Wednesday at the races…
Indiana Grand
Bourbon N Lime – carted away by ambulance
Les Bois Park
Wanna Be Fierce – “wiped out after start”
Penn National
Tastefully Simple – carted away by ambulance
Prep Proud – carted away by ambulance
And from Monday…
Parx Racing
Cortado – “broke down – humanely euthanized”
Ruidoso Downs
Perty Impressive – carted away by ambulance
JB Concern – “went wrong,” carted away by ambulance
(source: Equibase)
My heart just breaks for these magnificent animals. How can man mask their injuries with drugs and knowingly put them on the track to race to their death? It may not be this race but the next one. Claiming races are in place to do what? To get rid of damaged goods? In this game it’s strictly where only the strong survive. Anything less is thrown away with yesterdays garbage. Please stop betting on horses.
Carolyn, you are so right. The brutality of the business is unquestionable but the claiming game, which is the backbone of racing, is an abomination. It is gut wrenching to see the horses descend in the ranks as their competiveness decreases. And as they are claimed over and over and shuffled from barn to barn they are forced to run more frequently. The racing business looks the other way as these unfortunates are run into the ground.
Good question, Rose!…and most folks know the answer! Old man Keith Asmussen knows the answer to this one because he sent a group of his broodmares there! – to the kill buyer-attended auction! Freaking loser….
I so agree, Carolyn and Rose. The claiming system is a brutal killer – and it’s the backbone of the industry that members want in place. The “kings” of the industry need it to unload their horses into, and the “paupers” need it because it’s the only job they know! The majority of races ARE the low-level claiming races and the trainers at this level know nothing else, have no other skills, and they just make it by the skin of their teeth on their measly wages made off their horses tired backs and damaged limbs. A disgusting bunch. And what’s really nauseating is the attitude these low-level folks have about their horses and what happens to them – it’s just normal, acceptable, when they buy and sell these “cheap claimers” (their term, not mine!) and see them descend in the ranks!
Just saw this today on social media – a “story” from an industry member about a racehorse named Affirmed and Ready. Affirmed and Ready, a 1995 horse, ran from 1997 to 2000. He had 27 lifetime starts and was a stakes winner. The person telling his story was his trainer when he started out running as a two-year-old (and was his trainer for, at least, his first six races). She even included a win picture from his first win – which was his second start – at Keeneland. Shortly into this account of Affirmed and Ready, things get ugly…you know, the typical course these horses take to the bottom. This horse’s former trainer stated; “He passed through many hands after me going down the ladder and ended up running cheap at Suffolk Downs, where he was rescued from the meat wagon by Michael Blowen.” (actually, Affirmed and Ready’s last race was run at Monmouth in a 5K claiming race…but you get the point…he was “rescued from the meat wagon”!) She goes on to say; “’Ready’ ended up over at the Blackburn Prison, developed laminitis from an old injury, almost died and was rehabilitated by a prisoner there”….“when I heard he was there, I adopted him to make a pony”… “When he wasn’t sound enough to make a pony, [his former owner] came and got him and gave [him] a home at his farm in Nashville until Ready’s health deteriorated.”
Just normal, everyday stuff for racehorses…“passed through many hands”, end up “running cheap”, getting “rescued from the meat wagon”, developing complications from an “old injury”, and finally, lacking soundness. I’m assuming Affirmed and Ready has died from her statement “[he] gave [him] a home…until Ready’s health deteriorated”. Affirmed and Ready would be only 20 years old.
This tragic account of a racehorse’s life received comments like “Awesome!” and “Hearing his story was really nice thank you!” and “I remember he had the biggest nostrils!”. As I said earlier, what happens to these horses is just normal and acceptable to industry members. And as Rose mentioned in her comment, the racing business looks the other way while the horses are run into the ground.
Yes Joy it’s just SO accepted! The callousness, the heartlessness and the denial that these horses are living creatures with their own special needs. These people are DESPICABLE. And the comments left me speechless….. I cannot fathom how on earth people think like that and I know I never will.
Oh this photo really got to me. Here is this beautiful noble animal, the horse, used and abused by racing, he’s shoved onto the ambulance and he would’ve been in pain and suffering in more ways than one. Looks like his near fore and probably a suspensory apparatus injury, his hinds appear to be wide indicating that he is in trouble and he just looks down at his stuffed leg – what must he be thinking – oh this poor horse!
“VANNED OFF” “VANNED OFF” “VANNED OFF” “VANNED OFF” “VANNED OFF”
And this is what is happening to racehorses day in, day out.
Just like in the sport of tennis when the ball has no more bounce in it, it’s replaced with a new ball. But in the so called “sport” of horseracing, when the horse has no more “bounce” he’s thrown away like the tennis ball!
TO THE BETTORS, DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE BETTING ON THIS?