Two more racehorses are dead in NY:
After being “vanned off” in a race at Finger Lakes on May 18, 4-year-old Sunshine Bliss was, according to the Gaming Commission, “in obvious distress” overnight (leg injury). She was euthanized the following day. In what may or may not be a relevant fact (it’s virtually impossible to know), Sunshine Bliss was raced three times in the last two weeks of her young life. Three times in two weeks. Trainer/owner, Gerald James. And just this morning, 3-year-old Gabbole fractured his leg while training at Belmont – euthanized where he lay. Trainer, Gary Contessa.
This is horseracing.
I believe 3 starts in 2 weeks is too much for a horse and contributed to her demise. Lets not forget that Lasix was administered into her vein before each start also.
There was talk of a rule to prevent horses not starting more frequently than every 2 weeks. This was in response to the high fatality rate at Aqueduct earlier this year. However, it looks like the rule was not enacted since the number of fatalities dropped because the brutal weather intervened !
My point is that these people know frequent starts contribute to breakdowns but do nothing about it. What a shame.