Through a FOIA request to the Oregon Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks in 2019. Please note that Portland Meadows, the only regularly-running racetrack in Oregon, closed for good in February. Progress.
I’lbeamonkeysuncle, Jan 15, Portland R – “sudden death (vessel ruptures in lungs)”
I’lbeamonkeysuncle was almost 11 and this was his 63rd time under the whip.
Four Times Lucky, Sep 6, Harney Fair R – “internal bleed”
Four Times Lucky was almost 8 and this was her 61st time under the whip.
What a horrible way to die!
Literally raced to death. Disgusting. Can’t these tracks close without killing horses in their last days?
And a lousy name to add to the disrespect
Thank you again Patrick for always working your hardest to educate and working to eliminate horse racing. Good news is that this track is no longer operating a death trap…
Almost 12yrs. old and raced since he was 2 yrs. old for purses around four to five thousand. He earned $60,900 the hard way. Was 10yrs of abuse worth seven thousand a year to these people?!
He finally could not do it anymore and DROWNED IN HIS OWN BLOOD. Poor horse.
We have not commented on your site for quite some time but these tracks we know of in an intimate fashion! Were not unhappy to see them gone! Racing these poor horses until they finally break down is only too typical of our rock bottom of the barrel racing state. Several good people also have been worked until they broke down too.Many poorly educated people in our high tech state don`t have any other means to earn a living and so they suffer right along with the horses.PM is now to be developed out to trucking / warehousing / dispatch centers and is at this very moment being dismantled and taken apart.Were disgusted at the fact there are many races in our state that were named after very good horses who were raced to DEATH and then later had very minor stakes races named for them!! The horses and us would have preferred to see the horses retired ALIVE rather than having a races named for them after they died racing.Economics will KILL racing with the ever increasing costs of injury insurance as well as ever rising property taxes and utilities as well as greatly declining interest in racing as a gambling game.
Very glad that we finally have closed our racetrack, although I had thought it was closed years ago (maybe just wishful thinking). Hopefully, other states will follow suit, and not take part in the systematic murder of our precious horses.
Sadly Portland Meadows was replaced with Grants Pass Meadows in Southern Oregon with the grand opening day resulting in two deaths as reported by the Mail Tribune. Here is a snippet from that story piece – “High hopes that the new footing at Grants Pass Downs racetrack might save horses’ lives were dashed when two thoroughbreds suffered fatal injuries during a single race on opening weekend”.
If you read further into the piece the arrogance or ignorance of the racing officials for the track and Oregon Racing Commission breaks my heart knowing that providing profit can be made off these majestic animals then racing people will always hide behind their words while their actions speak so much louder.
If they truly cared about these horses then they would simply put an end to racing them.