Through a FOIA request to the California Horse Racing Board, I have confirmed the following deaths at that state’s tracks in 2018. (Please note: The Board redacted the names of the dead horses; any identifications below came via other channels. Also, because of the sheer volume, I will be posting in increments of 10.)
unidentified 4-year-old male, January 5, Santa Anita T
“breakdown of the left fore fetlock joint with: complete, articular, non-displaced, lateral condylar fracture of MCIII; extensive fraying and hemorrhage of the medial and lateral branches of the interosseous ligament, more severe on the lateral branch; fraying, hemorrhage and edema of the lateral collateral ligament of the fetlock joint and of the lateral collateral sesamoidean ligament; hemarthrosis of the fetlock joint”
unidentified 7-year-old female, January 7, Cal Expo
“gross findings suggestive of sand colic; sand colic results from chronic accumulation of sand in the large colon when horses are kept on sandy pasture or fed hey [sic] or grain in sandy area; marked dilation of the stomach and cecum with large amount of fluid is likely due to the obstruction from the impaction; the lung edema and congestion/hyperemia were likely terminal in nature; presumed fecalith rupture”
unidentified 4-year-old female, January 12, Del Mar T
“possible right humerus fracture soon after coming back from extended layoff; right humeral fracture, complete, comminuted, non-articular, diaphyseal, oblique, closed and displaced, with severe pre-existing sub-periosteal callus intersecting the line of fracture on proximocaudal aspect of the neck of the humerus”
Arunachala, January 12, Santa Anita R
“left acute fetlock failure with: fracture of medial proximal sesamoid bone, basilar, complete, simple, articular, displaced, closed; fracture of lateral proximal sesamoid bone, mid-body, complete, comminuted, articular, displaced, closed; hemorrhage and fraying of lateral branch of suspensory ligament, focally extensive; rupture of intersesamoidean and annular ligaments; tear and fraying of straight distal sesamoidean ligament; tear of short and oblique distal sesamoidean ligaments; fraying of deep digital flexor tendon; chip fracture of dorsal border of lateral facette of proximal articular surface of P1; osteochondral fragmentation of dorsal border of medial facette of proximal articular surface of P1”
Toro Medina, January 13, Los Alamitos R (found dead next morning)
“discomfort after race…found dead the following morning; pulmonary hemorrhage and edema, diffuse, severe, acute; subendocardial hemorrhages in the heart, focally extensive, acute; subcutaneous and muscular edema and hemorrhage on the left side of the body, acute; renal congestion and hemorrhage, diffuse, acute”
Nick A. D. Mass, January 14, Golden Gate T
“this horse had a severe comminuted fracture of P1 that extended to both articular surfaces; additionally, there were degenerative changes in the carpal bones in both forelegs; gastric ulceration was marked and chronic”
unidentified 4-year-old male, January 17, Santa Anita T
“left fore fetlock/suspensory apparatus failure, acute, closed, with: medial proximal sesamoid fracture, complete, displaced, simple, articular, transverse, mid-body; lateral proximal sesamoid fracture, complete, displaced, simple, articular, oblique, mid-body; intersesamoidean ligament/metacarpointersesamoidean fibrocartilage transection, transverse and longitudinal; straight sesamoidean ligament fraying/fissuring, marked; cruciate sesamoidean ligament fraying, mild; lateral branch/body of suspensory ligament fraying and hemorrhage, moderate; lateral collateral sesamoidean ligament fraying, mild; superficial and deep digital flexor tendons fraying and partial transection, focal, moderate”
unidentified 6-year-old male, January 24, Santa Anita T (euthanized January 26)
“horse was diagnosed with condylar fracture earlier galloping this week; surgical repair attempted today but horse re-fractured above repair site – closed, comminuted, complete, displaced non-articular spiral fracture of the mid and distal diaphysis of the third metatarsus; and a closed, simple, incomplete, non-displaced, non-articular fracture of the distal dorsal aspect of third metatarsus”
I Dream of Bugsy, January 26, Golden Gate R (euthanized January 27)
“this horse pulled up and was grade 4 lame…vanned off, placed in his stall and treated with Phenylbutazone; tentative diagnosis was an incomplete, non-displaced fracture of the pelvis or tibia; this morning the incomplete fracture of the tibia displaced and the limb became unstable and painful – owner elected euthanasia; evidence of pre-existing stress fractures in the affected tibia [and] a healed lateral condylar and other fractures in the medial sesamoid bone and middle phalanx”
unidentified 3-year-old female, January 27, Cal Expo T
“pulmonary hemorrhage and edema, severe, acute”
Well, it looks like more necropsies are being nag performed. The results speak of the agony these horses went through.
TORO MEDINA is a classical example of a horse not being properly examined by a competent and ethical veterinarian after racing when the horse was showing signs of “discomfort”. Given the acute severe haemorrhages, renal congestion, heart, etc., this horse would’ve been displaying obvious signs that he was in serious trouble.
YOU mongrel bastards!
YOU being –
the trainer
the owner
the official race day vet on duty (not doing your job – you know it’s your responsibility to look at each horse when he returns after the race to the enclosure when jockey dismounts and observe each horse for any adverse signs)
the stewards and race day officials
Los Alamitos on whose premises this gross act of negligence took place
TORO MEDINA was left to suffer a slow cruel death in a stall when so much could’ve been done for him.
INHUMANE and INEXCUSABLE.
Checked out TORO MEDINA on Equibase –
Trainer: Felix Gonzalez
Owner: Sergio Gonzalez
This five year old horse had only clocked up six (6) starts which is unusual for a 5 year old racehorse. In my experience, this suggests that Toro Medina was showing signs that he had health issues.
Highly likely that when TM pulled up in a such a bad way after his final start that Felix and Sergio Gonzalez would not have been in the least bit surprised.
TORO MEDINA was a dud for them – next horse….
Carolyn, owner of Los Alamitos, Ed Allred, has been running his own private death camp for racehorses.
This has been going on for years.
There are so many racehorses who have died there, over the years, that probably haven’t even been reported.
All reports that I reviewed, based on whistle-blowers, said that his track is a cruelty and death trap.
The ultra rich Allred owns many of the racehorses who have died there.
Racehorses dying to him is as common as buttering his slice of toast in the morning it seems.
He hires and pays huge to judges/lawyers to sit on his CEO board and the vets are kept in line too – all are paid to tow the line, keep the silence, and to uphold the ongoing cruelty, and killing of racehorses for profit.
He’s running his own personal kingdom of dying with little to no transparency to California residents.
This guy is the epitome of pure evil.
TORO MEDINA was doomed and everybody around this horse couldn’t give a damn.
This is the wonderful world of horse racing.
California residents need to shut them all down – it’s the only way.
How cruel this is for all these beautiful horses to suffer such horrible painful deaths. Heart breaking.
This is absolute cruelty at it’s finest! It’s all about the money and to hell with the health, comfort and safety. If they break a leg…kill them, you have more in the barn, they will make money. …. BASTARDS!!!!!
I AM SO ANGRY! I honestly want to take a baseball bat to one of their greedy, human, evil heads!