I have confirmed that Lia’s Miracle is dead after breaking down at Mahoning Saturday. She was four years and one day old. The chart reads: “broke down nearing the wire but completed the course.” “Completed the course” – while fatally injured.
This was the filly’s second race under Jason Uelmen and Kala Crampton, having previously been exploited by Steve Asmussen, Mark Casse, Nicholas Gonzalez, Martha Gonzalez, Raymond Pion, Elliot Sullivan, and Catherine Angelo. Used, abused, dead.
The jockey let her finish? Is there winnings for the owners? I counted 9 people who had worked with, trained or owned this horse in her short 4 years. I know there will be some who come here to defend the transferring, transporting, change of food, moods of people who “buy” her, I wonder if any of them realize this shuttling is an abiotic stress on the horse. Abiotic stress places the horse in need and in danger. .
We encourage stupidity and ignorance so that these traditions and “way to make a living” continue without the idiots having to rub two brain cells? There will be people who tell us how well they prepare the horse – uh huh. Has it struck anyone that horses do not understand the why?
RIP sweet Lia’s Miracle.
HORSE RACING
Cobalt policy adopted by US horse racing commissioners association
Apr 28, 2015
The Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) is formally notifying regulators and their testing labs of a new policy that would make it illegal to administer cobalt to a race horse.
The RCI Board of Directors last week voted to sanction trainers of horses that were found to have a cobalt level of 50 parts per billion (ppb) or greater of blood plasma or serum with a “B” penalty, which calls for a minimum 15-day suspension, a minimum $500 fine, and 4 points on the trainers Multiple Medication Violation record. Owners of horses that raced would also face a loss of any purse money earned and the horse would be excluded from competition until a retest at the owner’s expense proves levels have dropped to below 25 ppb in plasma/serum.
The 50 ppb was based upon the unanimous recommendation of the RCI Scientific Advisory Group which met on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 to review a proposal from the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium that was submitted on April 10, 2015.
The RCI Drug Testing Standards and Practices (DTSP) Committee unanimously affirmed that recommendation on April 23, 2015 and it was adopted that same day by the association’s Board of Directors.
The RCI Board also adopted a policy that would exclude horses from competition that were found to have a cobalt level of greater than or equal to 25 ppb but below 50 ppb of blood plasma or serum. Those horses would be placed on the Veterinarian’s List and not be allowed to return to competition until a subsequent test proves that high cobalt levels have dropped below 25 ppb. Subsequent tests would be conducted at the owner’s expense.
The RCI Board of Directors opted to defer action pending further review and comment on an additional recommendation to impose a ten year suspension on trainers of any horse found to have over 300 parts per billion of cobalt in blood plasma or serum. That recommendation was supported by a majority of the DTSP Committee and four of five members of the RCI Scientific Advisory Group.
RCI policies are embodied in the ARCI Model Rules and the Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances, which serve as a regulatory policy guide for commissions. In some instances, both documents can have the force of law if a jurisdiction or regulatory agency has enacted a policy to incorporate them by reference.
The RCI Board expressed appreciation for the work of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium as well as the following members of the RCI Scientific Advisory Group: Dr. Mary Robinson, Dr. Scott Stanley, Dr. Thomas Tobin, Dr. George Maylin, and Dr. Kenneth McKeever.
Source: The Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI)
There is only one reason they balked at the zero tolerance and rested on the insignificant fine – they know the abuse will continue. Much as the soring bill did little to stop the torture of Tennessee Walkers. The board has just proven that their world is small, in their control and above detection. Meaning, the public will never know.
Thanks for this Kathleen.
MORE HORSE ABUSE AT THE RACE TRACK
________________________________________
HARNESS TRAINER PENA BANNED 3 YEARS
article from Tuesdays Horse
fined $343,400 for 1,717 equine drug violations
Apr 28, 2015 V. Farrell
Horse racing in the United States is so corrupt and so cruel to the horses they breed, drug, injure and kill — not including the ones they dump in the slaughter pipline — it is beyond any reasonable explanation why it is still legally able to operate.
Except for the little excitement horse racing drums up this time of year (mainly among themselves) who notices and who cares about this so-called “sport”? It is evil personified and no less disgusting than horse tripping, horse soring and a whole host of other industries using horses. People have been walking away from it in droves. Long may they continue to do so.
Standardbred racing is just as rife with doping and abuse as Thoroughbred racing. Look at this from the Paulick Report:
The New York State Gaming Commission today issued a $343,400 fine and three-year ban against harness trainer Luis (Lou) Pena, holding him responsible for 1,717 equine drug violations.
In 2012, the Commission (formerly the Racing and Wagering Board) took action against Pena after a comprehensive investigation of veterinary records determined that he was responsible for racing illegally drugged harness horses between January 2010 and April 2012. The original hearing and notice detailing all of Pena’s violations, including a list of all the violations by horse, drug, administration date, race date and track can be found at the PAULICK REPORT. 4/27/2015
The violations included a litany of substances, most of which were administered to horses outside the permitted timeframe as set forth by Commission rules, including:
Adrenocorticotropic (ACTH), Hormone
Betamethasone (Celestone), Steroid
Clenburterol (Ventipulmin)
Cortisone, Steroid
Cromolyn Sodium, NSAID
Fircoxib, NSAID
Flumethasone, Steroid
Glycopyrrolate (Robinul)
Gonadorelin or GnRH (Factrel), Hormone
Hyaluronic Acid Derivative (Polyglycan, GEL-50)
Levothyroxine, Hormone
Magnesium Sulfate (MAG)
Methocarbamol (Robaxin)
After a subsequent hearing and adjudication, Pena and his attorney pursued various legal attempts to avoid his responsibility, all of which were ultimately rejected. Pena never testified to deny that he repeatedly cheated by administering illegal substances to race horses more than a thousand times.
THIS TRAINER SHOULD BE BANNED FOR LIFE
__________________________________________
HARNESS TRAINER PENA BANNED 3 YEARS
Full Legal Report
http://www.gaming.ny.gov/pdf/05_24_12_PenaNotice.pdf
I agree, get him out of there, and all the others like him!! Marlene Thornley
Absolutely Kathleen – banned for life in every State.
And who was there to represent the racehorse – absolutely no one. It was all about the reputation of horseracing and the money involved. Not a word about the inexcusable abuse of these animals.
Equine drug violations they said but no disclosure as to the adverse affects it had on these horses.
Oh no, they just couldn’t go THERE! We don’t want the public to become alarmed about that!
New York Gaming Commission, a 3 year ban for Pena is a joke. The guy is recalcitrant. He should be banned for life. He is not a trainer he is a chemist !!
I recognized name of Lia’s Miracle instantly.No surprise she was HAULED off to Ohio in record time with those sorry connections all speaking for her. Maybe superstar ‘Lexie Lou’ needed the stall in Casse barn.
Thank you for putting up her death notice Patrick .When so many horses die continually its hard to keep up.
Recenty an owner at Woodbine told me of 3 training deaths between late Feb and mid March this year.
RIP poor girl, Lia’s Miracle. Bred by Zayat so just a number you were, in Nick & Martha Gonzalez Inventory too..
About 3 months ago, I had a phone conversation with the wife of a (now retired) blacksmith.
She unfortunately still works at Woodbine but said one day her husband was upset after being in Gonzalez barn,
A guy showed up to take a horse away and Nicholas was heard saying “doesn’t matter where he goes”
I have a few tb names I’d love to ask the Gonzalez ‘s about. One is a chestnut filly with white socks, and she was out of a broodmare named Sweet Maria. Never raced but apparently just disappeared?
And oh, Robert Pion, brother of Raymond was fined and/or had his trainers license suspended some time ago.
I don’t remember details but I would think Candace (Candy) Pion in the office at Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society hasn’t forgotten.
“broke down nearing the wire….
A horrible way to end her life, shame on all of you, A$$mussen, Casse, Gonzalez, Pion, Sullivan & Angelo
And the industry still puts up the big-money trainers like Assmussen, Baffert, Pletcher, etc as the elite. There is no hope for this industry. It needs to die.
R.I.P. sweet angel “Lia’s Miracle”.
Is anyone listening? Brian Boudreau is trying to start a new horse race track, Monterey Downs, on the Monterey Peninsula, CA
I am listening John but where i live it is impossible for me to take action.
I guess obtaining a lawyer’s advice as to Boudreau’s rights to establish a racetrack would be a good
start. I would imagine that he would have to have the permission and total support of the relevant racing commission in that district and HEAPS OF MONEY.
If he’s got all this, then it might be like moving a mountain to stop it from going ahead.
I agree with you – no more racetracks!
John, when I first read this comment I honestly thought it was misinformation. This is outrageous. Although many of us don’t live in California we can stipe sign petitions and continue to expose this industry for what it is. Every California resident should come together to fight this and ensure it doesn’t go through. This would be a disaster for California, the environment, the abuse of water, and the mass killing of racehorses either on the track or at the slaughterhouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBFovrJ3W6k
Mark Casse using electrical device on his horses.
Good on you Colleen!!!
This evidence needs to go to the relevant racing commission where this race took place, the stewards who officiated on the day and The Jockey Club.
There needs to be an investigation.
Also the media e.g. the New York Times.
It needs to be exposed big time.
On the 15th of April there was an article in the WSJ titled “The Horse That Won’t Run.” I guess the trainer, Casse, fixed all that because the same day the article was printed the same horse, Classic Empire, turns around and wins the Arkansas Derby ( G 1 ) . Now Classic Empire is qualified for the Kentucky Derby. Looks like Casse found the “key” or something. What a trainer !!!
We know racing is beyond corrupt but who is watching and, more importantly, who will do anything about it.
I don’t think I posted this on the right page here (not computer savvy), however, i hope someone who knows what to do about this will still see it.
Mark Casse has been seen cheating at Woodbine Racetrack for years, and nobody does anything about it.
Any Trainer who consistently rates in the top 10 trainer ratings are, more than likely, cheating.
Whether that’s doping and/or technological devices it’s going on all over the place.
Anybody who tries to clean it up gets forced out of the industry.
This shows total, and blatant disregard for the welfare of the racehorse.
Even when these buggers are caught nothing is ever done or little is done.
These cheaters should be in jail for fraud, and cruelty to animals!!!!
I know someone very familiar with the backside, especially, at the old Calder track in Fl . He told me the guys that groomed the track said they picked up “buzzers” all over the track and it was no secret. Nobody did anything about it. Things that don’t change in this business are cheating and animal cruelty
Right Rose.
Horse racing is nothing more than a cruelty ring, corruption pit, and death camp for horses every day.
If they make it out alive, the kill auction/slaughterhouse is a higher possibility than a good home.
The officials don’t want to make racing look bad, so they will try to cover this up. Not sure who took it but thank goodness for this video.
Speaking of MIRACLES.
This trainer was just Caught. I pray to God More Trainers will be caught and lose their careers and that Horse racing will be completely Shut Down !
Cocained Horse Trained by Most Successful Trainer -April 23rd, 2017
Tampa, Florida – A record-setting trainer, Jorge Navarro, is facing a loss of his career when a horse he trained, Minecraft, tested positive for cocaine. Navarro is the current record holder for most wins in a season at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.
Minecraft, a 7-year-old gelding, placed 2nd in a $5,000 claiming race. Track officials tested the horse and found a positive cocaine reading. Navarro disputes the findings. “I don’t do cocaine, my horses don’t go out and party, so why would cocaine show up in my horses? This is nuts,” he said. Cocaine is a Class 1 violation, and carries the harshest penalties, a recommended minimum 1 year suspension and $10,000 fine.
Navarro is no stranger to drug controversy, in 2013 he was sentenced to a 60 day suspension in Florida for drug violations.
http://newsofthehorse.com/2017/concained-horse-trained-by-most-successful-trainer/
Navarro has a long history . He needs to lose his license permanently. No more meaningless suspensions. Anybody with half a brain knows this guy will continue to cheat and abuse horses. The corruption at every level in this game is palpable..