More Than 100 Racehorses Killed at Florida Tracks Last Year

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Through a FOIA request to the Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks in 2019. This is Part 2; Part 1 can be found here. Please note that with but two exceptions, the DBPR did not forward causes of death. Of more import, there was nothing for the state’s harness track, Pompano Park. In addition, not all the December records were in yet (I will update accordingly). In other words, Florida’s 2019 carnage is likely more than the 102 dead horses you see on these pages.

Get Into Mischief, Jan 12, Gulfstream T – “heart attack” (two years old)

Easy Cherry, May 8, Gulfstream T (being prepped for first race)

Social Roy, May 21, Palm Meadows T

Prime Candidate, Jun 8, Gulfstream T

Man of Wicklow, Jun 19, Gulfstream T (being prepped for first race)

Imperial Majesty, Jun 20, Gulfstream R

Party Sweets, Jun 21, Gulfstream R

Flossie, Jun 21, Gulfstream R

Crazy for Sofia, Jun 28, Gulfstream T

Smart Return, Jun 29, Gulfstream R

Florida Man, Jul 9, Gulfstream T (being prepped for first race)

Hot Gal, Jul 14, Gulfstream T (being prepped for first race)

Monkey Money, Jul 14, Gulfstream T

Brush, Jul 14, Gulfstream W T (being prepped for first race)

Fairy Goddess, Jul 18, Gulfstream T

Buttonhook, Jul 26, Gulfstream R

Little Christina, Jul 26, Gulfstream R

Butte, Jul 27, Gulfstream W T (being prepped for first race)

Appealing Beast, Aug 2, Gulfstream R

Unbridled Piper, Aug 12, Palm Meadows T

Joe Beach, Aug 18, Palm Meadows T

Revenge, Aug 24, Gulfstream T (being prepped for first race)

Argentino, Aug 29, Gulfstream S

Rompin Reid, Aug 31, Gulfstream T

J P’s Rose, Sep 4, Gulfstream T

German Alberto, Sep 12, Gulfstream T

Perfect State, Sep 12, Gulfstream R

Mertz, Sep 23, Gulfstream T

Rock You, Sep 27, Gulfstream R

yet-to-be-named, Oct 3, Palm Meadows T

Tequila Sheila, Oct 15, Gulfstream T

Queen Madeleine, Oct 16, Gulfstream W T

Grand March, Oct 19, Palm Meadows T (being prepped for first race)

Follow the River, Oct 23, Gulfstream W R

Queen of the Dudes, Oct 26, Palm Meadows T

yet-to-be-named, Oct 27, Palm Meadows T

Gates of Destiny, Oct 28, Gulfstream T (being prepped for first race)

Welly, Nov 6, Gulfstream T

Royal Asscher, Nov 12, Gulfstream W T

Desert Princess, Nov 26, Tampa Bay T

Cotton Dixie, Nov 27, Tampa Bay T

yet-to-be-named, Nov 28, Palm Meadows T

Don’t Tell Deb, Dec 11, Tampa Bay R – “RF comminuted sesamoids”

15 Comments

  1. So many horses dying in preparation for their first race – another disturbing pattern in a never ending spiral of young horses being destroyed for human entertainment. And racing apologists still think this industry does not deserve to be shut down?

  2. In the Glossary of Terms online at drf.com under the letter B is the term: BABY RACE: (definition) a race for 2-year-olds.
    There it is in black and white. How can anyone be so morally depraved to be able to abuse and torture babies to death!?

  3. Vile.
    Gulfstream Park & Palm Meadows both owned by, yours truly, The Stronach Group.
    So one may ask: why does CEO Belinda Stronach focus on Santa Anita and the so-called “progressive” reforms while the carnage is happening on all their tracks?
    Well the intense public scrutiny, as it should be, in California is threatening their wagering income unlike Florida.
    So this seems to be the plausible reason.
    One Canadian female Trainer (who wants to remain anonymous b/c she’s still in the business) stabled at Palm Meadows about 2 years ago and she said racehorses were snapping their legs-off and dying there almost everyday! She said that a large majority of the racehorse population were 2 year olds – babies. She said when they weren’t dying they were being vanned-off almost every day. She claims that many were NOT reported. Given The Stronach Group’s strong history of deliberately hiding their carnage this seems true. There are no reforms that will stop this widespread dumping and carnage of their disposable gambling chips. Let’s just call it out for what it is: a BLOOD BATH.

    • Of course, Bonnie.
      Take a look at that list of trainers there today. It’s a veritable Who’s who of racehorse killers.

      • Looks like Spirogyra…has DNF on results from race 4 at Oaklawn. Every day sickening

  5. I just watched a nice Verrazano horse trained by somebody named Genaro Garcia die at Oaklawn Park in the 5th race, a $24K claimer. This is the first one I’ve seen but tbere could have been others. I hate this place. Them good ole’ boys just don’t care at all about horse safety. Just drinking and eating and gambling. But they will. This is not going to continue.

    • Mary, thank you! But it looks like it IS, in fact, going to continue, because the not-good-at-all ol’ boys at Oaklawn probably killed off Spunky Town today, too. She broke down, was pulled up/DNF/vanned-off in race 9. And this is on top of the clusterf*#%s at the two Florida tracks.
      Looks like Patrick’s got yet another busy week of documenting all the mass-carnage.

  6. Sadly, these figures get worse and worse, total lack of any regard for such magnificent creatures, shameful.

  7. Heart attack at 2 years old??!! Yet to be named?? Poor horses were not even yet named but are DEAD. 102 beautiful souls lost to this despicable, atrocious, repulsive, wretched industry and the leeches “working” in it. IT NEEDS TO STOP NOW

  8. Does the state of Florida also release greyhound racing dog deaths? I know that horses are millions more times likely to die on racetracks, but I wonder if the states that still conduct greyhound racing release those figures.

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