Through a FOIA request to the Colorado Department of Revenue, I have confirmed the following kills at Arapahoe Park in 2019:
Tee Elle Cee, Jun 18 – “septic r tarsus, opposite limb laminitis”
Divinesilverlining, Jun 24, racing – “fractured shoulder”
Montezuma Ridge, Jul 13 – “found dead in stall with trauma – colic” (two years old)
Prairie Cruisin, Jul 15, training – “fell after work – fractured shoulder”
Listen to Reason, Aug 10, racing – “fractured LFA”
Sad. Sad. Sad. Sad. Sad. Beyond sad. Ban horseracing. It is so cruel to horses. People that hurt horses need to be held accountable!!!!!!
Horse racing has no shame, no compassion, no decency, no excuses, and no reason to exist.
Just how can legitimized killing of such beautiful racehorses be permitted to continue in the 21st century?
There are “hows” nor are there any justifications for this vile business to keep going.
It needs to be shut down and it can’t come soon enough for the poor racehorses.
This is just so vile, I can’t stand it.
Gina, supposed “report” came out about Mongolian Groom . All of you should read. I read and I say…Give me a f’n break. Can we all say SHAM,covering asses.
Bonnie, was it the Paulick Report?
Bonnie, bc came up Boise Cascade so I googled Mongolian Groom death latest report. That took me to an online article in The Blood Horse by Blood Horse Staff. It gave the link to the veterinarian’s evaluation. I didn’t go on that link. I read the first article about Mongolian Groom’s death and the evaluating veterinarian Dr. Bramladge (spelling?) and it is the standard public relations phony crap business-as-usual piece of work.
Not sure if any of you know, but here’s a little history on Dr. Bramledge who is co-owner of one of the most prestigious vet clinics Rood & Riddle in Lexington, KY.
He’s the vet that tended to and recommended to euthanize ALYDAR in the early morning hours at Calumet Farm.
A subsequent investigation by D.A. Tomey in Houston, TX presented an\d tried solid evidence that he was killed for insurance money, but could only declare that it was “highly likely” and “very possible” that this was true.
Need I say more?
I’m not impuning Dr. Bramledge’s work as a top equine vet, but he’s derived a living and has become very rich off the injuries of racehorses.
Need I say more?
The more they break their bones and get sick the more money he makes.
He is the first and only vet to declare that training and racing a 2-year old is good for them because the micro tears in the bones triggers healing and builds up their strength (paraphrasing).
He almost always runs to the defense of trainers or racehorses who breakdown because he’s on just about every single board in horse racing including the Breeders Cup – or was.
He uses his intelligence, his deep knowledge of racehorses, their physiology to explain away horrific situations that don’t need explaining because they are so immoral, but he has a right to say whatever he wants.
It’s rumored that he owns a ton of racehorses and knows every single drug to affect their every move including withdrawal times and/or sells his “consulting” at a very high price to only the rich and top trainers who can afford it, but these records are private & confidential.
Once they declared that Dr. Bramledge would conduct the “investigation” into Mongolian Groom I knew right then and there that it would be a sham and it is.
Dr. Bramledge is the “clean-up” guy for this industry and always finds a scientific explaination and provides unprecedented cover to horrrific events leading up to a racehorse losing it’s life, breaking its bones, and dying as a result of these injuries.
In my opinion, Dr. Bramledge is a Class A apologist and sleeze bag, but an amazing vet.
Gina, I didn’t know that much about Dr. Bramledge, but thanks to you and this blog, I do know now. Also, thanks to Bonnie and her emotional and relentless pursuit of exposing the inexcusable evil that is horseracing and the fact that MONGOLIAN GROOM, a gelding, was killed on a Breeders/Bleeders Cup day of racing Thoroughbreds for the sheer selfish greed of morally depraved people at the economic top level as well as every other level of depravity involved in horseracing.
In the report by Dr. Bramledge:
“but the horse’s attitude was good and he was anxious to go to the track each morning so they decided he was ready to compete,” as related by the regular goom and trainer.
This statement is offered in the context that Mongolian Groom was sound based on his positive attitude to go to the track every morning.
Based on my direct experiences with racehorses, and contrary to what this statement is suggesting, the fact that a racehorses is “anxious” to go to the track every morning doesn’t necessarily negate that he’s physically sound.
Perhaps mentally sound, but certainly not physically and here’s why:
Racehorses are intensely confined contrary to their very nature as prey animals, and at least 23 hours per day they are confined in a 12 x 10 space = that’s 120 feet for a 1200 pound racehorse.
Almost every racehorse is “anxious” to get the fuck out of their stall, to exercise, to be able to move around and see their surroundings.
Any living being subjected to such intense confinement would be happy to get out of their small space and walk around even patients in hospitals with serious medical ailments will walk out in the hallway of a hospital just to get a break from their situation.
Racehorses are no different.
I don’t need Dr. Bramledge or any vet for that matter to contradict what I saw with my own eyes: Mongolian Groom was lame on his rear leg that snapped-off during the Breeders Cup race.
The vets would have to be either asleep at the switch or deliberately ignorant because after seeing him favoring that leg he should have been immediately diagnosed with either an x-ray or ultrasound.
It seems incredulous to me that almost 17 vets didn’t see that, and I know that hindsight is easy to express, but under this intense protocol it just doesn’t make sense to me that Mongolian Groom was not scrutinized with diagnostics and/or was sent out to run.
In this next statement Dr. Bramledge is talking about the “Regulatory Vet” AKA state vet NOT the private vet who only sees the racehorse for a few minutes to conduct the pre-race vet check:
“But most athletic injuries begin as stress fractures deep within the bone, which don’t have
external signs of inflammation.”
Indeed, the short amount of time that a Reg. Vet sees a racehorse and palpates the limbs is not enough.
This has been going on for years and racehorses are still dying so it should seem obvious to the general public, let alongesuch a high esteemed vet as Dr. Bramledge or any racetrack vet for that matter, that this process is a complete and total sham and doesn’t reflect the competency of any vet.
It’s precisely this reason why it’s so imperative for Reg. Vets to have access to the vet records and medical treatments during a racehorse’s active training and racing.
DUH.
Those vet records and medical treatments are regularly conducted by the PRIVATE VET paid for by the owner, ordered treatment by the trainer in most cases and KEPT SECRET, not transfered and DOESN’T FOLLOW the racehorse and it’s a total indictment of this industry who claims to care.
You can’t possibly care for the safety of the racehorse and the jockey if you don’t have access to these records.
Bottom line – end of story.
In fact, this industry continues to fight hard to keep these records secret and everybody knows that the majority of racehorses are one step away from dying, for a multitude of reasons, but having access to the records would clearly show the vulnerability of a racehorse who is on the verge of dying.
Moreover, as Dr. Bramledge states “stress fractures are deep within the bone,” but the indications of such would be obvious to a vet who perused the previous vet records and/or medical treatments.
In short, it would save lives, but it would also do something else wouldn’t it and here’s where the truth comes out:
Lots of racehorses would be scratched based on the exposure of these records resulting in smaller fields, which results in less wagering, which results in, you guessed it, LESS WAGERING PROFITS.
Moreover, connections wouldn’t be able to dump a racehorse onto other people.
The dumping would be almost eliminated and that would negatively affect the game.
For heaven’s sake the PP’s alone shows racehorses struggling to barely make it through a race even if they beat them with the whip hard the horse just gives up and bears the pain of the whip because it’s in so much pain to begin with.
Yet another indictment of an industry who claims to “care.”
Incidentally, Dr. Bramledge was paid lots of money to provide this report to the Breeders Cup.
Follow the money and there’s your answer.
BC.com is link…I believe,Wanda.
Anyone who could have euthanized Secretariat is capable of anything.
I’m still not buying how that many FUCKIING so called “vets” missed the OBVIOUS hitch in Mongolian Groom ‘s hind left …F them and may they stew in ….
Of course they didn’t see anything – they’ve all got their heads too far up their asses.
Well put Rebecca
I don’t let things “go” Rebecca. When I know I’m in the right,but not only that … I saw with my own eyes!!!!!!!!! Oh hell no!! Oh hell no!, we are not stupid,you snake oil salesmen. We are not going away,nor will we believe your bullshit,to save your asses. CA. You are PATHETIC (vets).
Bonnie, I know you have been saying that since he was killed in November. I agree!!! Allowing Mongolian Groom to race was wrong on so many levels and coming up with these phony reports is even more wrong and does not change the fact that racing is evil. I don’t know if there was insurance money involved but it seems that the racing industry people are so morally depraved that they enjoy killing horses; and lying about how much they loved their dead horses before they killed them.
Gina,your a BRAVE woman…to have gotten out of this sleaze,and doing your BEST to SAVE lives. I think I can speak for all of us, We Appreciate you. Wanda,it probably is old news…I don’t normally read internet blogs or such. I’m into politics and dog rescues.
It is 2020 and already the bullshit starts again about all of the f*in excuses of why these innocent race horses are being slaughtered, This racing needs to be BANNED – it is a horrible and cruel sport because of the idiots involved in it. Everyone is so corrupt and money hungry – it is just horrible. I put so much blame on the so called “vets” who are supposed to be the angels of survival for all animals – instead we have a bunch more god damn greedy f*ckers who are as bad as the owners, trainers, jockeys and of course let’s not forget the “racing commissions.” This is tragic in every sense of the word. Bann all horse racing and let these gorgeous animals have a proper life away from all of this abuse, trauma and death.
My Mind can’t stop going there,if you know what I mean!! How many days did he suffer before being found DEAD in his stall at Belmont? He died of the same thing “Lady” had. I want to beat the living crap out of those NY SCUMBAGS. May they suffer the way they do callously made that beautiful big Chestnut Boy. I will not get over this…nobody should-because it’s SICK shit.
Arapahoe Park is not exactly the bastion of high class racing in tbe United States. But Aqueduct had 2 horse breakdowns before the 7th race this past Sunday. And surprise surprise…dirtbag Rudy Rodriguez who had one of the breakdowns tried to enter a crippled Uncle Mo colt in the 7th and the vets caught it and late scratched it. I don’t know what I would do if I met Rudy Rodriguez face to face. Hate is too mild a word. Cheap claiming race trainers should be in hell. loathsome peaons following.
Greedy bastards. Would love to whip the jockeys and the assholes that run these races for money. This is getting beyond horrific.
A person capable of such cruelty to another living loving feeling being does not deserve a life. Animals define us, cruel people are no good for animals, no good for children and no good for a healthy society. Sweet horse is away from evil hands now. Your suffering will be the evil hands eternity.