Once again, there were busy equine ambulances across the nation yesterday. In addition to the 13 or so horses who were unable to walk off the course under their own power – “vanned off,” they call it – there were these (Equibase):
In the 3rd at Charles Town, Somewhere Outthere “chased the pace from the outside but broke down past the three-eighths pole and was euthanized.”
In the 12th at Suffolk Downs, Anatevka “hustled into an early pace duel, led and battled through to upper stretch, broke down and fell then was euthanized.”
And while the notes for the following did not include “euthanized,” they, too, are almost assuredly dead:
In the 2nd at Arapahoe, Preachers Money “was making up ground along the rail before breaking down inside the eighth pole.”
In the 9th at Monmouth, Marathon Boy “broke down at the quarter pole.”
And finally, in the 9th at Ellis, Locomotion “clipped heels and fell in the stretch.”
One day. For shame.
Injured, seriously injured and dying – it sure is a battlefield for these innocent horses. And those that survive are patched up again and again to be sent out to race, often drugged to mask the pain.