In the 2nd at Golden Gate yesterday, Elegant Sundown “suffered a catastrophic injury to his right foreleg at the three sixteenths and was euthanized in the van” (Equibase). Elegant Sundown was made by Sheldon Paldanius and Javier Villalobos, owned by Stan Spano, and trained by Paldanius. Of course, all in, and all who patronize, racing are also complicit in his death.
At Belmont Friday, Yorkiepoo Princess “developed severe laminitis after surgery approximately 5 weeks ago…euthanized in her stall” (Gaming Commission). She was five years old and last raced at Charles Town in September. Made by A. Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck, owned by Danny Chen, and trained by Claudio Gonzalez.
This is horseracing.
Stop this blatant animal abuse!!!
In reference to the horse that ran in the 2nd race yesterday at GGF, I wish that people that make negative and untruthful statements, about the individuals involved with a particular horse would actually take the time needed to sit down and meet them in person and find out the actual truth before putting it in print. The individuals involved with that horse’s life time of conception until the unfortunate event that happened yesterday, are people who are dedicated to the well being of their horses and do everything in their power to assure that.
I guess what I’m getting at is sometimes should happens and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. Regardless of what it was that caused him to misstep, ( and I’m not referring to a soundness problem but to a surface deviation wether it was uneven or unlevel) there is nothing anybody can do to change the law of physics. When something throws you off balance and wherever the part of your body that receives the most pressure to continue you balance, which in this case is their legs, will receive a higher amount of pressure and at that time something has to give. Let me put it in better perspective for you. Do you remember last year when a college gymnast was performing her floor routine and while executing a tumbling line, she failed to land squarely on her feet and at that moment she snapped both of her legs.
So who do YOU blame? You would be blaming her mom and dad for bringing her into this world and also say that Gymnastics is a cruel sport that should be banned.
It’s time that people who oppose horse racing realize that nothing is fair, nor perfect in life. Shit happens and never foreseen until after the fact.
So please, unless you can predict the future or make everyone invincible, quit blaming individuals for something they have no power over. It’s hard enough to deal with a loss, and then to read what you wrote just adds more heartache.
Erin,
One of the rare, amusing parts of following this site closely is reading the occasional racing apologist’s comments (feeble excuses) about what’s posted here every day. Yours did not disappoint. I particularly enjoyed your summary of, “Shit happens and never foreseen until after the fact.”
You’ve cleverly summed up the philosophy of the entire horse racing community.
Well done.
Except that the horse in question was a simple slave to those “caring, dedicated” individuals. It’s called exploitation, and they – and you for supporting it – are absolutely responsible for his painful, terrifying death.
Erin Anderson – you state “I wish people that make…untruthful statements…[would] find out the actual truth before putting it in print”.
Well here is what was put in print; “In the 2nd at Golden Gate yesterday, Elegant Sundown ‘suffered a catastrophic injury to his right foreleg at the three sixteenths and was euthanized in the van’ (Equibase). Elegant Sundown was made by Sheldon Paldanius and Javier Villalobos, owned by Stan Spano, and trained by Paldanius. Of course, all in, and all who patronize, racing are also complicit in his death.”
So Erin, what is “untruthful”? Were Paldanius and Villalobos NOT Elegant Sundown’s breeders? Was he NOT owned by Spano? Was he NOT trained by Paldanius? Tell us – which of those individuals are NOT what was “put in print”?
Further…was Elegant Sundown NOT injured racing at GGF? – was he NOT euthanized? Equibase reports the gray ridgling was euthanized after suffering a catastrophic injury to his right foreleg…so tell us, which of those details, “put in print”, are NOT the “actual truth”?
If those who demand these horses participate in an activity that is high risk for injury and death are NOT complicit, then who is? – certainly not those of us who oppose it! So again, tell us – who is responsible for making horses race for betting entertainment? – what is the “actual truth”?
But let’s put more actual truth in print – not only was Elegant Sundown bred to race and made to race (for profits/to make a living from his body’s labors), he was given Lasix for each of his 5 races. The detrimental effects of Lasix are well-documented – but aside from the life-threatening electrolyte disturbances, COMMON SENSE tells us to not dehydrate the body before making the horse (or human) participate in a race.
Yet you claim the individuals “involved” with Elegant Sundown are “dedicated to the well being of their horses and do everything in their power to assure that.” No, they don’t and they didn’t. Those who truly love their horses do everything they possibly can to MINIMIZE the risks of injury and death – racing them does exactly the opposite. Elegant Sundown is but one of countless unnecessary and tragic examples.
Are you seriously comparing a consenting human being injured participating in a sport to a racehorse suffering a catastrophic injury on a racetrack? Wow, never heard THAT before.
How old was this gymnast? A still-developing toddler? Because that’s the age equivalent of the horse that died. Did her parents keep her locked in her room 23 hours a day? Did they inject her with drugs? Did her coach use overhead swings of a whip to make her perform better? She may have broken both her legs, but it wasn’t so someone could try to make a few bucks off her performance, and she still has her whole life ahead of her. Elegant Sundown’s life was ended for no other reason but some human parasite wanted to make money off of him.
I wish you racing apologists would come up with a different argument. After decades of exploiting and killing horses, isn’t there some other nonsensical bullshit you can use?
You seem to be suggesting that Elegant Sundown, miraculously, foaled himself when really Sheldon Paldanius and Javier Villalobos, foaled him for one reason: to exploit him.
You also seem to suggest that, miraculously, Elegant Sundown walked into a stall and enslaved himself for 23 hours per day even tacking himself up!
Of course he didn’t because the owner and trainer forced him into servitude, which was easy to do since he’s completely defenseless, has no voice, and doesn’t consent to the daily abusive business practices.
He didn’t consent to getting the shit beaten out of him as his race replays showed and you certainly can’t care for a horse that you watch get beaten.
Of course your secret doping/vet/treatment records would, most likely, dispel your claims that it was a “surface deviation.”
So go ahead and send the records to Patrick’s email listed below for our review and possible posting on this site than, and only than, can you make the claims that you did after we are furnished with all of the information leading up to the horrific breakdown of poor Elegant Sundown.
Of course dying on a track owned by The Stronach Group protects you and all of those who continue to kill racehorses whether intentional or not the end result is the same.
You seem really upset that you lost your cash machine and it seems to me you had some sort of relationship with the deceased Elegant Sundown, but make no mistake about it, the owners, the trainers, and all apologists who continue to support the massive suffering and carnage of racehorses are equally responsible.
Elegant Sundown so sorry for you.
YORKIEPOO PRINCESS – this is heartbreaking like they all are. Yorkiepoo Princess made over $551,000 for her owner Danny J. Chen and this STILL wasn’t enough for him to ensure her a soft landing, take her away from the track, and get her a forever paddock.
I would even go so far to say that Danny is happy that she died because now he doesn’t have to take care of her, or be financially responsible for her, but who can assume that he ever would as the nearest kill auction may have received her anyways?
Nevertheless, I’m requesting the doping/vet/treatment records of Yorkiepoo Princess leading up to her horrific death, but I know they will not be forthcoming.
This is criminal negligence, animal cruelty, abuse and inhumane treatment of a living being and this asshole will get off scott-free because this is horse racing.
We do know this: we know that Yorkiepoo Princess was suffering for a long time with inflammation that eventually turned in to laminitis, was probably treated for that to keep her running, to keep her flipping a buck for the greedy asshole Danny J. Chen because over $500,000 wasn’t enough for this morally bankrupt parasite to pull her off the track, out of her misery, and to take care of her.
That’s why they keep their doping/vet/treatment records secret because they know damn well that they will show just how low these greedy parasites are.
Horse racing is a vile business with vile people in it and it needs to be shut down.
Yorkiepoo Princess I will continue to be a voice for racehorses like you and for all of you.
You can’t be serious.
Ms. Anderson, after reading your rambling post, I must say you are either delusional or incredibly stupid, perhaps a bit of both. You reference a “surface deviation” as the cause of a “misstep” in Elegant Sundown’s death. Have you ever been to a racetrack? If you have, certainly you have seen the tractors on the actual track “grooming” the surface. Race track preparation is a major concern to those entrusted with that job in racing. Now, I have stated, ad nauseam, that I have been around horses since the 1950’s and got my first horse, an OTTB, in 1963. Therefore, I have seen hundreds of horses, over the years, galloping across fields that were anything but smooth and manicured and never once have I seen a horse suffer a catastrophic injury…NEVER! Breakdowns are INHERENT to the industry of horseracing. Got it?
As far as the gymnast breaking both legs, that is certainly troubling but how many times does that happen? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? I would venture to guess that it is rare to break one leg, much less TWO, but I could be wrong since I don’t follow that sport. Then you become even more desperate in your pathetic attempt to defend racing by asking if her parents should be blamed for bringing her into the world? Unbelievable! Just to clear up any confusion you may have, what I can say is that breeders bring horses into the world in order to, hopefully, make a profit down the road. I doubt if the gymnast’s parents brought her into the world in order to profit off her existence.
To suggest that “we” are trying to change the law of physics is idiocy, at its finest. “We” are trying to stop horses from being used as gambling tools by those who have little regard for them unless they are bringing home a paycheck. Anytime you mix money and animals, the animals end up losing the vast majority of the time. End of story!
The gymnast had a choice as to whether she was going to participate the horse does not. Your argument is flawed.
Any human being that would participate in horse racing, in any way shape or form, is scum. Horse racing is an unnecessary, brutal, cruel use of animals. Horse racing should be outlawed. This is what you don’t ‘get.’
Does this make things clear? Thank you.
Horse racing is an evil, ruthless greedy money making industry that needs to end. Get out of the dark ages ANIMALS LIVES MATTER!! Horses deserve to be honored for their service to humans from the beginning of time! They don’t deserve to be abused, broken with horrendous injuries! 2 year old babies raced… These people involved are greedy bastards with no regard for the horse!
Yes!
Whether you are making money or losing money on this sick, disgusting, death sport, you’re showing either your greed or your pathetic addiction. I, personally, am a strong supporter of jailing/fining for the abuse, neglect, torture of dogs, this is just a bigger animal. You people are LESS WORTY than every animal on this planet, you are less than human, and when karma hits you, may innocents be over 500 miles away, because it’s gonna come down on you in a big way and IT WILL!! God bless the animals, I leave the evil to Satan!!
What a beautiful gray Elegant Sundown was running first all the way til his leg gave out. It looks like he even won 300 bucks for the race. But you know “stuff happens”.
Pretty sure if 2000 gymnasts a year snapped their legs, broke their backs, disemboweled themselves, flipped end over end over each other, dropping dead from “cardiovascular events”, or poured blood out of their noses because their lungs were hemorrhaging, there would be no more gymnastics anywhere. And they don’t send thousands of broken down, permanently injured, unwanted gymnasts to slaughter.
Erin, it was a very bad idea to read your lame post while having dinner!
You as a supporter of horse abuse and all those criminals in this vile business you offer stupid excuses for need to just go…away…
Seriously?? You are comparing ONE gymnast who, by the way, CHOSE to become one to a horse who has ZERO choice?? Or did you perhaps ask the gorgeous Elegant Sundown and he told you he wishes to race?? Wait… do you even know his name?? You are referring to him as “the horse”… not even enough respect to mention his name. People like you just make me sick and I have no patience for obtuse, uninformed and greedy people who constantly endorse or defend animal abuse. Just GO..AWAY… ALL OF YOU!!
Every night I pray, if we have to have horseracing, that safety for all horses will be the main topic that is practiced by all owners, trainers and jockeys!