I have confirmed that 3-year-old Bee Boppin Along was euthanized after “pulling up lame” in the 7th race Thursday at Charles Town. The filly – under the care of trainer/owner Gerasimos Moschonas – had three last-place finishes this summer:
June 28th, 10th, 44 1/2 lengths back
July 31st, 9th, 24 3/4 lengths back
August 21st, 9th, 15 1/2 lengths back
Bee Boppin Along is the fifth confirmed death this week of a horse originally reported as merely “vanned off.” This is horseracing.
And then there are the ones we’ll never hear about without an open records request (and only then if the track provides requested information). The trainer of the dead filly Bee Boppin Along? He’s no stranger to death:
04/15/2010 Trainer-owner Gerasimos Moschonas. Horse, 6YO dark bay gelding Inmemoryofafriend (41 starts 4-5-5, earnings $97,312) suffered from colic … DIED OR EUTHANIZED. Last out 03/27/2010, ran 5th—ran 8th on 02/27/2010—ran 4th on 02/18/2010—ran 8th on 01/13/2010—ran 7th on 01/06/2010… dead Charles Town.
09/15/2009 Trainer Gerasimos Moschonas. Horse, Passion and Noble suffered cuts, fractured right front carpus, fractured left front carpus, fractured sesamoids. (No information as to how these injuries occurred—horse not in Equibase, may be spelled wrong on vet report.) EUTHANIZED. Charles Town.
09/04/2009 Trainer Gerasimos Moschonas. Horse, 3YO colt Lion Lee (2 starts 1-0) fractured the right hock during morning work. EUTHANIZED. The colt was coming off a long layup: his last out 12/27/2008, ran 5th—first out twenty days earlier on 12/07/2008, ran 1st… dead at Charles Town.
04/09/2009 Trainer Gerasimos Moschonas. Owner James Winner, Jr. Breeder Brambly Lane Farm. Horse, 3YO bay colt Tiger Rules (11 starts 2-0-2, earnings $35,050) developed “colitis” and DIED OR WAS EUTHANIZED. The colt’s last start, he ran 4th out of seven in a 6.5 furlong $13K CLM on 03/11/2009—ran 4th on 02/21/2009—ran 3rd TEN DAYS EARLIER on 02/11/2009—ran 4th on 01/07/2009, claimed from this race by Moschonas for James Winner Jr.—ran 1st on 12/04/2008—didn’t start in November of 2008—ran 3rd on 10/31/2008—ran 5th two weeks earlier on 10/17/2008… began his career in the barn of *STEVE ASMUSSEN for owner Vinery Stables by running 9th in a $50K MSW ON 04/18/2008. Transferred to the barn of *MICHAEL TROMBETTA… ended up with Moschonas… died at Charles Town.
04/09/2009 Trainer Gerasimos Moschonas (owner James Winner Jr.) $300 BUTE OVERAGE 11.2 μ/ml. Horse, 6YO dark bay gelding Great Seneca, ran 5th in the 6th race, a $4K CLM. THIS RACE WAS THE GELDING’S LAST START… he never ran again. *Began his career by winning a $26K MSW at LRL for Gary Capuano. *Ended his career by running for $4K at Charles Town. *RAN 2ND IN THE $60k CHESAPEAKE STAKES on 08/02/2008… eight months later, he’s running for a $4K tag? Sad. *Trainer’s priors include a $200 fine for working as a program trainer at LRL in 2005. Charles Town.
RIP little Bee Boppin Along. I can only imagine how those who named you smiled and laughed and got such a kick out of your “cute” name. They likely don’t even know you are dead. There’s no “connection” to these horses …they’re simply machines, tools, a means to an end. It truly is barbaric to use living beings in such a manner.
Little chestnut filly, we know your name and know you once shared this earth with us.