I have confirmed that 6-year-old Ansilta is dead after breaking down in the 8th yesterday at Thistledown. She was trained by Jim Tracy, owned by Raymond Nealy, and bred by Devorah Bishop.
Also, 5-year-old Antone Suavey went down in the 2nd today at Finger Lakes and was euthanized on-track. According to the Gaming Commission, the “investigation continues.” Any guesses on where that will lead? Surely not to trainer Sal Iorio, owner Mark Valentine, or breeder Albert Geldmacher. This is horseracing.
And the carnage continues…unabated….and for what? So that a gambler can place a bet on exploited animals. Sick, and sad… Those who support racing should be fully aware that their beloved “sport” (I uses the word “sport” loosely) is in trouble, big trouble, and I, for one, continue to applaud its precipitous decline.
There’s nothing glamourous when a racehorse is dumped into claiming races. It becomes a never ending cycle of lameness managed with needles and doping agents to fill the races. Many run in pain until they die. Another disposable commodity. Another statistic. This is a large part of horse racing. It must end.