Two Killed Training at Belmont

The NYS Gaming Commission reports two training deaths at Belmont Friday:

4-year-old Police Camp “fell after sustaining injury – euthanized on track.”

8-year-old Mini Muffin “taken off by horse ambulance” – presumably euthanized back in the barn.

Police Camp endured the whip 17 times, most recently December 18; Mini Muffin, 33 times, most recently a last-of-8, 46+ lengths back in a maiden claiming December 2.

This is horseracing.

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5 Comments

  1. I’ve been watching Mini Muffin ever since I discovered your web site a couple years ago. Just a random horse whose name caught my eye, and whose racing record completely confounded me. She was raced over and over, never winning, living what sort of tortured life? Why didn’t someone let her go home? I don’t know whether to be sad or relieved. Yes, I do. I am profoundly sad.

    • Me, too, Charlotte, me, too. I just don’t know what to say anymore but I hope and pray that racing will one day die in the dirt the same way that so many of its athletes do.

    • So am I, Charlotte – profoundly sad, that is. I looked at Mini Muffin’s PP and she certainly didn’t have anyone in the New York racing industry looking out for her, did she…

      In only her third start (at Aqueduct), as a 5-year-old (red flag), she “bolted”, was “eased”, a DNF. She raced 23 more times after that race – never a winner. And then on March 26, 2015 (at Aqueduct), she was a DNF again…”bearing out on both turns”, “stopped”, “eased”, and finally “pulled up quickly after crossing the wire”.

      After several more races, on July 10, Mini Muffin was involved in another mishap. She crossed over into the path of another horse who clipped Mini Muffin’s heels…and she finished nearly 22 lengths behind.

      And then in her very last race before she died, as Patrick said, she finished last of 8. OVER 46 lengths behind.

      All of her races that I looked at – including her first in February of 2013 to her last in December of 2015 – her owner was Jose Polanco.

      Shame on Jose Polanco. And with all of her races run on New York tracks, shame on the New York racing industry.

  2. Racing is the ultimate betrayal of the horse. They are bred, they are named, they are “trained”, they learn to trust, they do what is asked of them and then they die at the track or they are slaughtered. Very few survive to live out their normal life span.
    What a deceitful nasty business !!!

    Yes Joy, shame on all the Jose Polancos, the breeders, the commissioners, the owners/trainers, the bettors and all connected with or give sanction to this ugly gambling business.

  3. Many aspects of the horseracing industry are illegal. Racing two year olds, and excessive whipping are misdemeanors under NYS Ag.& Mkts Law. The drugging constitutes felonies. However, these crimes will continue unless the Attorney General Gets involved.

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