The ugly facts on a 5-year-old (soon to be 6) mare named BL’s Dream:
total times under the whip, 86 – all claiming
races in 2015, 26 – that’s once every two weeks
in one summer stretch at Gulfstream, she was run four times in 30 days
closed out the year twice being brought back seven days after her last race
her most recent race, just four days ago at Tampa Bay, finished dead-last of 11
Current owner Juan Carlos Rullier is responsible for the last 51 races.
Without an immediate intervention, this ends badly.
The racing supporters will most certainly begin to babble that B L’s Dream was bred to run and loves to run when nothing could be further from the truth. Just a baby being run into the ground by her racing connections. I hope she makes it out of racing alive because so many of them don’t.
You are absolutely right Mary the racing supporters believe whole heartedly that these horses love what they do. I got a suggested post on Facebook the other day about a racing supporter group’s page and they were going on about how “they hated it when non racing people talk about the abuse and cruelty of the racehorse. They stated that these non racing people don’t understand that thoroughbreds are bred to run and how it’s in their blood. They love to run and they’ve been doing it since they were foals, racing each other in their paddocks and how they would get upset if they lose.”
I was appalled after reading the post. How could these people be so blinded? I hope someone helps BL’s Dream.
Tracy, we tried to help B L’s Dream but her racing connections would rather continue to exploit her than allow her to retire. Yes, I have heard the same old stories for years and years….horses “love” to run….they are “bred” to run….yet I have brought many horses home directly from the track, and, after a day or two, they may canter for a few strides, trot around my pasture for 30 seconds and then they drop their heads to eat their hay. I have been around TB’s for well over 50 years and anyone who tells you that horses “love” being exploited is a liar. As I have said many, many times, you simply can’t mix money and animals because, when you do, the animals ALWAYS end up losing.
BL’s DREAM’s owner is racing her into the ground with total disregard for her welfare (I call it aggravated cruelty) and he can do this because there are no Rules in place to protect her which is totally unacceptable.
The onus is upon the relevant Racing Commissions, the Stewards and the Veterinarians as well as The Jockey Club to intervene here. Do these entities/people have the integrity to change the Rules? One thing is for sure, they most certainly have the POWER to intervene, in particular the vets.
“Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.”
The above is an excerpt from the Veterinarians’ Oath.
Is there a way for the racetrack itself to step in n prevent this from happening
They just don’t give a damn, Billy.
billy, Carolyn is right. The racing industry just doesn’t give a damn nor do her connections. There are hundreds more just like Dream. Sad, but true…
One has to hope that the owner or the trainer cares enough about their horses to know when the horse is done. When the physical stress is taking a bigger toll or when the horse no longer enjoys his job.
I’ve dealt with a few owners who told me “He doesn’t want to be a racehorse” after a handful of starts.
There needs to be more responsibility taken by the breeders. Is it worse for a horse to be run until catastrophic breakdown and euthanasia or to end in a Mexican slaughterhouse with a captive bolt to the forehead?
We try to save as many retired racers as we can but there are never enough homes. Breeders should be forced to pay into retirement funds for every horse they produce or ensure a decent post racing home.
And there should be required medical exams by impartial vets regularly to ensure soundness and general health, just like at eventing competitions.
The only time that breeders will become fiscally responsible is when it’s legally mandated. Until then, the system makes it deliberately easy for both breeders, and owners to dump horses.
The industry knows full well that if fiscal responsibility was legally mandated then there would be very few people investing in this business.
The industry knows that there will never be enough homes, and that in order to fill races dumping must be part of the scenario.
That’s why the industry created the “claiming ranks.” This is a great way for owners to dump their horses, and wash their hands of a liability. It’s important to note that the industry promotes the “claiming ranks” as a way to make horses more competitive. I say that’s utter BS.
The system is set-up for most racehorses to lose in the end.
There is a disturbing conflict of interest between the commercial factor and the welfare of the horse in the horseracing industry. The well-being of the horse is severely compromised and one only has to read Patrick’s endless list of horse deaths to find evidence of this fact. A FACT that is unacceptable.