In a recent The Racing Biz article, pro-racing (obviously) writer Teresa Genaro perfectly relays the moral qualms an ever-increasing number of lifelong racing fans are experiencing these days. She explains that in the “dreadful” Aqueduct winter of 2012, “the one in which so many horses died,” she began an “unconscious practice” of listening to races rather than watching them, for fear, of course, of breakdowns. She writes: “That winter induced a sort of PTSD that made me keep my head down until I felt confident that the horses were all going to come home safely.”
“…a sort of PTSD that made me keep my head down until I felt confident that the horses were all going to come home safely.”
Last Saturday, she went on to say, “that old feeling returned,” so at first she only listened to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. But the allure proved too strong and she began watching. Then this from the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman hit her Twitter feed:
Almost. Damn.
— Jay Privman (@DRFPrivman) November 3, 2019
Mongolian Groom was dead, and she, along with millions of others, was left to grapple with her conscience:
“…when I watched Vino Rosso, gleaming in the Santa Anita gloaming, triumphantly find redemption at the finish line of the biggest race of his life, I push aside, at least for a little while, my awareness of the risks inherent in the sport that I love. But the next time the starting gate opens, that awareness comes rushing right back, and I wonder how long I’ll be able to live with that.”
Look, if you feel the need to avert your eyes at a show because there’s a good chance one of the (nonconsensual, it must be noted) performers may die, you already have your answer. Follow your heart – not the heart that “loves” things like Thai food, long weekends, baseball, or Thoroughbred horseracing; rather, the heart that houses empathy, kindness, and compassion. In the final analysis, Ms. Genaro, your continued support of an industry that maims and murders multiple thousands (let’s not forget the ones bled-out and butchered at “career’s” end) of fully sentient beings annually in the name of “sport” and “entertainment” is morally indefensible. And you know it.
If you truly love horses, you cannot love and support a sport that chews them up and spits out their broken and lifeless bodies.
When are we going to read an announcement that a trainer lost his or her license to train or that a veterinarian lost his or her license to practice veterinary medicine because they did certain things that defied common knowledge and common sense, let alone their formal education, which resulted in a horse’s injuries and euthanasia or dropped dead of a heart attack on the race track?
You’re absolutely right! It’s just crickets when another horse goes down and business as usual. They’re not even trying to save face at this point!
Apologizes are just talk, no action!
Morally INDEFENSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That says Everything that needs to be said. Without morals, what are you ????? Morality should be the number one LIFE Guide. Henceforth, you “people’ trying to defend this evil, are no better than a criminal on death row. I literally find You apologists Beyond reprehension,but that’s your prerogative,you’ll have to answer to a HIGHER Authority someday…because it is murder.
These people are tone deaf, in one sentence they’re talking about an innocent Godly soul,lay dying on the track,and in the next they’re talking about they’re happy the revenge the horse who won the race got,and the horse’s “glistening “ coat?!!! WTF these humans are missing a sensitivity chip. Unbelievable how CALLOUS
About 1 year ago Teresa and I got into it on her Twitter feed.
She’s a paid mouthpiece for this vile business no doubt.
Your words mean nothing Teresa, it’s your actions and your non-actions that mean the most.
Your non-action to denounce this vile business and to stop living off the avails of non-consenting, defenseless, voiceless beings (while their bones are snapping-off and dying) is indefensible.
Your no different than the trainer that repeatedly dopes up a racehorse to mask it’s issues, hides those doping records, and sends them out to die.
There’s no partial – your either all in or all out.
Compassionate people with healthy rationale want no part of this, and the only moral conclusion that one should reach is to BAN horse racing in California to start.
This vile business model has no place in a civilized society – none.
You know what Gina,they will have to live with themselves. And you know damn well they know what they are doing is pure evil. The bloods on their hands.
Just like my coworker, who fell in love with Secretariat and horse racing, and who watches the Triple Crown religiously every year. I told her about the practices in racing, the catastrophic injuries, the downward spiral of so many claimers and the vile reality of slaughter. Her response? “I know, but…….”
This after she watched the race with Eight Belles, and has seen other breakdowns. I told her she can’t love horses like she claims and still watch horse racing – it just doesn’t work that way. These apologists are trying to keep a foot in both camps, exploitation and empathy, and they can’t. By not having the ethical courage to leave horse racing they’ve already chosen a side.
I really worry about what these people are capable of DOING.I don’t trust them as far as I could throw them. They are all morally corrupt,how can you trust slime like that,or the DRUGS the trainers inject into these helpless SOULS. It’s just all too evil,to try and wrap your head around.
It makes me bawl like a baby,when I see the looks on the faces of the ANGELS (the horses) when they’ve been rescued from that living HELL. If you can’t see that look of gratitude in their eyes and choke you up….then you assholes have a black hole where your heart should be. #GoRot
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tod-qOiD_Ms) I, as 2Nuttie on YouTube, commenting on the slow-motion replay of Mongolian Groom’s fatal injury, and replies–note Joe Mueller’s comments, demonstrating a person devoid of any compassion:
1 week ago
I watched the Breeder’s Cup video of this prior to this one, and seeing the owners of the winning horse celebrating was almost as sickening as seeing Mongolian Groom hauled off. They were so giddy with happiness at their winnings. The extremes: the greed, the cruelty, the coldest of indifference. How could anyone, anyone celebrate when one of the horses pays the highest price? So many comments of rest in peace, open meadows of the next life. And that’s how they go onto the next race. There is no horse heaven. All those on the track and in the stalls, the vans, all in hell, then they die. Do some go to good homes? What’s the percentage? Let’s outlaw it all, bypass it, good homes to every horse from they day every Mongolian Groom is born.
4
Vegan Aquawoman,6 days ago
I KNOW. In what other sport do you have a mortally wounded athlete on the field, while the celebrations continue?! Absolutely SICKENING.
Joe Mueller, 3 days ago
Settle down there 2nut. The winning owner and jockey had no idea at that moment what was going on behind them. Now stop whining
Joe Mueller, 3 days ago
@Vegan Aquawoman they didn’t know dip wad
2Nuttie, 7 hours ago
@Joe Mueller , I’m sure they have seen live at the track many more horses hauled off as Mongolian Groom was than I have watched on video (as I never go to racetracks). I will keep “whining,” as you put it, because with such knowledge in their “hearts,” they surely know what they put the horses through on their way to the bank. Shame on you as well for regarding horses so very little.
I will never get the face of that ugly man out of my mind. And they knew.
I argued constantly with Teresa while we were both contributors at Forbes.
I”ll note that Genaro, on her twitter page, says she’s seeking the “perfect vegan lipstick.”
Not to spare any animal’s life. It had to do with her own. She is not vegan, it appears. So this is not about sparing animals from dying.
A couple of months ago, I found this post of hers (from the Saratogian) and a lot of her internal conflict made sense to me (even if it doesn’t make sense to her).
https://www.saratogian.com/sports/genaro-t-loves-a-fight-helping-us-with-our-own/article_5d5596a6-b0ab-11e9-a51c-af4dfd51698a.html
So,Ms.Genaro…..your totally ok with the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocents,and the maiming and torture of animals? Ok then give us your rationale. You too Joe Mueller.
Seeing your kid score the winning goal, or hit the game-winning homerun is an outlier and I give the winning owners a pass here. Probably didn’t know what had occurred so let’s be fair. One thing about MG: purchased for 11k which is not much in this game and probably should not have run in this race. 20/20 hindsight, I know, but the big purse and glamour of Breeders Cup may have been at play here. Not making an appeal for horse racing, just trying to add context. Sport of Kings is not attracting new fans. Millennials tend to think, and act, differently than the rest of us, ha, ha. Probably won’t be long before the game goes bye, bye.
I want to clear up some confusion about the winning connections of Vino Rossi who were well aware that Mongolian Groom broke down.
In fact, during the immediate aftermath, on national NBC television, Mike Repole owner of Vino Rossi specifically made reference to how bad he felt about the horse and hoped that he was okay.
Then Mike Repole and his entourage went straight for the winners circle laughing, cheering, and talking about all the wine that they are going to celebrate with – the fleeting second of concern for Mongolian Groom quickly evaporated.
This is the vile world of horse racing and this is one example of many of the vile people in it.
“Sport of Kings” …….let’s get something straight yet again.
This is NOT, I repeat NOT, a sport let alone a sport of kings.
It’s more reflective of a gladiator style killing ring where sadistic people go to watch racehorses get beaten and killed sometimes their bone fragments flying onto the track.
Let’s call it for what it is: a repulsive blood bath both on the track and on the slaughterhouse floor.
It was about his ANGER over NY DQ’ing his horse in the previous race. I don’t care about him, I happen to like good looking men…for which he most definitely doesn’t qualify. Revenge and such are bullshit,it lessens the person who harbors that feeling. They ARE ANIMALS people,Mongolian Groom to me was a BEAUTIFUL example of an over achieving,modestly bred “every man’s horse.And he sure as HELL didn’t deserve to lose his life,you f’n idiots.
12 fucking vets on hand, and this loss of LIFE still happened at BC……you f’n losers…go get a real job,you incompetent “vets”
Agree about vets because there were “red flags” after a dull workout just prior to ill-fated race. I think you are right about them screwing up. Of course the trainer/owners could also have scratched so they are not blameless, either. I used the term Sport of Kings not from a place of “true believer” but was just using the well-worn term racing sometimes goes by, almost a throwback to a different time when blue bloods would race their horses at Belmont, etc. Think Vanderbilt, Whitney, etc. It does seem like the drums are beating loudly now for serious change or extinction.
All that corny ass “old money” is passé now. Most of today’s young people don’t even know who you’re even talking about.More importantly it’s not even relevant to them,they’re wondering how they’re gonna pay for college,having a family (kids) some day, be able to buy a house,in a good area. Today’s young people don’t give a rat’s ass,about this corny old men bullshit,who have all day just to sit at the track,and pass time. It is ANTIQUATED. Medicare will be bankrupt soon,and today’s youth know that. Instead of taxpayers money going to propping up this death chamber,how about funding things that today’s young people will need down the road. Doesn’t that make sense? SENSIBLE right?
Yeah, that’s why I used the word throwback (to a bygone era). Those railroad and steel barons are gone and it is an expensive game which may be where the word “King” first came into use (back then). True, different time now.