2-year-old Vertifiable in the 5th at Mahoning (again) this afternoon: “suffered a catastrophic injury midway on the turn and was euthanized” (Equibase). (The track, by the way, was “sloppy” – a muddy mess is more like it.) Just another pubescent equine sacrificed so that some men could gamble, and others chase pots of gold.
This is horseracing.
Reblogged this on Armory of the Revolution.
This is a outright CRIME 🤬I could go on and on STOP the MURDER of equines 🤬
Forcing, a baby to run and be whipped. I’ve seen too many horses lose their life because of mud/slop. All these assholes in this “game” need to go the fuck away and get a life you losers.
When will it end! Happening across the country,not just Santa Anita.We must Keep the pressure on all of the so called racing associations across the country! It’s only a matter of time before they all cave in
I hope I live to see the day when breeders, owners, trainers, sadistic jockeys and racetrack and racino personnel go to jail for forcing young horses to run and run fast while carrying weight and all of the other sadistically abusive cruelties inflicted upon all racehorses.
Also, I can hope that anyone that says horseracing is not cruel could be tied to a post and shocked with an electrical shocking device and whipped mercilessly.
There’s really nothing good about horse racing as we know it…..But, one of the things that bothers me the most is how young the horses are (2) in their first races. I don’t even believe they should start training until they are 2. No one can stand there and tell us the the horses legs are ready for the abuse they take, even if they were treated humanely, when they start them so long. Don’t know what the percentage of two and three year old’s end up dying, but I would guess it would be quite high. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out whatever they’re doing they’re doing it wrong.
Yes, georgiegirl10, they are absolutely DOING IT WRONG! Horses can be started at the age of 18 months just to learn basic things but NOT carrying the weight of a rider and forced to gallop!
It is NOT HORSEMANSHIP to do what the breeders, owners and trainers of race horses are doing to horses! What is being done and has been the routine practice for decades and possibly centuries to Thoroughbreds is ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION, NOT HORSEMANSHIP!
Another premature, unnecessary death caused by these greedy criminals!! How sad!! And they don’t give a rat’s ass!! We will not stop until we stop you! Go out there and find ways to make money using your brains (oh, sorry, you don’t have one) not on the backs of these pure, innocent, magnificent creatures! I know you will answer for your crimes! And there WILL be hell to pay
Vertifiable was only two years old…just a baby…and died in the mud for betting entertainment. I looked up this baby’s racing connections and Rodney Faulkner was the owner/trainer. I’ve known the Faulkners (Joe, Rodney, Randy, and Ricky, although Randy and Ricky are no longer in the business nor is Joe) from years ago when I worked the backside of Beulah desperately trying to help horses land in a soft place. “Papa” Joe Faulkner and I would sit in front of his tack stall on the backside and he would tell me stories about all his horses that were stabled at the track. One was a beautiful gray mare by the name of Blue Czar and I was able to purchase her for $500 when she was done racing. I donated her to New Vocations and she was adopted out as a broodmare. I have regressed here a bit but I always liked “Papa” Joe even when he told me he sent horses to Sugarcreek when he was “done” with them. Racing was a business to him but, unlike some of the other owners/trainers, he was always open to selling an unproductive horse to us rather than allowing it to end up in a bad place once he knew that “we” were an option.
Although “Papa” Joe was always affable and chatty, his sons were another story. They were all business and nothing like their dad. Rodney barely spoke and I always wondered if he barely spoke to his horses. I looked up Vertifiable’s race/workout results on Equibase and this horse was breezed on 10/21, 10/26, and 11/8 and is now dead, in his third race, on 12/17. What a sad ending for a “baby” who just wanted to live his life and be loved and appreciated. We hear the apologists babble, ad nauseam, that horses love to run, and I personally believe that this sweet boy would have loved to run with his little herd in a beautiful pasture but his real job was to make money for his connections and he lost his life trying to get that job done.
For those that follow this blog, you may remember a horse by the name of Diva’s Kitten. You can type her name in the search box if interested in revisiting her story. She was owned and trained by Vertifiable’s o/t, Rodney Faulkner, during her racing “career.” She didn’t lose her life in the mud at Mahoning like Vertifiable but she was badly damaged by an industry that purportedly loves them just like “family.” I saw her on Monday and she is doing okay after multiple surgeries on her knees. And she is one of the lucky ones because she made it out of racing alive. Sad, but true…
Such a beautiful and touching post, Mary. I am truly ecstatic to hear there are some happy endings but I suppose these are the exception, not the norm. So unfortunate! The human race is interested in artificial intelligence but some have not learned the basics…love, compassion and kindness! Very, very disheartening
Andreea, there are some happy endings but many of those happy endings are created by those who have never participated in nor made a dime in the racing industry. The main component driving racing is profit and it overrides love, compassion and kindness the vast majority of the time. As I have stated many times before, whenever you mix money and animals, the animals end up losing.
Of course, Mary! I never imagined racing “connections” grew a heart overnight and decided to do what is right for the athletes who gave it their all for them. Thank God there are still good people out there. I am slowly starting to lose my faith in the human race…unfortunately. Thank you very much for your reply.
Correction to my post above. The correct spelling of the horse’s name that I purchased from Joe Faulkner was Bluezar, not Blue Czar.
When are people, in the horse racing field, going to start taking care of these magnificent animals. It’s all about money, who cares if a horse falls or breaks a leg, they just destroy them.