3-year-old Kitagal is dead after “falling after the wire” of the 3rd race at Louisiana yesterday. Being raced for the sixth time, she had yet to “break maiden.” (She was “for sale” at $5,000 on her death day.) Kitagal was ridden by Eguard Tejera, trained by Charles Grappe, and owned by James Hutzel.
To those who wager on horseracing, we implore you to reconsider. And ultimately, you hold all the cards: no more bets, no more races; no more races, no more kills. And – no more separating foals and moms, no more abusing unformed bodies, no more confining, no more whipping, no more drugging, no more doping, no more buying and selling and trading and dumping. No more auctions, no more kill-buyers, no more transport trucks, no more abattoirs. No more pain, no more suffering. No more.
In a landscape that abounds with other gambling options – casinos, lotteries, real sports involving autonomous human beings – hasn’t the time at long last arrived to let the racing horse be? You, the bettor, have within the capacity for mercy. We ask only that you exercise it. Please. For the horses.
It is sickening to see a horse go down. And for an animal that needs and wants to stay on their feet, it’s even more horrifying. As Patrick continually pleads…please, no more.
RIP, little chestnut filly.