The following 43 racehorses were killed in action on Ohio tracks in 2014. This list, however, includes only those officially reported to the Ohio Racing Commission – there were surely others euthanized off-site; others, still, who simply fell through the cracks. Also, be mindful of the horses who would not have made our weekly casualty lists because Equibase had them as perfectly fine.
Thoroughbreds:
Mystery Taste, Jan 14, Beulah 7, “complete comminuted cannon fracture…bone exposed”
Royal Affair, Jan 29, Beulah 1, fractured leg
Flyingpalm, Feb 1, Beulah, “snapped leg” while training
El Altanero, Mar 17, Beulah 7, “comminuted compound fracture of fetlock”
Ruby Lite, Apr 19, Thistledown, fractured sesamoids while training
Revelling, May 11 (euthanized May 18), Thistledown 5, undisclosed (according to chart, finished without incident)
Catawba Gray, May 18, Belterra 7, “comminuted compound fracture and luxation of fetlock” (according to chart, merely “vanned off”)
Sweet Teri K, Jun 7, Belterra 4, fractured sesamoid, ruptured distal suspensary, “unsalvageable”
Old World Order, Jun 8, Belterra 8, undisclosed shoulder injury (according to chart, merely “eased, vanned off”)
Lava Lei, Jun 8, Thistledown 8, fractured knee
Birthday Wish, Jun 21, Belterra 7, fractured sesamoids
Let’s Face It, Jun 27, Thistledown 7, fractured knee (according to chart, merely “pulled up lame, vanned off”)
Commandeer, Jun 28, Belterra 2, fractured fetlock, “comminuted sesamoid fractures”
Cozy Kieran, Jul 6, Belterra, “complete tibia fracture” while training
Piskacha, Jul 19, Belterra 4, fractured sesamoid
Lite Up My Dream, Aug 2, Thistledown 6, fractured sesamoid (according to chart, finished without incident)
Felixia, Aug 6, Thistledown 2, fractured leg (according to chart, finished without incident)
Mary’s Vow, Aug 20, Thistledown 8, “slab fracture, multiple pieces” (according to chart, merely “distanced, walked off”)
Runaway Bridle, Aug 31, Thistledown 4, fractured sesamoids
Florida Bull, Sep 3, Thistledown 8, fractured ankle
Funnys Man Dream, Sep 11, Belterra 1, fractured tibia
Kingliest, Sep 11, Belterra 6, fractured cannon
Tale of Lucknfame, Sep 12, Belterra 7, fractured sesamoids
Matched Ruler, Sep 13, Thistledown 8, fractured cannon
Squall Line, Sep 14, Belterra 3, fractured fetlock, fractured sesamoid (euthanized on-track but according to chart, finished without incident)
Lipstick Promises, Sep 15, Belterra, fractured leg/sesamoid while training
Tangible Assets, Oct 3, Thistledown 8, fractured sesamoids, dislocated/fractured ankle
Looklistenandlearn, Oct 4, Belterra 3, fractured sesamoid (according to chart, merely “vanned off”)
Bizzy EF, Oct 5, Thistledown 1, fractured knee
Locks of Gold, Oct 19, Belterra 3, fractured sesamoid (according to chart, merely “eased, vanned off”)
Mongol Boy, Nov 1, Thistledown, fractured sesamoids while training
Avalon Rose, Nov 1, Thistledown 5, fractured leg (according to chart, merely “pulled up lame, vanned off”)
Ansilta, Nov 2, Thistledown 8, fractured cannon
Unabiding Citizen, Nov 5, Thistledown 6, fractured cannon
Next Right Thing, Nov 8, Thistledown 6, “open disanticulated ankle”
Lefty Closer, Dec 10, Mahoning 7, fractured ankle
Sky Kerridge, Dec 10, Mahoning 8, “collapsed and died” (according to chart, merely “eased to the wire”)
(Although not killed in action, Lean On Lexi succumbed to colic at Mahoning December 2nd.)
Standardbreds:
Ciem, Feb 4, Northfield, “collapsed and died in paddock immediately after race – gums white, no heartbeat detected”
Mega Hall, Feb 19, Northfield, fractured leg
I Ride Western, Mar 3, Northfield, fractured leg
Racetrack Diva, Jun 12, Northfield, fractured ankle
Hall’n Chips, Jun 17, Northfield, fractured pastern
To Tell the Truth, Sep 5, Northfield, fractured distal phalanx
Sickens me to be a part of this state – look at this unthinkable carnage that happened right in my backyard! How could these people live with themselves after putting their “beloved” horses through this?
stupid money grubbing people. Why on earth would you jeopardize a horse’s future by putting weight on their back before the age of 3 and to go through all that rigorous training didn’t even get to the babies before they start working them to death literally to death.
Patrick,
Does every state report the amount of horses that have been killed at the end of the year ?
No, not as a matter of procedure, Kathleen; this was a right-to-know request. I will be doing the same across the country.
Fantastic work Patrick! With the pressure on, the racing authorities just might start to feel a little bit twitchy.
Patrick,
Thank you for taking the tine to do this.
Does every state always give you the list ?
Is the list just for those who have died at the track (In racing and in training) or does it include those that have been vanned off ?
It varies from state to state, Kathleen. The Ohio list is for those who died/were euthanized racing or training on-site.
Patrick please share any other stats / articles with me if you would. Much appreciated.
These numbers are sickening!! I had no idea there were so many. The racing/breeding industry need a serious overhaul. Personally I think they are insane even to race two year- olds whose legs and knees just aren’t ready for what these sports demand from them.
Connie, a horse isn’t fully developed, skeletally, until six years of age. The racing industry begins breaking/training the horses between 12 months and 18 months of age. The sooner the horse gets to the races, the quicker the owner gets a return on his/her investment. Racing really is all about the money. It shouldn’t surprise anyone why many of these horses breakdown and are often “finished” when they are still technically “babies”.
I understand people in the world need money in order to survive – but why make an innocent animal pay the ultimate price? It’s so sickening – they can find other ways to make a buck instead of making un-willing horses die in the dirt!
And now KY Tourism is joining farms, and the equine business to promote KY as a tourist destination. What a farce ! I wonder if there will be information on the destiny of the vast majority of the horses and foals being showcased ? This industry is all about deception. We love our horses while we abuse them, break them down and send them to slaughter.
I think they provide the tours just to brainwash people into thinking the TB industry is anll sunshine & rainbows….at least we know the truth!
PS I should have included the following initially. “As owners, breeders, farm managers and veterinary practitioners we hope this can be our piece of the puzzle of the fan development puzzle; to share the story of the horse – from birth to racing and back to breeding” said Price H. Bell Jr. of Mill Ridge Farm and Nicoma Bloodstock.
The real puzzle here is the disconnect Mr. Price H. Bell has with the truth !
It’s almost impossible to find any photos of these horses. I wanted to give a face to the names of the ones who died recently but so far its not easy.
Everyone wants to post the bad things about racing but never do you hear of the good ! There are good things that happen in the horse industry > There are people out there that do care about there horses and don’t send them to the slaughterhouse. People who play sports, exercise or maybe get in car crash and etc get help, surgery and live on . Like horses they sometimes can’t !
There are good things that happen that has to do with the industry of Horseracing. For instance, I’ve known persons that have raised funds, to save horses that are in danger of going to a kill buyer, that persons in the industry itself, couldn’t handle, afford, or pushed aside. Just recently, persons grouped together, who used their own monies and resources to help horses, that were left abandoned, because there was noone (including the owner) to take the responsibility of this horse. I have looked tiredlessly for an emergency fund sponsored by the industry of Horseracing itself, that help their own horses, but cannot seem to find anything like that. Yes, there are places like Old Friends, but they focus mainly on the well-known, and couldn’t possibly take on the many, many horses that fall through the cracks. I did find a Jockey Retirement Fund, to support the jockeys, but nothing, that I found anyway, for the horses themselves.
Take Patrick Battuello, for example. He works non-stop to help educate, and advocate on what really happens to the ‘good’ people and factually documents this daily, here on Horseracing Wrongs. He does it on his own time, his own expense, and yes, he does it for the good of the horses. Awareness is such an important thing, and so is acceptance.
I often wonder if there is a neutering of horses, like cats and dogs, to help stop the unwanted breeding, and help with the many horses that are left wandering or stranded. I haven’t heard of anything like that either.
I believe with the awareness, education, and acceptance, of the happenings of the industry of horseracing, we will continue to learn more about the ‘good people’ that help house and do what they can, to provide safe havens for the horses left behind in the industry.
You mentioned there are persons who play sports, get into car accidents, and get help. Yes, there are also persons who get injured in sports, and to the point, that disables them and the can no longer participate. There are persons who get injured in car accidents, that get disabled due to extensive injuries that may cripple, or live in pain for the rest of their days. And yes, there is rehabiliation, family help, and resources that help cover their injuries. In that sense, there are options. In the horseracing industry, there are not many options for the horses, and that is where the ‘good people’, come in. The ones who do whatever they can to save the horses in the industry that cripples them, that once their racing days are over, become helpless. You can’t help all of them, but even if one is saved is a good thing.
This blog is titled, “Horseracing Wrongs”. You will read about just that, the wrongs of the industry, And yes, you will also read some ‘rights’ of the people who have been in the industry, know and have experienced the horseracing industry, and know what the real deal is. So, yes, thank you to the ‘good people’ who help save the precious horses.
Smokey – nobody on here wants to hear that – I’ve tried. We like horse racing and are therefore, animal abusers
This website is dedicated to stopping horse racing as it is physically and psychologically abusive to horses.
Thousands of horses are dying on the track and in training every year. That is unacceptable.
This website is the only website online that I have found that has the courage to speak out about this abuse at the racetrack and have as its purpose to stopping this abuse.
Aprox. 18,000 of American horses sent to slaughter each year are race horses.
Aprox.140,000 American horses are brutally murdered every year at the slaughter house.
Aprox. 4 million horses are brutally murdered at the slaughter house throughout the world every year.
We are witnessing a modern day holocaust . Destruction and slaughter on a mass scale..
Very few have the courage and the strength to speak out about the abuse taking place at the racetrack and at the slaughterhouse. Patrick is one of those people.
Tragically, the majority of Americans have no idea this is going on at the racetrack or the slaughterhouse.
I am very grateful that Patrick has the courage and the stamina to speak out, record the facts and keep speaking out and recording the facts and I am grateful to all those who contribute to this list who also have the courage to speak out about what they have personally witnessed at and around the race track. (the drugging of horses, the abuse of horses and the death of horses)
This website is about speaking out for the horses who cannot speak out for themselves.