From the most recent Stewards Minutes at Santa Anita:
January 18, 1st race – “#6 NOISE MANDATE ambulance removed post-race – euthanized.” Noise Mandate was two and under the whip for the very first time.
January 20, 8th race – “#4 AMBOSELI DNF – euthanized.” Amboseli was almost seven and under the whip for the 26th time.
January 21, 7th race – “#9 LIKE REALLY SMART DNF – euthanized.” Like Really Smart was two and under the whip for the second time.
January 21, 8th race – “#6 LAST PROMISE KEPT DNF – euthanized.” Last Promise Kept was four and under the whip for the 12th time.
That’s four dead horses in four days of racing at what is considered one of the nation’s premier tracks. How is this even remotely acceptable in the 21st Century? End it.
Patrick – when you say Noise Mandate was under the whip- you are not kidding. This poor baby was 17 1/4 lengths behind the rest of the horses as they got to the finish line, and was STILL being whipped by his jockey in the stretch run! For what?! California is one of the few states that has somewhat of a whip rule- and yet, will this receive a punishment?! How did he think that horse would improve from 17 1/4 lengths behind? Then to know that he was vanned off to his death after he crossed the line is heart breaking. That’s the last thing this poor horse encountered, was getting his ass beat for no reason.
Ugg….This breaks my heart. Those poor, sweet babies. I can’t imagine what pain they go through. Thank you for exposing the reality of what really happens to horses, so many times people would rather explain it away,but there is no explaining away the dead body of horse who was not even three.
This is so sickening g and our creator is watching everything we do. Money is the root of all evil. All involved should suffer the whip and then be sent to prison and never be free or see the sun again. Satan has these sub-humans in his grip. STOP HORSE RACING JUST LIKE WE HAVE DONE WITH DOG RACING. R.I.P. GODS TREASURES.
This is definitely not acceptable!! Pasadena Humane Society needs to pay a visit to Santa Anita race track. Pasadena Humane Society is one of the best in the country, they need to bring an outside equine vet to look over these horses. Santa Anita race track is not a city within itself, and Pasadena Humane Society has jurisdiction over the city of Arcadia.
Jacqueline, these deaths are not an anomaly, not at Santa Anita nor anywhere else. Racehorses die every day on American tracks – over 2,000 annually; multiple thousands more are brutally and violently slaughtered when deemed no longer profitable. In a word, carnage. Horseracing must end. Full stop.
BAN the whip just like they BANNED the bull hook.
This is their torture device and how in the world can any business get away with beating an animal repeatedly to increase its performance?
How can this be acceptable in today’s society??
The racehorses will get their day in court, but hopefully this business will be shut down before that happens.
Unfortunately, the Untied States Humane Society has taken a stance to SUPPORT horse racing under the direction of Wayne Purcell.
Wonder how much of a “donation” the horse racing business gave him to legitimize this massive pain and suffering of racehorses?
So the Humane Society isn’t going to do much about this.
Animal League Defense fund should haul their asses into court, in front of a jury, and make these racehorse beaters accountable, and get this whip banned,.
You can blame the jockeys, but what about all the people who support this business, the apologists, who stand there and watch a filly or any racehorse get beaten into the ground.
They are just the same as the beater themselves.
This entire cruelty circus, horror show, and dying is antiquated, and unacceptable in today’s society.
It must be shut down.
These owners, trainers and jockeys are all a bunch of god damn losers. The sport for them is all about the money and nothing else and never has been. We raced horses for many years and trained at our own race track at home complete with our own starting gate. Not a single horse left for a race unless they were completely 100% sound. We never used drug enhancing formulas – our horses ran clean and they were never broke with a whip – they just gave all they had each time because they liked to run. We never put a horse on the track before being a 4 year old because my Dad always believed in letting them have the time to let their bodies grow and their bones strengthen. Now a days for Christ’as sake’s they almost take them away from the mares to get them ready to race as babies – all of you people involved in this barbaric sport should be shot. You are not good enough to even stand by the side of the race track. You are all killing these wonderful animals with your own lack of judgment based as I said only on the almighty dollar – none of you give a shit about the horse – just run them into the ground – leave them on the side of the track and gee – just go get another one. How pathetic and uncaring all of your are. Go to hell and back and may you receive the treatments that you levy on this poor horse. You should all be ashamed as should the governments that back this bullshit “sport.”