The following horses were raceday casualties on American tracks last week:
Reported as died, euthanized, or “broke down” – racing-speak for dead
Dipping Diamonds, Delaware
Aces Are Wild, Parx
Light Weight, Parx
Betty Mc, Louisiana
Fire Chief, Thistledown
Leader of the Pack, Belterra
Reported as “vanned off” – left via ambulance, a better-than-even chance of dead
Driscoll, Thistledown
Pepe’s Valentine, Mountaineer
Pistoria, Penn
Flicker Doodle, Albuquerque
Dariel, Belmont
Call for the Clock, Belmont
Spasella, Charles Town
Souper Funny, Charles Town
Mystical Vision, Louisiana
Federal Judge, Oak Tree
Bluegrass Dan, Arlington
Aveory’s TNT’s, Belterra
My Sweet Tooth, Charles Town
Brewingintheblue, Emerald
Elopement, Evangeline
Candy’s Joy, Indiana
Winnie Vee, Les Bois
Double Jock Mount, Penn
Designated Hitter, Ruidoso
Ace Away, Arapahoe
Animal Kracker, Belmont (later confirmed dead)
Sexy Boy, Gulfstream
Hard Limits, Indiana
Hez Stellar, Los Alamitos
Big Sugar, Prairie
Rollickin Red, Ruidoso
Im Royal Quick, Ruidoso
Molten Image, Santa Anita
Unsaddled Glory, Canterbury
Scoozi, Canterbury
Grand Move, Emerald
Fortunate Jess, Fair Meadows
Sollovino, Jerome County Fair
Sir Perservere, Oak Tree
Don’t Bluff, Prairie
Other
Dad’s Glad, Delaware, “hit gate,” DNF
Bully Song, Parx, “fell,” DNF
Its Trouble, Indiana, “bled”
Dash N Cajun, Delta, “bled”
Bertha Belle, Mountaineer, “bled”
Miserable Blue, Canterbury, “stopped badly”
R.J. Says, Charles Town, “fell,” DNF
Hot Sand, Monmouth, “fell over the final fence”
Sconset Express, Monmouth, “bled”
(source: Equibase)
SEVEN (7) CONFIRMED DEATHS
THIRTY-FOUR (34) LIKELY DEATHS
NINE (9) LIKELY SERIOUS INJURIES/CONDITIONS
If the relevant Racing Commissions had nothing to hide, they would disclose the status of the 34 horses that left in an ambulance. It is obvious that when a horse is removed from the track in an ambulance, that horse has suffered a serious injury. Rarely does a horse survive and resume racing in these circumstances. Of those few that do survive most end up on a trip to the slaughterhouse because racing has ended their careers (lives) and their irreparably damaged bodies are of no use to anyone else.
As for the “Other” horses the above might apply to those horses that did not finish (DNF) when they fell, hit a gate, fell over the final fence (indicating horse was seriously exhausted) and stopped badly. The horses that bled – some bleeds are fatal and some are not.
If the 9 “Other” horses did in fact survive, it appears that it is highly likely that about forty (40) of the abovenamed horses died in horseracing in America in just one week alone. If this is incorrect, then it is incumbent upon the relevant Racing Commissions to provide tangible evidence to prove otherwise.
These horses are put on public display, the racing industry is a public industry sustained by the public and the public has a right to know the truth.