The following horses were casualties on American tracks last week. This list, however, includes only raceday victims, for while I’d prefer a more complete reckoning, the training carnage, with but two exceptions (NY, Cal), is almost entirely covered up.
Reported as died, euthanized, or “broke down” – racing-speak for dead:
Tejano Trouble, Turf
Good Problem, Delta
Warren’s Assassin, Santa Anita
Apex, Aqueduct
For All the Kathys, Parx
Reported as “vanned off” – left via ambulance, a better-than-even chance of dead:
Sparkling Form, Hialeah
Boss Lady Mary, Delta
Janero, Turf
Jasper, Turf
Mr Classic Seneca, Fair Grounds
Can’touchthisgal, Fair Grounds
Lizzy’s Atticus, Golden Gate
Khun Dots Varon, Golden Gate
Jack’s Comprise, Gulfstream
Favorite Patriot, Penn
Italian Rules, Aqueduct
Simply Spicy, Fair Grounds
Black Spirit, Golden Gate
Flying Forward, Laurel
Ear D’Rhythm, Laurel
Just On Time, Santa Anita
King of Bay, Gulfstream
Insane Monk, Parx
Chumash, Tampa Bay
Rapit, Turf
Rusty Raven, Fair Grounds
Grunya, Gulfstream
Classic Surge, Gulfstream
Other:
Sin N Sail, Mahoning, “stopped badly in the stretch and bled from nostrils”
Miss June, Gulfstream, bled
Blossom’s Trail, Gulfstream, bled
Argentina Cowboys, Charles Town, fell, DNF
Fable, Santa Anita, fell, DNF
This business has got to change.
janwindsong, racing will cease to exist when people stop gambling on the horses. That is Business 101.
Mary,
I agree with you.
It is gambling and the overwhelming desire to make money that shuts people’s hearts down to the pain of what these horses endure. How can anyone watch a race and watch a horse crash into the ground and die or get “vanned off” only later to die and ever want to go back to a race track. Then there are the trainers that kill horse after horse ad continue on buying and killing ..I believe It is because the desire for money is so overwhelming and all consuming that it shuts down their compassion. I see the horses running and being hit repeatedly and it is deeply troubling that people do not see the abuse in beating an animal to the finish line. Greed has caused great harm throughout the history of this world and it continues to cause great harm.
Where is the glorious jockey club in all of this? Do they make the rules? What happens to the jockey if they don’t appear to urge (whip) the horse? Why must they race in NY in the winter with frozen ground?
These people take advantage of the horses instinct as prey. It isn’t fair to put them on alert all the time. Granted they run on their own but not at the rate they do in racing. It’s one thing if they want to run in the wild without a jockey whipping them. It’s quite another to be forced. People think they understand horses. If they cared or really understood there would not be horse racing.
I also agree with all of your comments and opinions on horse racing. Thanks for informing us with truth and reality, though painful.
Its the racing commission not holding trainers accountable for running a horse too much. An letting them drug shock an whatever else to these animals. Only in america is lasic an other drugs legal. Other countries dont allow that crap.