3-year-old Willful is dead – “humanely euthanized,” says Equibase – after breaking down in the 5th yesterday at Parx. Including her fatal run, Willful was put to the whip 13 times, earning over $80,000 for her people – trainer Flint Stites, owner/breeder Charles McGill. This is horseracing.
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“humanely” euthanased implying that the racing industry did a very humane thing for this horse. She was put down because she obviously suffered a catastrophic injury/condition in her final race.
This 3 year old filly called WILLFUL (sired by Smarty Jones) was ultimately killed because she… well…..umh……. “broke down”. What does “broke down” mean?
The racing industry doesn’t want to tell us that……
Some of the possibilities for her breaking down are as follows:
fractured femur
fractured a radius and/or ulna
fractured tibia
fractured a cannon bone
fractured a carpus (knee)
fractured pastern
fractured humerus (shoulder)
fractured pelvis
fracture and rupture of a femoral artery
a lumbo-sacral injury
a severed flexor tendon
a ruptured flexor tendon
ruptured/fractured suspensory apparatus
ruptured aorta
sesamoid injury
dislocation/fracture of a fetlock
severe pulmonary haemorrhage – likely exercise induced
suffered a massive bilateral nasal haemorrhage – likely exercise induced
haemorrhagic shock caused by a rupture of the middle uterine artery
an acute cranial base fracture and subdural haematoma of the brain
head/neck injury
cardiovascular failure – CAUSE? likely drugs and/or exercise induced
I hasten to add that the above list is not exhaustive.
WILLFUL had been doing very well insofar as being a money earner – $86,283 for 13 starts:
3 firsts, 1 second and 3 thirds averaging $6,637 per race start. Recently turned 3 in April (foal date)
clocked up 13 starts and it appears she was in work/racing since 17 October 2014 until 27 June 2015 when she died. She’d had 13 starts in this period of eight (8) months. She was not put out to rest and recover during this her only prep. – a 3 year old with her very immature bones formed but not yet developed.
http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf
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.”
There was nothing “humane” about the racing life of this young filly. SHAMEFUL.