In the (Equibase) chart notes for the 3rd at Belmont yesterday, Bonita Luna was said to have “[taken] a bad step…got pulled up quickly and was subsequently vanned off.” Turns out, the 6-year-old mare is dead – “euthanized,” says the Gaming Commission, for a “front leg fracture” back in the barn. “Investigation to follow.”
Also recently reported by the Commission: Majestic Joe sustained multiple fractures while training at Belmont this past Sunday. He was two years old – on the maturation chart, the equivalent of a human child – and being prepped for his first race.
So far in 2016, 21 racehorses have lost their lives at the venue that just hosted the final leg of the Triple Crown – and no one seems to care.
This is horseracing.
It continues to make me sick and angry at the way these four legged beauties are treated/abused/killed. The ONLY thing that matters to these people is the amount of money they can make off of them. We have to continue to speak the truth, it’s the only way to make the necessary changes.
So sorry for yet the other victims of this cruelty circus, and death camp.
Bonita Luna and Majestic Joe. Both of you profit slaves. Both of you dead.
It absolutely infuriates me that state governments are financially supporting this despicable industry with either taxpayers money, tax breaks and/or casino money.
These racing associations, including the NYRA, are given unprecedented sums of money that our governments rubber stamp year in and year out.
Prior to Gov. Cuomo they had zippo oversight, and were running their own private ATM machine at the expense of New York State residents who could financially benefit from the casino profits instead of this death camp they call horse racing.
Very few government officials actually question what the hell is going on?
They are plain dump, deliberately ignorant, or just keep the status quo while getting possible pay-offs.
The only person that is actually trying to change something is Gov. Cuomo.
He’s being met with strong opposition from horse racing people who throw temper tantrums the minute they suggest changes.
These changes would benefit the majority of people who don’t support this despicable industry – like the majority of taxpayers and casino patrons.
Most want nothing to do with horse racing. They probably couldn’t care less if it shut down tomorrow.
People who are aware of the truth definitely want it shut down.
The situation in Ontario, Canada is even more sickening because we have a Premier (Canadian equivalent to Governor) who has just announced 100 million per year for 8 years to Woodbine who just received 345 million per year for 12 years!
After they drained that cash trough they came back for more – and got it!
Are you kidding me??
The other 2 government candidates are worse than the present one. They want to give them more money! I have nobody to vote for – absolutely nobody.
There isn’t one candidate running for election this fall that will stand up to this sinking industry and say enough is enough – no more.
We have a debt spiraling out of control, Ontario is on the verge of bankruptcy, and she finds 100 million dollars for a endless sucking money pit while hundreds of small business struggle to survive and support more jobs than horse racing ever will.
They are inadvertently supporting the deaths, the abuse, cruelty, pain, and suffering at the expense of everybody else.
This industry makes every else pay the price, but the racehorses pay the ultimate price as they lay dying in the dirt.
If all horse racing shut down tomorrow it wouldn’t be soon enough for me.
In this business of animal cruelty the dead rest in peace while the living suffer on.
The following is an example of how these gangsters abuse these helpless captives:
A 5 yr. old mare, Jill’s Reflection, foaled 19 April in fl. and bred by the Rose family has logged 63 starts to date with 26 of these starts as a 3yr. old and 17 starts as a 4yr. old, all as a “claimer”. Now she is entered in race 4 at 8:25 pm on the18th in Charlestown, WV and is entered in race 4 at Delaware on the 20th. So she is scheduled to race, travel and race again within one day. And this is “legal” !!!
This is nothing short of disgraceful. NOBODY in this game gives a damn about this helpless abused mare. Racing is deliberately designed to facilitate any and all kinds of horse abuse. How can anyone this defend this game and what are all the “good people” doing to stop this cruelty ? How about some basic rules to stop this animal abuse, “good people”, wherever you are ? Racing is an abomination and has to END, period.
I will email Delaware and ask how this abuse is allowed. However, the standard answer will be “it is up to the trainer”. What they mean is, it is up to the abusers and we don’t care as long as the racing cards are filled and we get our pay checks. SICK.
Oh Rose…I have no words…
Joy, a small reprieve…..Jill’s Reflection was scratched from the 4thh at Delaware today. Must not have been able to get her there on time !!!
Joy, a small reprieve…..Jill’s Reflection was scratched from the 4thh at Delaware today. Must not have been able to get her there on time !!!
Rose, Joy, Mary and others: the ongoing abuse of Halos and Angels is going for yet another round. She’s entered at Thistledown 5th Race $5000 claiming.
Will this be her last race?
Or, will the alleged drug cocktail, and multiple joint injections bring home a check this time?
Of course animal welfare advocates, and the wagering public have no clue as to what is being given to this poor angel because the racing industry ensures the secrecy.
They don’t release vet records.
I would imagine that the ongoing doping would probably fill a book for this abused profit slave of this despicable cruelty circus.
One thing’s for sure – she is another wagering number to bring in wagering income.
Whether she dies or not the associations get their percentage.
This, amigos, is the dirty world of horse racing.
Rose & others: there are so many times I hold back when commenting on this blog. I do it out of safety for myself, but I will say this: Rose is so right on when she says “gangsters.” If the public only knew. If the taxpayers only knew.
The racing associations rely on the governments ignorance about the millions of taxpayers money that they are spending, supporting this alleged gangster network, claiming jobs for a justification to keep the ATM machine going for this endless money pit, and cruelty circus.
The racing associations on every racetrack, commonly referred to as the HBPA are, in my opinion, organized and legalized gangsters.
Another thing, most of the HBPA boards breeds, owns, trains, an races lots of horses (Linda Rice, Rick Violette Jr., Sue Leslie Ontario HBPA, Nick Gonzales Ontario HBPA, Sikura Holdings Ltd./Glen & John Sikura).
They have most of the stable area monopolized with either themselves or the Trainers that are allegedly under their control.
They also win the majority of purse money while controlling the Interstate Horse Wagering Act which controls millions of wagering money across not only state lines, but entire countries as well.
Their racing stables become an endless turnstile of crippled, sore, dying, and disposable horses.
If their not dying, they are getting dumped into their legitimized disposal system called claiming.
The HBPA/associations will file insurance claims when racehorses die under their care.
So they always get their money even when the racehorses die in many cases.
In the meantime, they expect and feel entitled to millions in tax breaks, millions from casinos without oversight, and throw temper tantrums anytime a government takes away a small portion of their endless money trough which is supported by everybody else, but themselves.
Even the racehorses they dispose of, when no longer profitable, are usually rescued, and supported by people who have nothing to do with their irresponsible breeding and exploitation.
Out of this entire scenario, racehorses are paying with their lives – every day.
This industry is a cruelty circus, death camp, and a breeding ground for organized crime operations.
what is way worse than the amount of death is the ones that have to live with the daily painful procedures and all of the drug there is not one horse anywhere in the racing world that race on its own ability anymore it is all drug induced and done with painful procedures
Stop abusing horses.
There are so many being abused right now here’s just a few:
FRAZIL has made just under $600,000. His last race was for $25,000 – up for sale – no longer profitable to make the big bucks. Evidently, $600,000 is not enough to ensure his grassy paddock. Just another number. Has been claimed by different owners at least 3 times in the last 6 months. No medical records follow these horses so multiple joint injections, and drug cocktails can be repeated under the current system. So the racehorses are forced to endure extensive invasive procedures in order to keep them running, and filling races for wagering income.
MYSTICAL TERP has made just under $300,000. Same scenario as above. His last 3 races? Last by 25+ lengths “Failed to respond”. Racehorse language for whipped/beaten but now even the beatings are not getting him to compete), last by 10+ lengths (“No Factor”; racehorse language for it doesn’t matter what we do this horse doesn’t want to be here.) lost by 44+ lengths.”Lacked Response”)!
There’s only one entity lacking response, and that’s these SOB’s who continue to allow this horse to enter, and run. These last 3 races, or shall we say cruelty circus rings, all took place at the infamous Gulfstream Park.
It should be noted that Gulfstream Park, owned by Frank Stronach the supposed “good” folks in horse racing allows this blatant horse abuse to continue. This organization, AKA Magna International, AKA Adena Springs harnesses a bevy of attorneys when it comes to legal battles surrounding wagering income, but fail to enact changes for situations like this.
IMMORTAL WINK. The ongoing cruelty, and abuse of this racehorse is so heartbreaking that I don’t even want to repeat it since I posted it before.
There are essential operating elements of this industry: whipping/beating, doping, dumping, and dying. Every single racehorse experiences one, some or all of these elements.
Is this what our supposed “civil” society wants to continue?
Looking closely at individual horses shows what they are enduring at the hands of these so called trainers and this lawless business. It really upsets me as it should
. Any civilized person with a measure of compassion and integrity SHOULD BE OUTRAGED at what is going on in terms of animal abuse, cheating, and the code of silence at every level of this game. The fact that this continues in a civilized society speaks volumes concerning the underlying corruption of those that have the power to intervene.
Thank you Gina, Joy, Mary, et al, for speaking on behalf of the voiceless.
My thanks to Patrick for this site.
Two year olds are not ready to train or run, but they are forced to, year after year. GREED, and the horses pay the price for it.