Shedrow Secrets
One Hundred Laughs
by Joy Aten
Racing “royalty” – NetJets founder Richard Santulli and celebrity chef Bobby Flay. Racing “royalty” – WinStar Farms’ successful sire Distorted Humor and elite broodmare (and former million-dollar track earner) Wonder Again. Being the offspring of multiple Graded-Stakes Winners and bred/owned by racing’s privileged, One Hundred Laughs would certainly be one of those racehorses who was – as apologists exclaim – treated like royalty. Yes, the Santulli/Flay-bred and Santulli-owned One Hundred Laughs, by Distorted Humor out of Wonder Again, must have been pampered, treated like a “king,” right? Read on.
The 2007 chestnut horse’s first race was at Laurel Park in August of 2010 for Santulli. Second start, Belmont. Not showing much promise, in his third start Santulli dropped the 3-year-old into a 5K claiming race at Penn National. Although he wasn’t claimed, he was with a new owner and trainer when he ran his fourth race (another cheap claiming), on November 4, 2010: last, over 31 lengths behind.
Fast-forward nine months. One Hundred Laughs has now been racing for one year. That’s 1 year, 5 owners, 6 tracks, 13 races. Never finishing better than third, the now 4-year-old is coming in 20, 30, even 50 lengths behind. In August he is raced four times…August 22, “stopped, eased,” over 50 lengths back. Five days later, with a new owner, at another track, he is raced again – second-to-last. September brings three more, including a “struggled,” last of 9, 21+ lengths behind. Another four races in October. His “performances” don’t deter his owner from running him, for first place through last puts checks into connections’ pockets. They just need to have him finish.
A new year, 2012, and his speed figure is half what it was in 2010. Yet One Hundred Laughs is raced another 20 times. When Jo Anne Normile and I learned of him, he had just been raced for the 40th time, on December 22 at Beulah Park: last, “never close,” over 26 lengths behind. 0 for 40 for his “career.” He was a horse at risk of simply disappearing – but to his “royal” prior connections, he already no longer existed. So we got him. Only 11 days after our initial call to his current owner and agreeing to the 1K purchase price, One Hundred Laughs was removed from that cheap Ohio track. Although I was told by the transporter he “needed a lot of groceries” and was “really hungry,” I didn’t learn how crucial his timely removal was until months later.
During a visit to the farm to which he was retired, the manager spoke of the day the chestnut horse arrived. They were expecting “thin,” he told me, but were horrified when One Hundred Laughs collapsed upon exiting the trailer. The vet was called immediately and after an emergency evaluation, it was determined his emaciated condition was due to one thing – lack of food. One Hundred Laughs had a body score of 2 and was “fighting just to live.” When I asked the manager if he happened to get any photos of the starving horse, he replied, “All I could think of was that if he made it, I never wanted to look back at what terrible shape he was in that day.” That day was less than one month from his last race. How’s that for royal treatment?
There’s plenty more like him. The abuse is never ending.
A disgusting commentary on the human being. I will never hear Bobby Flay’s name again, and not think of this horrific story. Thank God someone cared. I hope he is happy, retired safely, and well fed.
He is, Bonnie Jo – I’ve visited him and will continue to visit him. It took about 6 months for him to gain the weight he needed, but he looks great. He will never race again – and he’s happy.
Thank you Joy for the rescue. I too will never look at Bobby Flay the same way.
Thank you for saving him
And he was raced in that condition with a body score of 2 until rescued. Complicit are the owners, veterinarians, track officials, Board of Directors of the race track, anyone that saw this poor horse and did nothing for him! Bastards!
Oh my, how this sweetie toiled for them — non-stop — HOW COULD THEY! — HOW COULD THEY betray this magnificent animal, this vulnerable animal who always is at the mercy of us humans — Thank you a million times for intervening & rescuing this horse One Hundred Laughs (what a name — what an insulting, absurd name) — Someone MUST protect our Racehorses — there MUST be a LAW — again, I commend & thank you so much for saving his life — how cruel, sadistic, depravedly indifferent to STOP feeding this horse because he didn’t DO anything for them — SHAME on these horse owners — SHAME on you monsters — HORSE RACING MUST BE SHUT DOWN — let’s keep at this until NO MORE TRACKS!! — By the way, PLEASE NOTE the following important info : The Nonhuman Rights Project is the only civil rights organization in the United States working to achieve actual LEGAL rights for members of species other than our own — The fact that animals are living, sentient beings with emotional, psychological lives is a NO-BRAINER — everyone on the planet KNOWS this! — PLEASE look to NhRP : NONHUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT == “The legal struggle to recognize the fundamental rights of humans was arduous. So, too, will be the struggle to recognize the fundamental rights of NONHUMAN animals, since so many humans benefit from exploiting them.” – NhRP President @Steven_M_Wise
ONE HUNDRED LAUGHS (ONL’s) forced to race while starved!
Folks, there are only 3 types of people in horse racing: 1. ABUSERS 2. ENABKERS OF THE ABUSE 3. BOTH.
The abusers didn’t provide adequate nutrition to an active racehorse whose requirements are well above a non-active horse. The abusers (that would be their owner and trainer) denied OHL’s food. This would be a neglect charge in any other setting. There would probably be a “lack of necessary medical charge,,” but this business goes to extremes to ensure that medical records are kept secret. 2. The enablers of the abuse are the entire stable area and racing commissions who saw this poor horse labor with his bones protruding due to lack of feed. Moreover, OHL’s probably had a stomach full of painful ulcers that were not being treated. Since they withheld the most basic needs then
you can rationally deduce that medical care was also withheld probably due to financial reasons, but the reason is not considered when Felony Animal Cruelty charges are laid in any other setting in this country.
Complaints?
Even if somebody in the crowd had one iota of compassion and complained nothing to little would be done.
Their “self-managed” investigations are mostly a sham.
OHL’s was another number, another wager, another entity to fill their vile business.
Thanks to Joy, Mary, and their network of people OHL will now be loved and cared for unlike the industry that didn’t give a damn.
Every time you apologists place a bet or continue to be involved with this vile industry you are directly responsible for supporting this exploitation, and the inevitable plight of horses like OHL’s.
But for the actions of Joy and Jo Anne this horrific case of animal cruelty would never have come to light. The horse would have died from starvation only because he was probably too weak and thin for a slaughter prospect. And his connections had the gall to charge $1,000 for the horse they were starving to death !
One Hundred Laughs was forced into a hellish life of cruelty, exploitation and then starvation.
Santuilli knew this horse could not compete and instead of giving the horse a chance at a more suitable endeavor he put him in a low level claiming race knowing full well he was opening the door to HELL for the defenseless animal. The Santuillis and the Flays of racing with their big egos and fat wallets are only interested in the horse while he brings in money and, of course, makes them look good and important in this game. While they are not lacking in ego or money they surely are in compassion and integrity.
P.S.
I will never understand how the horse winning strokes these people’s egos and makes them feel important when it is the horse that has the “talent” and does all the work ! Realistically they are more like parasites.
Rich or poor, upper or lower level connections – they are ALL the SAME.
They all partake in the necessary operating procedures of this VILE business.
They all consent to their racehorses being subjected to the horrific daily grind of this despicable industry.
Flay and Santuilli can well afford to take care of their horses, and choose not to.
They DUMP them just like they all do sooner or later.
No matter what barn these horses come from they are all victims especially when they die in the dirt.
I bet they wont contribute ONE DIME for One Hundred Laughs care while Flay just spent 1,250,000.00 on one broodmare.
Folks, be aware of this ENTIRE business not just the 2 minutes, fancy hats, and mint juleps.
Behind this facade are a bunch of sentient beings being used, abused, exploited, dumped, and killed.
This is horse racing!
Here’s a recent article published by pro-horse racing entities with comments from the apologists.
Please read this, and especially the comments.
Indicting themselves then again.
https://www.paulickreport.com/horse-care-category/opinion-aftercare-responsibility-doesnt-begin-end-breeders/
The comment that stood out for me was when an apologist compared a racehorse to a car.
“Would we expect the first owners of our cars to pay all our maintenance and mechanical problems. Too bad horses don’t come with a lifetime warranty.Maybe it should be a joint responsibility.” Marlene Meeker.
Well Marlene, a car is not a sentient being. A car doesn’t live, breathe, and feel in other words. A car doesn’t get forcibly impregnated in servitude to this vile industry. Moreover, a car doesn’t end its life, bleeding out, on a slaughterhouse floor.
Those are just a few major differences that seems to escape you apologists.
While the horse racing industry boasts about their billion dollar profits the never ending turnstile of exploitation, dumping, and dying evolves every day.
There’s only one way to stop this insanity, and that’s to SHUT DOWN these racetracks.
Shameful!
Joy – thank goodness you saved him ! What a horrific story ! And I’m sure their are many more like this. Incredible that he wasn’t retired much earlier. But for greedy people many people to continue to abuse and starve this poor horse is unforgivable ! Thank you soooo much for saving him. ❤️❤️🐎🐎
Where is he now?