at least one medium hoping that they find the right one to put them on the map. They are fame junkies living off the racing industry. A by-product of racing. The one thing they claim to abhor.
How shameful, Mr. Oviedo. Joy Aten has spent much of her adult life rescuing racing’s refuse. To imply that she (or I, for that matter) is in this for personal attention is despicable. Check her credentials before casting stones.
Yes, I abhor the racing industry – and a good deal of its participants – but this is and always will be about giving voice to the voiceless.
Patrick,
Do you have a spreadsheet which shows 2014 KIA, training or racing, owner, trainer, track?
Please reply to my email address if you wish the answer to be private.