Derby and Preakness Runner Danzig Moon Dead

Six weeks after finishing 5th in the Derby, and four weeks after a 6th in the Preakness, 3-year-old Danzig Moon is dead after breaking down yesterday at Woodbine. News, of course, due to the relative value of the animal. This is horseracing.

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  2. Not in the least bit surprised to hear this sad news. Indisputable evidence that the stress placed on these young 3 year olds whose bones/bodies have not yet properly developed is A KILLER. I’m taking this opportunity of adding one of my previous posts on this matter about 2 weeks ago –
    Just noticed that Firing Line and Dortmund are not contenders in the Belmont, scheduled for 6 June, being the final race of the much sought after Triple Crown.
    It appears that Firing Line likely did some damage jumping out of the gates in the Preakness. Dortmund and his colic history? Well, one can only think that that terrible race in shocking conditions flattened him well and truly and likely the others.
    THREE YEAR OLDS – it just makes me sick to the stomach that they do this wretched Triple Crown… and to prove what?
    One thing it does prove is how to ruin young horses over a period of several weeks.
    It would be interesting to monitor all these 3 year olds who competed in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont and see how long they last after this gruelling episode when so young and their bodies immature and not yet fully developed.

  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InvUJj9tFoU

    The above link shows American Pharoah after winning the Preakness and about to travel. Reluctant to load onto the truck which behaviour appears to display not looking forward to the experience which often has an adverse affect on a horse. He looked far too ribby to me and I believe this evidences that the gruelling racing conditions of the Preakness took a toll on him. Travelling can also cause poor condition of a horse’s tail as it is often rubbing against a hard surface for a long period of time during transport. His tail looks poorly. As for the washing of him in front of the cameras, well it just left me speechless. This horse is worth tens of millions of dollars and Baffert’s worker begins with putting a very soapy sponge onto AP’s face and all over his eyes? Equine educated people tell you you never do that – you begin with letting the horse get used to the wash by starting on the lower legs and leave the face/head until last with just plain water so as not to cause a problem with the horse’s eyes. In my experience horses don’t like water on their faces any time. Glad to see that this beautiful 3 year old colt survived the cruel triple crown.

  4. Didn’t the wse young horse give enough. Didn’t he earn the rest of his life? To die with NO dignity On the track, surrpunded by scrabbling track stewards, probably watching his jockey walk off – do we have no shame!!!!!! ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. One death is too many, let along all of the others! Yes, extremely sad. They should not be run to death!

  8. I feel so saddened to have lost this beautiful baby, only 3 years old. Please people stop betting and have a heart, let the thoroughbred be, they have suffered enough…

    Marlene Thornley

  9. Carolyn, so agree with you. For years have wanted to have the time to monitor ALL initial two-year-old Derby contenders through their three-year-old year to show the level of maiming and death so many suffer to provide an uninformed Derby TV audience and those finding fun in having a Derby party the list of these magnificent beings, taken as babies, to race for their lives and the money and fame of a gambling industry so the Derby myth can continue, Time for a reality check,

  11. Run free now sweet Danzig Moon. I do care about you and all the other beautiful horses that are gone way too
    soon. You all died in the dirt for a lousy $2.00 bet. Thank you Patrick and everyone else for all you do for
    these sentient creatures.

  12. JANE ALLIN WROTE an excellent article and talked about PATRICK and this website.

    Despite a Triple Crown all that glitters is not gold in American horse racing
    (Part 1)

    For anyone truly interested in grasping the scope of this ugly truth they should visit Patrick Battuello’s blog where the deaths of racehorses all over America’s tracks are comprehensively documented based on unadulterated facts, not opinion or bias Horse Racing Wrongs estimates that upwards of 2,000 horses die while racing or training on American racetracks annually.

    Regrettably, there is only one reason for the decline in this once celebrated sports venue – clearly, the racing industry is their own worst enemy. No uniform drug regulations, lack of sufficient punishment for cheaters, and the public’s perception of both corruption and the cruelty inflicted on these young horses by their hypothetical “caretakers” tend to leave a bad taste in one’s mouth, particularly in this heightened day of animal cruelty.

    https://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/despite-a-triple-crown-all-that-glitters-is-not-gold-in-american-horse-racing/#respond

  14. Not all horse owners and trainers are cruel. I know people who treated their horses very special, and didnt kill them after done racing. Many of you have closed minds. You dont know how Danzig Moons owner and trainer are feeling. He for sure will be missed, but i do not think the intent of running him was to kill him. He
    did not run in the Belmont did he? Please stop having everyone connected to the sport as cruel. Some remarks made are absurb. If the sport offends you that much do not watch it.

    • Chuck,

      The GOAL of this website is:

      to HONOR those horses that have died on the battlefield of a race track.

      To EDUCATE people as to the dangers of horse racing.

      To EXPOSE the ABUSE at the racetrack of drugging, whipping, and then sending over 20,000 of those race horses every year to a brutal horrifying death called HORSE SLAUGHTER

      to INSPIRE people to STOP gambling on horses and

      To help SHUT DOWN the horse racing industry FOREVER.

      • It seems so simple, doesn’t it Kathleen! And it is!…your list of what HW is about is so easy to understand and straightforward! Yet, it’s the apologists again and again that comment with issues totally unrelated to racehorse exploitation! I wonder if they go to, let’s say, blogs about orca abuse at SW and scream “but there are racehorses dying!…you only care about the orca because it’s in the spotlight!” I doubt it.

      • Kathleen,

        Excellent post!! Obviously it is “over the head” of Chuck who cannot grasp its simple concept.

        The owner/trainer of Danzig Moon never gave this horse the proper rest, after grueling races, and knowingly, put this horse at risk of injury, or death, by not giving him the proper time to recover which was cruel. They were blinded by the proposition of easy money.

        His safety and well being should be paramount, and keeping him sound should be the most important priority, but in this case, the money was more important, and again the victim was the innocent TB Danzig Moon. Dead because money was more important than his life.

        Those of us on this site advocate for the TB. Chuck, you can try to sugar coat it anyway you like, but horse racing is a BLOOD SPORT, plain and simple, and we want the suffering to end…

        Marlene Thornley

      • Joy,

        I remain Completely mystified as to why they waste their time and our time coming on this list. They would be better served by taking the time they have and building a website or even a facebook page where they can talk about any subject they want and just leave us alone.

      • Kathleen, they’ve done something similar in Australia. When one Googles for the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses http://www.horseracingkills.com/about-us/ one will come across another “Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses EXPOSED” https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coalition-For-the-Protection-of-Racehorses-Exposed/521074617973062
        They published one of my comments but when i sent a further one they didn’t publish it – no doubt they couldn’t cope with the truthful FACTS. In the meantime, they’re running around like chooks with their heads chopped off because they cannot substantiate their ludicrous allegations against Horseracing Kills which organisation obtains some of its information/statistics from the Australian Racing Board’s Fact Book published annually which is a public document!!!???. NOR can they substantiate their own claims and make embarrassingly pitiful attempts to do so. They just cannot come to terms with the fact that they cannot defend the indefensible.

    • The people you talk about are very much in the minority, probably about 1%. Of course Danzig Moon’s owners did not run him with the intent of killing him. The reason he didn’t run in the Belmont is obvious because the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness (especially this race given its unacceptable racing conditions for the horse) were gutbusters for this young 3 year old whose bones are immature and far from being properly developed.
      http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

      Any trainer and owner who genuinely cared about a horse like DM would’ve immediately put him out for at least 3-4 months to recover and rest after such an arduous episode. Their bodies need to mend. It appears that DM’s trainer and owner ran him with the intent of readiness for another race in the hope he would win big prizemoney (for what other reason would they do this?). It is my view that they were pushing this horse beyond its limits and his sickening breakdown is proof. Such obscene greed for the $$$ when the essential necessary requirement for this young horse was to stop training/racing for at least 3-4 months.
      http://www.thehorse.com/articles/34672/preventing-injuries-in-thoroughbred-racehorses?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=10-08-2014
      “Basically, the amount of fatigue a bone suffers and its fatigue life depend on how frequently and how hard the horse works.”

      I have never seen any “absurd” remarks on this site with one exception when I stated that TI Doublegrr and another racehorse in a photo looked like prisoners on death row. Admittedly over the top but I make no apologies because what was going on with TI Doublegrr outraged me. And let’s face it these horses are slaves and imprisoned and death will occur for them either on the track or at the slaughterhouse for the very great majority (something like 90%). Many of the authors on Patrick’s site have had decades of first hand experience in the racing industry including a former trainer/owner. It is a blood sport and it offends me enormously which is why I will continue to be an advocate for the helpless voiceless thoroughbred racehorse. Believe me my stomach turns every time I have to scrutinize race replays or go to a track to monitor certain horses, watch them racing when they’ve already had a bleed and likely to have another which could be fatal, racing with pre-existing injuries, racing when they’re sore, forced to race when they’ve been cast for many hours (unattended) during the night, racing when they haven’t recovered from their previous start, racing with poor archaic farrier work on their feet, many race on dysfunctional feet (NEHRO) which often creates problems/stress in their limbs, racing when sick with a virus, being forced into the gates when they know they’re not up to the task ahead of them, pumped up with drugs both legal and illegal and then beaten mercilessly with whips when seriously fatigued by the insensitive curs on their backs.

      • Simply excellent, Carolyn. TY for that much-needed education for Chuck.

        (and your comment that you mentioned might have been “over the top”?…not so…it was right on)

    • Chuck, Give us the name of 10 Thoroughbreds, Registered Jockey Club Name, that has raced, retired (OTTB), and now with the same Owner that races the horse? Any OTTB that is living a decent life in a grassy paddock that the Racing Owner still has? Excluding multimillion dollar Stallions that have a home only because of their fiscal value. I would be more than happy to follow-up with the information you provide. Now remember folks 10 horses are about .0005% of TB’s born in one given year. I look forward to this information.

      • Once again, EXCELLENT Gina. The apologists always drop a generalized statement that has nothing to back it up. If Chuck comes back, there’ll be an excuse for his lack of FACTS. They’ve got a big, fat NOTHIN’.

      • I can give you two that I or my son owned , Recession Buster and Awesomette.

  15. Chuck,

    FORCING horses to race faster and faster and faster at age 2,3,4,5,and 6 when they are not even fully developed is CRUEL.

    No on on this group that is against racing enjoys watching a horse race.

    I only watch horse racing to PRAY for the horses. PRAY that they will stay alive and they will be retired and that the owners and trainers will WAKE up to the abuse they are subjecting these horses to.

    EVery time you FORCE a horse to run at top speeds you are risking his life. those are the facts.

    HORSE RACING is CRUEL.

  16. Animals ,all are in slavery, abused pouched, miss used an abused, an it all about greadie money hungry people that don’t even care about them selfs, let alone anything else, enough is enough it is the sign of the times, mother nature, God, God did not have Noah to build the ark for people, mother nature has been here before god, an they are just about tired,so if you need me to sign anything, will be glad, gread has gotten out of hand, an it’s sad, God Bless every animal that has left here because of abuse, my thoughts and prayers are with them always an forever, I would rather deal with animals then a lot of greadie money hungry people, cause they have unconditional love an more sense, then the greadie money hungry people’s, may they all rest in peace

  17. QUESTION FOR ALL HORSE LOVERS ON THE SITE

    I am in the process of helping to rescue 85 horses that are being neglected and abused and starved.

    It is a complicated story so that is all I will say for now. I certainly do not need any negative attacks on what I am trying to do and based on what I have seen on this list from pro racing fans i will not be sharing what I am doing until it is done.

    I have a new friend who is involved in helping me and she told me that she has been taking care of a retired race horse for four years. He is 12 years old. She told me TWO DAYS AGO that he paces back and forth in his stall and when he is let out he runs in circles. I asked her what she is feeding him and she wrote back today and told me that the owner feeds him VITA BLEND.

    I know the race horse but I will not say his name. Again, this is not currently a safe place to post that kind of information with people coming on here just to attack those who are trying to help horses.

    I will share it with those I trust personally privately.

    I think there must be something in the BLEND that is AMPING him.

    on the label it “says “calms nervous and or agitated horses. ”

    i think it is bad for him. does anyone on this list have any experience with this product.

    • Kathleen, all i can suggest is that professional equine advice be obtained as to what feed/vitamin supplements should be given to him. Also a veterinary examination.

      • For once I agree with Carolyn , call a vet . Also may I suggest you rethink the 85 head you mention , you are not knowledgeable enough, first of all the first thing you do when in doubt is call the vet , not ask for help on a blog.

      • Debra,

        You have NO idea who I am or what i know.

        I am working with a team of people. Lawyers and VETS.

        I am working with top VETS at TOP Universities. Cornell, CSU and UC DAVIS.
        The three top VET Universities in the country and with TOP VETS associated with those schools

        YOU are the main reason I will not talk about what I am doing on this list and why so many on this list are ignoring you and not speaking up.

        You really should go do seomthing productive in your life and leave us alone.

      • Carolyn,

        It is a complicated situation.

        There is an owner who is boarding the horse at a facility

        There is someone administering the product to the horse.

        There is someone else who is very concerned about the horse who has been taking care of the horse for 4 years but does not want to lose her job over this.

        Since there are former race horse owners and trainers associated with this list, i was looking to see if anyone had any experience with this product.

        I do not work with race horses. Never have. I was just checking on this list to see if someone had experience with that product.

        That is all.

        I will connect my concerned friend with my VET connections I am working with on this other project but I thought perhaps someone on this list was familiar with the product because some here have been involved with the racing world for over 30 years.

        This person did not want to speak out on this list because she is keeping her identity secret as she does not want to lose her job. She just wants to help the horse.

    • Kathleen, when a retired racehorse paces back and forth in his stall and “runs in circles” when turned out, a vet should be called. Please inform your “new friend” to take immediate action. I’m sure she will heed this excellent advice. No one on this blog can diagnose a horse just by reading a sentence or two describing his behavior. Different supplements/medications effect animals, and people, differently. No surprise there. Tell your concerned friend to call her REGULAR vet as soon as possible.

      Also, please tell this “new friend” to be very diligent when helping these horses. As you are aware, you will need to contact Animal Control, and, if they don’t take action (which they probably won’t), you may need to get the media involved. It is extremely difficult to help one or two horses, so you certainly have your hands full. I am also assuming that it is well documented that the horses are abused/neglected/starved. If there are 85 horses that need help, it is already out in the public domain. Trying to keep it “secret” is a futile exercise.

      • Mary,

        Thank you.

        I was asked to find out if anyone had experience with that one supplement he was being given. that is what i did. I will tell her what you said. Hopefully, she will follow through. If not, I will make the call.

        RE: the 85 horses. It is not a secret. I have been sharing it on facebook. I just did not want to talk about it on this website and have DEBRA attack yet another person trying to help horses. I have been incredibly busy behind the scenes. I have NO time for debate or questions with someone who just wants to pick a fight.

        I am weary of people who come on this website who just want to attack those of us who want horse racing to end forever. People who do not agree should start their own site with whatever cause they are passionate about and stop trying to change our minds.

        The 85 horses include 55 horses called CASPIANS. They date back over 3,000 years. There are only 1200 left on the Planet. Only 450 left in the US.
        The story just went live earlier today. a petition has been started. MAINE has excellent EQUINE LAWS but they are not being enforced.

        Please read and please share with your friends.

        The abuse has been going on for over three years and is well documented. I jus found out about it 7 weeks ago and have been working non stop behind the scenes to help bring in lawyers I know that work with animal rights and experts on CASPIANS, etc. .

        I have a friend who has had CASPIANS for over 20 years. She is horrified at how they are being treated. She spent 35,000 to buy one of them over 20 years ago. Prince Philip of Buckingham Palace helped get them out of IRAN over 30 years ago which was dealing with revolution and war. They almost went extinct.

        Livestock Conservancy has them on the endangered breed list.

        They are supposed to look like miniature ARABIANS when healthy. They are very intelligent and they deserve a far better life. They are from Northern Iran where the temperature is like Florida. IN MAINE, they are left outside with black moldy hay and no shelter, or good water or good food.. They only stand 9 to 11 hands high. Their body condition scores are currently 1’s and 2’s. They are dangerously thin and infested with worms.

        The article will take you to the MAINE EQUINE website where there is more of the story.

        http://www.examiner.com/article/sheriff-deputy-fired-blackmailed-for-investigating-animal-cruelty

  18. QUESTION FOR ALL HORSE LOVERS ON THE SITE

    See above question. Retired horse is acting like he is still drugged. has been retired for four years.

    They are giving him this product

    CORRECTION. Product is called vita calm.

    I wonder if it is the thiamine ??

    PLus, he is retired so why are this still giving this to him ?

    Vita-Calm is a supplemental source of l-tryptophan, thiamine, calcium, and magnesium for nervous, agitated, and high strung horses. Vita-Calm is for horses that may benefit from or require these nutritional components prior to a stressful situation such as training or competitive event, or where supplementation may prevent a dietary deficiency. 1000 mg l-tryptophan, 500 mg thiamine, 20 mg calcium, and 2.5 mg magnesium per 1 oz. (Please check competition rules regarding the use of tryptophan.) Feed 1/2 to 1 oz. per 1000 lbs. daily. May feed up to 2 oz. just prior to event. Meal.

    • Kathleen , Alot of thoroughbreds are just naturally high strung . Its the breed , just like Arabians or other breeds of sport horses . Tell your friend to try something with B-1 Like “calm and cool “

      • Thank You Laura.

        I Greatly appreciate your suggestion. She is part of this list but does not want the identity of the horse revealed so i am posting on her behalf. She did say he was high strung. I have never owned a race horse so I have no experience with them

      • Not A problem Kathleen . Regardless of our opposing views , Im always willing to help a fellow horse person whenever i can .

      • Laura and Kathleen, I have been involved with OTTB’s for 50 years so this isn’t my first time up to home plate. I have never seen a horse “run in circles” repeatedly. Yes, some horses are more “high strung” than others but, after a couple of days of turnout after leaving the track, the horses in my barn are very settled and I have never witnessed the behavior that Kathleen describes. Therefore, I don’t give it much credence.

      • Mary,

        I was just sharing what I was told. I have never seen the horse. The woman taking care of the horse cannot force the owner to go to another vet for a second opinion but I will ask her to try. I heard that some products really amp up horses so I thought the product might be an issue.

        I will email you privately about who the horse is and send you photos.

  20. Thousands die every year. Del Mar, owned by Madeleine Pickens needs to dhut down. So foes Ruidoso. And many more. There is no more sport of Kings. It is a blood sport now. Stop it.

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