Through a FOIA request to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills on that state’s tracks thus far this year. Please note, however, that despite Kentucky’s claim of new and improved transparency, it has been very difficult to get all information on track deaths. In fact, initially I was told that the Commission had no record of training deaths even though I’ve received those from them the past two years. And as you will see below, I was forwarded but one stall death. In short, surely this list is not a full reckoning of Kentucky horseracing carnage.
Queen Jeanne, Feb 22, Turfway R
“[multiple] fractures of the sesamoids; the connective tissues of the distal limb are expanded by a large amount of hemorrhage and edema, with tearing of both the medial and lateral digital veins; soft tissue damage is extensive”
Tell It Ina Melody, Mar 28, Turfway R
“[multiple] fractures with marked connective tissue damage; there is tearing of the medial digital artery and vein”
Cathedral Reader, Apr 6, Keeneland R
“open, disarticulated, displaced condylar fracture; comminuted sesamoid fracture; failure of all associated soft tissue structures”
Mandel, Apr 10, Keeneland R
“[multiple] fractures sesamoids with extensive soft tissue damage; the following soft tissues were torn or ruptured: palmar annular ligament, suspensory ligament, superficial and deep digital flexor tendons, and distal sesamoidian ligaments”
unidentified 3-year-old filly, Apr 15, Churchill T
“fracture sesamoid with disruption of the associated soft tissue structures”
Amandine, Apr 19, Keeneland R
“[multiple] displaced fractures; soft tissue damage is significant”
Into Morocco, Apr 20, Keeneland R (euthanized Apr 22)
“sesamoid fracture, suspensory rupture”
Kinley Karole, May 16, Churchill R
“comminuted MC3 fracture; the cartilage loss and parasagittal groove scoring were pronounced and more severe than one would expect to see in a first time starter”
unidentified 2-year-old filly, Jun 6, Churchill T
“open, comminuted fractures of both sesamoids; soft tissue damage is extensive”
unidentified 14-year-old, Jun 7, Churchill
“found dead in the stall this morning”
unidentified 2-year-old filly, Jun 13, Churchill T
“horse was breezing and broke down at the wire”
unidentified 3-year-old filly, Jun 13, Churchill T
“fractures [both front legs]”
High Beam, Jun 13, Churchill R
“pulled up with severe ataxia and white mucous membranes; horse collapsed and died within few minutes – massive pulmonary hemorrhage”
Will Call, Jun 29, Churchill R
“horse collapsed and died – massive hemorrhage within tissues of the thorax and abdomen; extensive hemorrhage over the spine, both sides of the neck, and the hip”
As far as I’m concerned nothing has improved!
they have to get control of the trainers who are doing all the damage with the drugs. the horses dont know they are drugged so they go all out and do what they were born to do run run run.
Oh my god…yeah,they want to run so much they have to be WHIPPED like hell…yeah they really “want to run”. Oh dear god.🙇🏼♀️
Oddly, if you turn out a bunch of horses they graze.
Are you five years old? What is with the “run run run” posts? First you want sympathy for the jockeys and now you’re blabbering on about how much these horses love to run. You racing apologists must spawn in the manure piles behind the barns.
Whoa, wait, a 14 year old found dead? That couldn’t have been an active racehorse – must’ve been a track pony…….
Heres a perfect example of the bs in racing, and how they will try their best to hide anything they can. Cathedral Reader, an open fracture with loss of all soft tissue structures, this horse was made to suffer, instead of being put down on the track, he was simply vanned off the track, knowing full well there was no way this horse would be saved. Now why is that? Well because it was the madison stakes a grade1 event. Yet folks will say how much care and concern they all have, while not even doing the right things, all in an effort to save face and keep the truth out of the public eye. Heres your damn #iamhorseracing
It’s heartbreaking and sickening to review racehorse after racehorse dying.
What’s equally disturbing are the repeated attempts by this industry to mask the truth, facts, and details.
You would think that somebody who cared about the racehorses would want full, detailed investigations to prevent further deaths.
It’s so obvious that these racehorse maimers and killers only care about their next dollar that they can squeeze out of them whether that’s having a job or exploiting them.
The truth of the matter, and I found out the hard way, is that nothing will change or prevent the massive suffering, crippling, dumping and carnage.
This antiquated business model requires daily business practices (considered Felony Animal Cruelty in any other setting) that contribute to their demise and they don’t care because they are simply dumped at the trash site (Bridget Moloney), and quickly replaced.
They all count, but it’s unspeakable betrayal when a racehorse runs hard, generates hundreds of thousands of dollars for their owners, and for the wagering profits, and gets nothing in return (Dr Drip).
In fact, they are further abused, flipped from barn to barn with no doping/vet records following then to prevent further injury and death.
This is not a business that cares, in fact, everything they do contributes to the ongoing suffering.
Just the fact that this business has a “claiming ranks” clearly shows that this business is a horror show for these poor racehorses.
This business has no place in the 21st century – none, but then again it should have never existed.
These uncaring idiots don’t give a damn about the pain and suffering of these gentle innocent animals. If they truly “cared” they would not want them to be put in harms way. I challenge you losers to look past your selfish interests and put the HORSES first. I’m pretty sure the ones who are protesting the most is because you have no life. You wouldn’t know what to do with yourselves. #sad. Put the horses first.
Sickening.
as long as parasitism persists in the racing industry, innocent horses will suffer, and die at the hands of their greedy owners and trainers. They pay the ultimate price for a $2 bet. This cruelty will continue as long as owners, trainers, vets and the casinos can make a buck. I wish we could ban racing, but realistically, until that day, we need to contact our representatives, and insist they impose strict, enforceable legislation. NO DRUGS!
Impose fees on owners to set aside funds to rehabilitate and maintain retired race horses. Stop allowing live transport to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. These are just a few suggestions, but we must begin somewhere!
YES YES and OH HELL YES!!!!!!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏. KATHARYN.
The fight to BAN HORSERACING has already begun from way back when; I honestly don’t know exactly when the fight to save HORSES instead of HORSERACING started. We can continue the fight by contacting Senator Feinstein and others to let them know how hideously horrible the routine practice of abusing horses to the point of killing them really is and how much The Jockey Club and everyone connected to horseracing wants to save HORSERACING NOT HORSES; we can continue the fight by letting our legislators know how gruesome the inhumane treatment is and how much we want it to STOP. That really is the way because the horseracing industry already has rules and laws that are NOT ENFORCED. More laws to not drug horses would not begin to solve the whole diabolical industry that is horseracing. It’s time to STOP BEING NAIVE AND UN-INFORMED! Patrick Battuello has had to request information that is kept hidden from the public by the horseracing industry. They don’t want people to know how horrible it really is for the horses!
Wanda,I must praise you,I seriously have never read a better post,and that’s saying something. I especially loved when you said they want to save horseracing NOT Horses. These assholes who “work” come on we all know you don’t work a real job,you lazy sacks of …. to you,and you know who you are…I hope the horses get revenge on you sub-human scum.
Katharyn – your optimism eludes me.
Nevertheless, myself plus many others, over the years, fought hard to put reforms in place that we thought would prevent the carnage.
The people in positions of power, especially the respective horse racing boards such as the CHRB, did little to nothing and there was just as many racehorses dying back then as there are now only it wasn’t being recorded and disseminated.
Here we are, years later, and the exact same business practices that contribute to their demise are in place.
It was year in and year out of empty words, no action, no implementation, countless meetings, public wallpaper, and continuous lip service put out to the public like sedation pills.
Back then it worked, it miraculously worked because there was little to no social media.
The well-financed public relations people, paid handsomely, did their job and so did the supporting horse racing entities to ensure that the horrible truth was hidden and the message was controlled.
So for them to now call for “reforms” in order to divert the shut down and outright banning of horse racing we have the same old rhetoric going on and nothing will change.
To add to this is a fragmented industry that is a discombobulated mess that ensures nothing is standardized, in fact, I’ve come to learn that they like it that way – they use it to their advantage.
The main goal of anybody involved with horse racing in any capacity is to exploited a non-consenting, voiceless, defenseless being for profit – end of story.
This basic fundamental mentality is what this business is built on and it shows now just as much as it showed back them only now the truth is being exposed.
Thanks to Patrick, all supporters of HRW, and others who, collectively, has ensured that the truth, the facts, the horrific brutality and killings are now out there for people to know.
It’s best to focus on the only option that should evolve: SHUT IT DOWN, END IT, BAN HORSE RACING.
Don’t focus on reform because it’s not possible and even if you were to consider the changes at Santa Anita, that has probably saved some lives including the scratches for the BC, it won’t stop racehorses from dying.
There are no other tracks in the country that garnered support for Santa Anita so that leaves the abuse, maiming, and dying completely viable and even with these strict protocols in place it doesn’t matter.
You get right back to square one, the fundamental business model of doing to racehorses whatever is necessary to increase profits for the tracks, owners, trainers, stable jobs, sales and wagering companies.
Racehorses are mere chump for these sharks, always have been and always will be.
I understand that it’s going to take time, but it will happen and it will happen sooner if everybody pulls together and advocates to BAN horse racing, shut it down, and let’s move on into the 21st century.
VERY telling…after the BC disaster,I read about a statement from the head guy of SA..he said we’ll let this play out and see what happens.WTF this is their true selves,they think if they just ride this out people will lose interest. These people are pure evil. Do Not Be Fooled
Good point Bonnie.
In fact, this is what they have always done “play it out” and it’s worked.
Then they bombard social media with their reform approach and before you know it it’s business as usual.
We need politicians with guts and we need to let them know that we will not vote for them if they continue to support this bloodbath.
Horse racing is well-funded and powerful, but we have the truth and facts on our side and no amount of money or public relations stunts will continue to fool the public.
Those days are over and so are their aging racing fans that are not being replaced by the younger generations, at least not near enough to keep this sham going, because they don’t want to support any business that exploits, and kills animals for profit.
Horse racing has been convincing our local and state politicians that they will create jobs, jobs, jobs and then once they have everybody hooked on this they go to the taxpayers trough time and time again.
They back them into a corner and then they say “well if you don’t give us taxpayers money to keep us going than all of these jobs will be lost,” it’s legal blackmail and it’s been working for years.
For every dollar they generate it costs taxpayers and our casino profits about $10.
However, the real cost is the poor racehorses who pay every single step of the way and it’s grotesque, unacceptable, and vile what’s going on.
There are no jobs, no excuses, no logical rationale as to why our politicians, taxpayers, and our society should continue to support this public torture and butcher show which is an unnecessary gambling venue.
In fact, the money should be going to our communities and it will create more jobs than this vile business ever has or ever will.
Our society and our communities will do just fine without horse racing.
Gina, I’ve understood that all along,that they’re counting on our anger and outrage dying down,play the waiting game. They have another thing coming, I NEVER EVER let a wrong or someone I hate get away with evil wrongdoing. Believe me,the people in my life can testify to that,I’ve got the memory of an elephant and the tenacity of a pitbull 🤣. And Yes, society will totally survive without it.They’ll move on to the next shiny object. Most people are basically dumb.
Gina, Bonnie, yes…. I agree with you. The “let it ride out” statement does indeed refer to just waiting for the general public to forget what horrors have been shown, let what the racing industry hopes is a tempest in a teapot die down, and John Q Public move onto some new issue to be outraged against while the racing industry gives lip service to caring about the horses. They want…no, NEED to buy time to figure out new ways to do the same old thing. If they actually spent as much time adhering to the safety rules such as Gina refers to helping implement as they do trying to find new ways around them, I doubt we would be seeing the level of carnage that we see at this time. Rebecca, I had the same thought about the 14 year old….but you just never know. Remember the 13 (?) year old Canadian horse a few years back?
It’s both mind boggling and beyond irritating that the racing industry thinks if they just go about their filthy business that dead horses aren’t going to matter. That this is the way they’ve always done things – and they truly believe always will be able to do things – and eventually all of us crazy animal rights terrorists will get bored and just go away. HORSES ARE DYING, and we’re not going anywhere. There is no moral or ethical reason you can give to support your barbaric treatment and outright butchery, and your broken record of feeble excuses is not enough anymore. HORSES ARE DYING by the thousands and we all know you honestly don’t care about that – it’s just a desperate attempt to salvage your parasitic lifestyle and hold onto your blood money. You’ve shown your true face and there’s no going back now.
Reblogged this on Armory of the Revolution.