NBC Evansville reports that Sir Navigator collapsed and died after the 8th at Ellis Sunday. Kentucky’s chief vet Bruce Howard said, “He collapsed after unsaddling. They got him up and he took a few steps and collapsed and died. We put ice blankets on him, started to treat him and before we could get much going with him, he was gone. The top three things you would think of would be; heart attack, a bleeding incident internally or heat.” Sir Navigator was seven years old.
Ellis GM Jeff Hall then issued the following statement:
“If Sir Navigator had shown any signs of a problem, he would not have run yesterday. The horse ran a very good race and what happened after the race came completely out of the blue. It’s extremely unfortunate and our hearts go out to Sir Navigator’s team. No one cares more about these horses than the people who spend hours with them every day, attending to their every need. Horse deaths are extremely rare at Ellis Park… This was an isolated incident, but as we always do, we will look at and evaluate everything to see if there was something else that could have been done. On the surface, however, it appears as though no one could have seen it coming.”
“came completely out of the blue”
“it’s extremely unfortunate”
“no one cares more about these horses”
“horse deaths are extremely rare at Ellis Park”
“this was an isolated incident”
“no one could have seen it coming”
Lies. Vile lies.
There’s so much bullshit in Jeff Hall’s statement that you can’t even shovel it. Unfortunate because they can’t bleed anything else out of this horse. No one cares more – yeah, for the money. An isolated incident – maybe for that afternoon. The racing industry might honestly believe their own lies, but we don’t.
Was he dosed with Lasix? Might explain an internal bleed out. You wouldn’t have to be a veterinarian to figure that one our.
Ellis Park – 2004 – I stabled there.
The summer and the humidity was unbearable in that neck of the woods.
Racehorses were collapsing after the race on a regular basis.
Myself, and some others, demanded that water hoses be turned-on on the fence walking back because, at the time, there was only 1 hose turned on.
I had to go through the female state vet at the time, forgot her name, and she made sure that it got done.
Of course I used it right away and some horse people did (about 40%), but not all.
On 2 particularly hot days (140 F with the humidity) they wouldn’t cancel the races due to demands of trainers with the HBPA backing them up.
So I stood on the rail where the hoses were to help anybody who wanted their horse washed down especially on the poll.
There were trainers who absolutely refused to give their horse even a cold splash on their poll which is the most effective way to immediately cool them down.
Just want to mention that most major equestrian events, outside of racing, have “spray tents” that is mandatory to walk the horse through after they are done eventing (not that I agree with eventing, but just trying to point out how this industry doesn’t even provide the most minimal measures/tools to assist racehorses in the light of BILLIONS of dollars in casino profits – they are vile, disgusting delusional life sucking parasites.
So the vet and I stood there and she actually demanded that they bring their horse over for a splash because she could see that the horse was in heat distress.
The typical response from the people who supposedly “treat them like family members?”
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, IT’S MY HORSE AND IF IT DROPS DEAD I DON’T CARE or “the rat doesn’t deserve water because it didn’t bring me a check.”
We subsequently went through the infamous HBPA who, of course, defended the trainers.
It was brutal on the older and younger horses and some fainted or dropped dead only back then nobody was requesting FOIA requests or keeping an eye on horse racing because everybody was sold on their proverbial regular bullshit lines: “nobody cares about racehorses better than we do.”
SIR NAVIGATOR – you deserve mention here from a person that truly cares about you and your horrific death.
You ran your ass-off for your original owners Jen-Mar stables – who in the hell are they?
You proceeded to make them over $200,000 and did they give you a good home that you deserved probably knowing that you were declining?
NO, because this is horse racing.
Without any responsiblity to the horse, no transparency and a ready-made system for dumping – they did just that when on November 10, 2017 you were claimed by multiple drug violator with multiple racehorses who have died under his care, custody, and control Mike Maker.
Your chance at getting a grassy paddock just evaporated on the claim slip.
Your new slave masters, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, are just as bad as the trainer. They breed, buy and sell racehorses like it’s nothing and they don’t bat an eyelash when they die. Onto their next victim and SIR NAVIGATOR you were their victim of the day.
You changed hands several times as your precipitous decline was obvious in your PP’s.
Where were your original owners, Jen-Mar stables who you made over $200,000 from your sweat?
Nowhere to be found just like the kill auctions.
Your demise was inevitable, you dropping dead is common in older spent racehorses like you.
The industry who pretends to care? – cares nothing and even lies about your plight.
Unfortunately, SIR NAVIGATOR, this is common in horse racing and that’s why it needs to shut down.
Shame on anybody who continues to support, participate, and defend this public butcher show.
Reblogged this on Armory of the Revolution.
This needs to STOP!!! Quit killing these beautiful animals.
After all the horse racing deaths that have occurred, this is surprising? Would anyone be surprised that Tornado Alley has tornadoes?
Jeff Hall should suffer the same fate as these abused horses. The horse racing industry has to be
shut down for good. Greedy stupid and ignorant: those are the owners, trainers, and track workers, and the people who go to the track.
Seriously Jeff Hall do you really think that we all believe your line of bullshit – well think again asshole. No one gave a shit about this horse – don’t tell us that his “so call family of trainers” care – save it – they did not. I would suggest that the horse was running doped and not being able to be cooled down prior to the race nor after. You make it sound like all of you assholes really care about these horses – do you think we don’t read about the daily carnage at these race tracks. There should be no race tracks – send all of you bastards home and let these gentle giants have a life. It is always in the end the same crap – Money talks and losers walk – in this case you get rid of the horse. Shame on all of you – may you all rot in hell.