In yesterday’s finale at Santa Anita, this for 3-year-old Hot American: “…took a bad step and suffered a catastrophic injury to the right front” (Equibase). Dead. Reflecting on this latest Santa Anita kill, BloodHorse’s Jeremy Balan tweeted this:
“Covering this game, you’d think you’d get desensitized to the breakdowns over time. It’s a reality of the business, I know. But if I’m being entirely honest, I think it’s getting harder to deal with each time. It’s just crushing. I can’t imagine how people close to them deal.”
Don’t fight it, Mr. Balan. It’s not a “game” and you shouldn’t get “desensitized” to animals being killed for gambling – ever. Go with that “crushing” feeling and leave. Oh, and as for the “connections” and how they “deal,” don’t suffer any illusions here. Multiple horses are killed on American tracks. Every. Single. Day. In other words, for them, it’s next horse up.
[…] Soul-Searching After Yet Another Santa Anita Kill — Horseracing […]
This is all evil and it is in the name of money. STOP HORSE RACING JUST LIKE WE WORKED SO HARD TO STOP GREYHOUND RACING AND SHUT DOWN THE TRACKS. ALLOF JEHOVAH GOD CREATIONS ARE PRECIOUS. I CALL THIS MURDER.
Mr balan in his tweets, casually mentions how he will always look to the jockey first, rather then horse stating thats just the way he is. Mr balan while ALL life matters, lets be real the jockeys, they are well aware of the risk and consequences, the horses, they are mearly doing what they are asked to do, please dont forget, this is all while the horse is on drugs, doing something completely unnatural to them, and being whipped for ” encouragement”. Are you really being entirely honest?
These owners don’t give a shit about another horse being put down – they just all figure it is part of this ridiculous god damn sport. The injuries are so severe for these “TOO” young animals. It doesn’t matter how much we bitch and complain about all of this track abuse and killing – it won'[t stop because the “buck” doesn’t stop with each kill – just another one arrives at the starting gate to face their fate. This is one sick son of a bitch’n so call sport. It is just a way to kill off the horses without a second thought – and don’t for a minute think that they do think about them because they don’t and if they did they would stop racing these horses, but they don’t and won’t. The only way would be for this so call sport to be banned and let’s face it people that is not going to happen either.
Another dead horse at Santa Anita this morning. Battle of Midway dead. Horse racing will cover this, he’s a Grade 1 winner. Makes me sick.
Retired to stud, deemed infertile, returned to training.
And the 4-year-old unraced gelding Just Forget It broke down while training at SA and was euthanized this morning, as well.
I can say with 100% certainty that any owner in this business is delusional, and/or lacks compassion.
They know damn well what’s going on with their racehorse(s) because they pay the vet bills.
They know that their horse is getting injected and when it gets right down to it, just like trainers, an owner gives the green light to do whatever is necessary to win a race, pick up a check, and get their smiling photo in the winners circle to stroke their egos.
Battle of Midway owner on his death: “He gave us so much, and it’s such a terrible loss. We are devastated,” Diaz-Valdes said when reached by TDN to confirm the reports. “We were so excited about him. He was coming into peak form and we were excited for the future of this year–the Breeders’ Cup, [G1] Dubai World Cup, you name it. We tried our best to save him, but the vet said there was nothing we could do. We had to do what was best for the horse.”
Mr. Diaz-Valdes if you really wanted to do what’s best for the horse then you wouldn’t have put him back in training, you wouldn’t have continued to risk his life, and you probably knew damn well that Battle of Midway had some serious issues going on.
Battle of Midway made Diaz $1,589.049 – that’s 1.5 MILLION dollars and that still wasn’t enough.
I suppose when he was put out to paddock (what was supposed to be a permanent retirement but was infertile probably due to all the dope you forced into his veins/joints to get him to win this much money) you hated paying his monthly board bills didn’t you??
You hated paying his board bills because you were so used to Battle of Midway giving you a check.
Your nothing but a blood sucking greedy leech horrible human being, and my hope is that his spirit comes back to haunt you in the worst way and the same goes for your racehorse killer “trainer” Jerry Hollendorfer.
Anybody who stays in this vile business and doesn’t come to the morally correct conclusion that this business is a maiming, dumping, and killing business then you are a delusional apologist and a vile monster.
Diaz: you qualify for all of these traits you parasite.
I would go so far, just my opinion/observation, that they put him back into training to kill him so they could collect what is probably a very large equine insurance policy that was put in place after his initial purchase of $400,000, and his subsequent income of 1.5+ MILLION as a racehorse.
They had a dud stallion on their hands that they would have to pay board on for the next 30 years, and of course killing him will drive up the handful of foals sales prices exponentially.
“Killing 2 birds with one stone?” so to speak.
Of course this is all speculation, but I wouldn’t put it past these money sucking parasites who have no morals.
Ever notice how the staff for the Blood Horse, Mr. Balan NEVER EVER asks if there was an equine insurance policy in place?
My, my – that may be opening up a can of worms wouldn’t it??
Or in this case a can of racehorse broken pastern bones as in Battle of Midway.
The most horrific thing said was by trainer/killer Jerry Hollendorfer:
“We’ll just do the best we can to try to go on,”
Go on????
Go on to abuse, maim, dump and/or kill more???
Are you fu**ing kidding me?
These people are the lowest form of scum on the planet.
Absolutely VILE.
Oh but the tweets regarding the horrific breakdown and death of Battle of Midway! – for some, it’s “ruining their weekend”! – seriously?!? – a sentient being just DIED for your betting fun and your WEEKEND is ruined?!? Unbelievable.
And of course, the poor “cheap” claimers are never tweeted about nor “mourned” (for a weekend) – the death of a “big horse” demonstrates just how calloused and indifferent racing fans truly are.
Horse racing is abuse. It sickens me to see these horses laying on the track waiting to be killed.
And we havr MANY deaths of horses on our track here in Saratoga, NY.
Hope horse racing ends one day like greyhound racing is heading … but I doubt it.
They are cloning polo horses in Argentina. Absolutely outrageous.