Originally reported as a mere “van-off” Friday at Aqueduct, 9-year-old Cherokee Artist is in fact dead from a broken leg. For trainer/owner David Jacobson, this makes six dead horses in NY since August of last year. For NY 2014, 113 (that we know about) and counting. This is horseracing.
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This is hard to believe. And this guy is given some kind of award for the most wins in NY. Obviously, the NYRA does not give a damn about the horse and does nothing to protest it’s welfare. What a surprise !
When I noticed Jacobson started a horse 3 days after claiming I questioned the NYRA re. allowing such frequent starts. I was informed there are no rules because it is up to the trainer. Shame on the NYRA. It is complicit in blatant horse abuse, otherwise there would be rules governing this issue.
I agree with rose. Why was the horse run 16 days after his last start? He is 9 and old he was going going gone. So sad, but there’s nothing anyone can do. The trainers are entitled to run as often as they like but I hope that changes one day. There should be restrictions. Thank you for bringing awareness, these hardworking horses deserve better.
Don’t let NYRA fool you though, Rose. They say “it is up to the trainer” but they encourage trainers to enter these horses as much as possible. There aren’t rules stating the number of starts a horse can/should make, but there’s certainly rules about the number of stalls a trainer can have, and how many starts his horses must make for him to keep those stalls. NYRA tries to pass it off on the trainer, but they’re equally culpable!
There are no rules that require a horse to race a certain number of times to maintain stall space.
No WRITTEN rules, I’m sure Mr. Juffet. But stalls can be given or denied, and it’s “bad for racing business” to not race one’s horses often as those races need filling. There doesn’t need to be rules to encourage frequent starts…but there should be some in place to prevent such blatant abuse.
He’s a monster.
Yes, I agree. But, the business loves the money he generates and money is what matters, not the horses. High time for the corruption and animal abuse to end instead of giving “awards” for same.
There are definitely tracks that require a horse to race a certain number of times to maintain stall space! The stall application itself will say “Trainers should maintain a 1.5 starts per stall per month during racing season to keep allotted number of stalls.” Of course the racing office favors trainers who start horses more often because they’re the ones filling the races and bringing the track more wagering money! If one trainer is averaging 2 starts per stall per month, and another trainer is averaging less than one start per stall per month, guess who gets better treatment! Guess which trainer gets more stalls if he asks for them! And guess which one gets kicked to the curb next year if some new trainer comes along who offers to race his horses as much as possible!
Stall space is not as big of a problem at Aqueduct and Belmont because they’re so close together, and the Belmont barn area is plenty big enough to accommodate everyone. But such requirements are common at low level claiming tracks across the country. You know the racing secretary calls trainers to ask them to enter their horses when they need races to fill. It happens every day across the country.
And then there was the task force in NY in 2012 looking into why so many horses died at Aqueduct. The inquiry and the “recommendations” were a total sham. Anybody can see through it, if they care to look. It is obvious the business is fraught with deception and utter disregard for any notion of horse welfare.
At every level, horse abuse is the name of the game.
A 2007 chestnut horse, Strapping Groom is a MGSW with earnings of just over 931K. Owner Drawing Away Stable and trainer David Jacobson last raced SG at Penn National on November 29, 2014 – the horse “broke down after the wire and was vanned off”. When Strapping Groom broke down, he also fell…so in addition to breaking a bone behind his right knee, he also suffered abrasions around his eyes – sure, not life threatening but horrific nonetheless given he endured those injuries due to a life he never chose. Jacobson stated; “As far as I’m concerned, his racing career is over.” Racing sites and publications were all over the story of Strapping Groom. The race in which he broke down was a stakes race and since he was going to be retired from racing and be moved on to a stallion career, his breakdown wasn’t something they could sweep under the rug. Not so with Cherokee Artist.
Cherokee Artist, owned and trained by David Jacobson, was MGSP and the earner of 909K in 56 starts. A 2005 bay horse, CA last ran on November 28, 2014 at Aqueduct for Jacobson – 24 hours before the breakdown of Strapping Groom. But this nine-year-old was running in a 20K claiming race. Not a stakes race, not a race being covered by national racing publications. So when Cherokee Artist “became choppy-gaited, pulled up and vanned off” with a fractured foreleg, there was no reporter taking notes and in the end, his breakdown and subsequent euthanasia were easier to keep quiet.
Two horses. Same trainer. Virtually the same earnings and accolades. Both suffered broken limbs while racing. And only 24 hours apart. One lives another day to go on to breeding “career” and receives write-ups in racing publications. The other dies as a result of his injuries and there isn’t a word in one industry publication. The deceit in this business is like none other.
Oh and one more thing…Strapping Groom, retired from racing by Drawing Away Stables and Jacobson?…he just had a work at Aqueduct on Wednesday.
http://www.drf.com/news/strapping-groom-injured-retired-7
God help Strapping Groom if he is going to race at Aqueduct for the winter season. That place is where a lot of horses die and that is where Jacobson is the big “winner”. And before SG was claimed by the “genius” trainer, Jacobson, the best the horse could do was 2 allowance wins plus a starter handicap win. Under Jacobson’s training “method” he wins stakes and even a grade 1.
Joy, what this business gets away with is mind boggling.