Three horses were reported “broke down” Saturday; all can safely be presumed dead:
In the 4th at Fair Grounds, 3-year-old Lookin At Daisy, “was coaxed along on the outside…broke down nearing the furlong marker…” The colt was “For Sale” at $50,000 prior to being felled. Jockey, Miguel Mena; trainer, Bret Calhoun; owner/breeder, Ed Few.
In the 11th at Fair Grounds, 3-year-old Sheezflippinsexy “was ridden along while off the pace…broke down at the furlong marker…” The filly was “For Sale” at $12,500 prior to being felled. Jockey, Mitchell Murrill; trainer, Corale Richards; owner, Steve Stumpf; breeder, Baronne Farms.
In the 10th at Sunland, 3-year-old Polish Justice “was unhurried early…broke down after the race…” The gelding was “For Sale” at $10,000 prior to being felled. Jockey, Ken Tohill; trainer, Kenneth Chadborn; owners/breeders, Michael and Jeanne Fuhs.
Three horses, the equivalent of pre-teen humans, injured from racing and very likely DEAD. Not old racehorses with many starts, no, youngsters…little “children”, if you will. So how are you going to “fix” this, racing supporters who exclaim the industry just needs to be cleaned up?
I see 3 insurance claims being paid out. A claimer is worth more dead than alive. Why not race them until they break down? Cutting their losses early with a loser sounds reasonable enough. Anytime you can throw a carcass into a mass grave and pay a small fee for disposal you are ahead of the game. While collecting on an insurance policy on your “family member” is just as heartbreaking as losing a family member. Pigs. How do they sleep at night?
When we moved the care of the horses from the low voiced loving hands to the desperate grip of illegal immigrants, the move to force horses to run despite injuries or age was full on. Their last protective voice had been replaced with individuals known in the slaughter world to be brutal and discompassionate.
If you think racing is humane, create your own org and prove it. The racing industry we know (and have loved) is going down.eventually just as the football industry glamorized the “hits” until the dead and incompetent piled up and we realized the horror of the players’ abuse.
To every bettor –
Do you realize that your $2.00 bet may take the life of a beautiful, precious, baby, with his or her full life ahead of them. They are suffering terrible pain, they are being drugged and their systems compromised, they are being whipped relentlessly, some are being starved, they are being kicked, they are being forced to race with excruciating injuries, they are raced with quarter cracks in their hoofs, they are constantly being over raced to their breaking point, they are falling and breaking down, their legs are snapping, they are scared and terrified in the starting gate, some have flipped hitting their heads on the pavement, or the gate, and died, they are dying in their stalls with colic because the owner doesn’t want to pay for a vet, they are isolated for up to 18 hours alone in their stalls, they are dying in tremendous numbers with no voice of their own.
Where is your conscience, where is your heart? Please, I urge you, go to the casino and play the slots, or other game where no blood will be spilled. Leave the track forever, and give these babies a chance at a quality life, and free of the misery, pain, and exploitation, of an Industry that is so corrupt, and cares not for a single throughbred. Believe me, you will be part of the solution, and no longer a part of the problem, and you will feel better about it. Marlene Thornley
Where is that “like” button ? Marlene, you just put the whole racing industry’e evilness in 2 very well written, thought provoking paragraph’s. sadly, the only people reading it are the one’s that care. photograph’s, and board’s that show the truth, like printed in this article need to be present at the betting window’s, or before.
I want that LIKE BUTTON for Marlene’s comment as well, 3fathorses!!
3fathorses,
I really wish we could post pictures and a brief summary that portrays the brutality of the racing Industry at each track, but they would never let us do that. That would be bad for business, and they would probably lose customers.
The only way we can channel our outrage is by writing letters to State Govenor’s, appealing to PETA, the Animal Defense League, and Senators. Many people who have seen all the breakdowns and are fed up with the abuse, search the internet to find out more about a horse they saw go down, and stumble upon Horseracing Wrongs, just as I did. This blog reaches many people, and I believe, even bettors who are curious. It is a great venue to publicize the truth. Marlene Thornley
Marlene,
You have created an excellent summary of why horse racing should be outlawed immediately.
THank You Marlene
Marlene,
I think you should submit this article for the editorial and include the link to this website
http://horseracingwrongs.com/2015/03/17/the-inevitability-of-dead-racehorses/
Thank you, Marlene.
If it were up to all the people on this blog, horse racing would be closed down for good!! I am sending a letter to the “Bergen Record” Newspaper, in Bergen County, New Jersey where I live, about “why horseracing should be outlawed immediately”, as Kathleen has stated. Let’s see if they have the guts to print it. All of us on this blog should put a few paragraphs together with the truthful facts, of why we feel horseracing should be outlawed. I will include all of them into a letter and send it off to the Editorial section. It is a step in the right direction. Let’s communicate to the public the sad truth of the brutality that is going on, day after day, in the racing Industry. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it gets published. If it stops even one bettor from going to the track, it was successful. At the very least, it will make people pause and think, and question themselves, and that is exactly what we want. Marlene Thornley
“you will be part of the solution, and no longer a part of the problem” – so very very true Marlene, thank you.
Patrick and everyone, you might be interested in this –
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/35474/thoroughbred-racehorse-fatal-injury-rate-steady-in-2014?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=03-18-2015
Hmm….. interesting isn’t it that the racing authorities (about 93 racetracks) gladly provided information for a consultant to do an analysis, yet many appear to have some difficulty in providing such information to the PUBLIC.
Unfortunately the betting public sustain the racehorse industry, which industry appears to be of the opinion that the betting and general public are not entitled to be told the truth. It seems to me that the Jockey Club is self-serving in releasing this report, primarily to satisfy itself. Did it provide information as to what it is going to do to bring the injury fatality rate down? No, as if it would go down that road.
The report states “Summary statistics are subject to change due to a number of considerations.” This is somewhat puzzling and I wonder how true these “valid” statistics are. How does the consultant know that the number of fatalities provided to him are in fact ALL of the fatalities?
When the racing industry puts out reports such as these, it never ceases to amaze me that they emphasise per number of starts e.g. 1.89 per 1,000 starts. Appears this is to provide the impression that 1.89 per 1,000 starts is nothing to worry about because it’s low. It is the total number of horses that have died that is of importance and this has glaringly not been disclosed. And of course trialling, training and trackwork deaths appear not to have been included in this analysis. This is important because the fatal injury rate would be much higher – I have no reservations in stating that the rate would, at the very least, be double but more likely triple (based on my research/observations in my State).
The thoroughbred racehorse fatal injury rate for 2014 was “STEADY” folks. What will 2015 bring?
Perhaps STEADY again, perhaps a slight decrease, perhaps a slight increase. Whatever it might be, one thing is definitely for sure
IT IS NOT GOOD NEWS FOR THE HORSES!