The short, mean life of a horse named Queen Tracy Afleet:
Bred into existence by Daniel Chicola on March 9, 2012. Sold to James Evans. First race, a $5,000 claiming at Louisiana Downs under trainer John Saffel, May 2015: DNF, ambulanced away. Second race, another $5,000 claiming under same trainer/owner team, July 2015: broke down, dead.
Made by man.
Exploited by man.
Killed by man.
This is horseracing.
So sad that so many are being bred just for $2 bets, to make a few people richer, to fill a façade of fancy hats, and mint juleps which results in breakdowns, maiming, killing or dumped at kill auctions. Very few get a decent forever home. I would guess less than 5%, but figures are hard to confirm. The industry wants it this way as tattoos are skewed, and the reluctance to implement microchips is strong among the supporters.
Such an antiquated business model that still allows the repeated beatings of racehorses, via the whip, to perform.