The Equibase line for 6-year-old Fancy Hat in the 8th Wednesday at Keeneland was, to those familiar with Racing’s euphemisms, bleak: “went bad…vanned off.” While confirmations on Kentucky kills are usually difficult to come by (their response to my FOIA request), this one, at least, was covered in the press. In reporting the death – a “fatal fracture” – the Lexington Herald-Leader added this from jockey Brian Hernandez Jr: “Just an unfortunate accident.”
Speechless – again.
Far too many constant and never ending deaths to be just another “unfortunate accident”. How stupid and gullible does the horseracing industry think the public are?
Some trainers aren’t bad why do you have to comment on everything and your comments always have to be bad? Some things in the sport of kings is good for example American Pharoah and having a triple crown champion and grand slam champion. My point is some things in horse racing is good and all we really ever hear about from people are the bad things!
You are delusional.
KIA, 2015
Every Trainer sends out a sore horse sooner or later. That’s cruelty to animals. American Pharoah was whipped/beaten so bad it was disgusting to watch. Yet, you cite this public flogging as a positive one? Moreover, his trainer Bob Baffert has had many racehorses die in his care including snapped-off legs, broken shoulders, bones separating from ligaments, and you refer to this as good?
You refer to it as the “sport of kings?” It’s not a sport. It’s a cruelty circus where beating, maiming, and deaths are common. The “king of slaves” would be more appropriate.
Patrick is right. You are delusional and so is anybody who supports and/or participates in this cruelty circus.
Fancy Hat, a 2010 chestnut mare…she was raced by breeder/owner Stonelea Stable and trainer Thomas Drury. What a day at the races – so was that entertaining to watch, racing supporters? Fancy Hat breaks down and falls to the dirt…two other racehorses have to avoid “their fallen foe”. How absolutely sickening. And the jockey with his callous and irreverent response to the horrific death of a sentient being…”JUST an unfortunate accident”! Why am I still appalled?…this is a daily event in this industry!
All of my years at the track, every trainer that I rode or galloped for was guilty, at times or many times, of training and running sore horses. EVERY one of them.
20yr+ Believed!!! When I worked in the industry a trackwork rider friend, who was working for a high profile trainer, refused to work a horse one morning and pointed out that horse was sore and was not right in its action the previous morning and she detected an issue with its near (left) fore limb. Now this girl was raised with horses, is equine educated and knows her stuff – she was earning good money because she was so talented. Trainer insisted she ride horse but she still refused. Trainer gets another rider on horse and half-way around the track horse breaks down with a left broken shoulder. This was devastating for this girl. Another top trainer offered her a job because she’s so good at what she does but after a while she walked away from racing and concentrated on her university studies.
Carolyn-Yes, I have had that happen to me as well. As a jockey I had lost many mounts for speaking up. As an exercise rider, I would just be replaced. The two horses that stand out the most are an older gelding. I spoke up, and was replaced for the morning work. He slab-fractured his knee. The other was a two yr old filly with bucked shins. I spoke up, and was removed as her jockey. Her trainer put a ‘bug rider’ on her, and she snapped both her front legs in two her very next race. People like me are easily replaced when faced with the inconvenient truth.
Gut-wrenching experiences for you. These callous cruel people must be made accountable.
Exactly, “the inconvenient truth”!
It hurts me when a horse dies RIP Fancy Hay!
FANCY HAT, the names are just another smokescreen delusion that the industry deliberately portrays.
FANCY HAT sure wasn’t fancy while her leg snapped-off – was she?
Nor is this sickening, pathetic cruelty circus, and death camp that they call the “sport of kings.”
How about the “circle of death?”
This is much more reflective of what’s going on.