Like Mulheb before him, 4-year-old DJ’s Hope was reported (by Equibase) to have been vanned off a NY track – Finger Lakes, Saturday – only to later turn up dead on the Gaming Commission website. This time, however, we learn the horse was actually euthanized on-track (sesamoid). So, it appears the “van” was hauling a carcass. DJ’s Hope was ridden by Luis Perez and trained/owned by Adrianne D’Alessandro.
That same day, 3-year-old Freddie Freud was killed while practicing at Belmont. The Jena Antonucci-trained horse was inactive – reason unknown – from November ’13 to August of this year when he finished dead-last – almost 25 lengths back – in a race at Saratoga. NY’s 2014 Death Toll: 88.
When a racehorse dies (sudden death) or is euthanased on a racetrack on raceday then the race club/authority has an obligation to disclose. The public has the right to know and be informed, the public sustains this industry. The racing club/authority has a moral obligation and, in my view, a legal obligation to reveal and should also be mindful of the disclosure and transparency laws.
I was there the moment DJ’s Hope was born. I visited him every couple of days watching him grow up. I was there the day they came to get himto be trained to race and I googled him often to find out his progress. I saw his first race in a video online. I waited patiently for the day when I could have him for myself when he retired. After all, his mom got to retire and his best friend Moose got to retire. I never thought the day would come when I would read something so horrific. My heart is broken. I am devastated.