Miss Romania, a 2-year-old filly being prepped for her first race, was killed this morning at Santa Anita – officially (CHRB), “shoulder.” She is the 7th dead horse at this embattled track in the first six weeks of 2020. That’s a heckuva pace. But worry not, says management, for they can boast this: “Horses raced or trained at Santa Anita Park over 420,000 times in 2019 with a 99.991% safety rate.” Vile. Simply vile.
Golden Birthday, Jan 1, Santa Anita R – “took a bad step” (broken leg)
Buckstopper Kit, Jan 7, Santa Anita S
Harliss, Jan 17, Santa Anita R – “fractured ankle”
Uncontainable, Jan 18, Santa Anita R – “fractured ankle”
Tikkun Olam, Jan 19, Santa Anita T – “head-on collision”
Double Touch, Feb 8, Santa Anita T – “sudden death” (five years old)
Miss Romania, Feb 12, Santa Anita T – “shoulder”
True to form, the Santa Anita Death Track can’t even wait for all the SoCal news outlets to break in with news of their LAST death before they go ahead and kill off another horse.
Nobody’s even surprised anymore. Outraged, yes. Angry, yes. Disgusted, yes, absolutely. But surprised? The only surprise coming out of SA is that they somehow managed to go 18 days WITHOUT a horse death.
Reblogged this on Armory of the Revolution.
Is there even one veterinarian that is willing to stand up and say, “ENOUGH!!!” to all of the killing of horses at this racetrack or any racetrack? Are all of the veterinarians willing participants in this carnage? Or, is someone threatening to kill you if you are one veterinarian who is sickened by this horrific abuse, cruelty, torture and killing of racehorses and want to speak out against this outrageous carnage?
Wanda, great point. My experience with equine vets is that nearly all of them walk a VERY fine line with the racing community. Those who’ve done their residencies on the tracks, and even most of those who’ve been employed (short-term, of course) in the industry are horrified by what is practiced, and get out as soon as they’re able. Problem is, their profession dictates they are still usually connected to the business of racing, and are reluctant to state openly their true impressions of the job. Only the grizzled old die-hards can manage to keep plugging away at the tracks, year after bloody year.
All great points, ladies.
This is an excerpt from the oath a vet takes: “ i will strive to: promote animal health and welfare, … “ my questions are 1) how do they live up to this oath when horses die, when they are aware of the abuse and cruelty yet do nothing? And more importantly 2) If a doctor kills a (human) patient, makes a mistake, gives an erroneous diagnosis etc. that doctor gets the daylights sued out of him/her for malpractice and most likely his/her license revoked. Is there not a legislative body “watching” these so called vets? Is there no one who can have their licenses suspended, impose hefty fines or take away their licenses?
I suppose everyone gets a “cut” from the abuse of innocent, voiceless horses. Depraved!
99.991% safety rate, Santa Anita?? Yep, you’ve convinced us…actually, your record has convinced us…NOT
ABSOLUTELY AGREE!
Stop running them at 3 years old people!!!!!
Agreed! Too young and frail!
Loading them up with steroids and their heart is bursting
This track needs to be SHUT DOWN.
YES!
This makes me nauseous these beautiful animals destroyed and it is all about money they deserve no mercy what do they tell their friends and family’s and how do you sleep at night you have to know this is wrong and sick I b pray GOD takes away everything you have bought with this money
This has got to stop !!! This isn’t the 1900s anymore !!!
You realize that picture is NOT her, right? She was a chestnut and was walked onto the van.
Yes, of course I do. But that would matter why?
Just thought it was odd since you seem so committed to having all the facts.
You must be on the wrong site.
The sad FACT is she was WALKED onto a horse trailer with a broken shoulder, Laurie.
The facts are this: racehorses die. Racehorses die at Santa Anita as you can see the sign in the background. Now you do realize Laurie that they loaded this poor filly, with a broken shoulder, onto a van so that they do the dirty work in the stable area where the public is not allowed. Therefore, a picture is not obtainable. However, it doesn’t take much of an imagination to know that she was laying there dead on the ground just before they threw the dirty tarp over her until the rendering truck arrived. So she would look exactly like this picture only a different piece of dirt underneath her and not underneath the railing.
Both this picture and the crumbled euthanized body of Miss Romania is one of the same only the name is different for the most part.
Now, Laurie, you know you’re supposed to lead with how loved, adored and pampered she was, don’t you? How she was a track favorite, and destined to become a champion? That this “freak accident” occurred that was “totally unforeseen and unpreventable?” That she just took a “bad step” and that all her connections are “heartbroken?”
Next time, Laurie — should be just a couple more hours, at the rate Santa Anita’s killing ’em off — STICK TO THE SCRIPT.
Which makes it more disgusting since she had a broken shoulder. We all know the photo is not of the horse in the article, but is there as a visual reference to the vileness of the racing industry.
Ever heard of a stock photo, Laurie? And does the fact that one was used for this report of Miss Romania’s injury and death resurrect her broken, lifeless body?
A precious baby dead for no good reason… I wish it was the assholes involved in this shit,who were “passing”
2 year old is just now old enough to begin training..
Some horses skeletons not through growing until 4 years old..
These young horses are being murdered by their owners for allo wing them to race at such young age..
Sherry, it seems that the most reported age of maturity for Thoroughbred horses is 6 (six) years old. The horse racing industry as a whole is based on a fundamental wrong or flaw. It is completely wrong and completely flawed to start Thoroughbred racehorses out as yearlings under saddle and some of the yearlings are killed by the horseracing industry in the process of forcing the young horses to run while carrying the weight of a rider and run fast, as fast as the morally depraved people of this industry can force the yearlings to run. There is a video on YouTube of a yearling filly being forced to run at top speed and both of her front legs were broken as a consequence of this insane abuse and one yearling dropped dead from a heat stroke. It is absolutely sickening and horrifying! As if that isn’t bad enough, they base their whole industry on demanding that 2-year-olds run in races, as you know. In the Daily Racing Form’s Glossary of Terms under the letter B is Baby Race: a race for 2-year-olds. So, why would a morally depraved group of people interested only in the money that they can generate from horseracing and pari-mutuel betting or wagering handle be concerned about the health and general well-being of a horse and tell the truth about their “safety” rating? We know they go to great lengths to deceive the public!
Kinda “BAD” Luck yet they are not checking into it, are they?? I would find a different place to train My horse! My opinion only!!!
Horse racing needs to be banned since even those who don’t die on the track will die horribly in some slaughter house at some point. As soon as they stop winning they are sold at auction to anyone. It is just gambling. There are plenty of other gambling venues for you to waste your money on that don’t involve using animals for your two minutes of “fun”
EXACTLY, Bianca…..These losers need to get a LIFE.
We need people such as Jane Smiley to speak out on this. Laura Hillenbrand, too.
This needs to stop!!To many horses have passed away due to bad footing??
Absolutely disgusting stop doing this to animals humans want to have entertainment- race each other for Christ sake!
STOP THE ABUSE.
What the hell is this picture from? It’s not a horse with a broken shoulder. It has no tack on so you are using some non relevant picture for effect!! Now that deceiving and just sad. You are disrespectful to whichever horse this is.
You’re an idiot.
I’ll second that.
Oh the irony! Patrick is being “disrespectful” of whoever this horse in the picture is, when the racing industry just finished exploiting then killing him/her. You apologists who slink on to this site and whine about the pictures are about the most pathetic thing there is about this industry’s downhill slide. And if the picture was of the actual horse, that would make it better how? A HORSE IS STILL DEAD BECAUSE OF YOUR BELOVED INDUSTRY. Why can you people not wrap your two brain cells around that point?!
Well “terri” it is a photo of a dead and/or dying horse at santa anita. The horse not having tack on is just as irrelevant as your post, now miss romania was a unraced 2yr old with no posted workouts, so i challenge you to find a picture of this horse and send it to patrick, that way you dont feel the horse was disrespected. And i will add youd better go cry to the news outlets and radio stations that have reported on this also, and have used pictures not of miss romania.
Talk about disrespect for the horse, look no further than racing. The only respect in that gambling business is reserved for the money.
Terri what is your part in horse racing? What does the fact the horse has no tack on prove? Your callous and uncaring behaviour to horses may eventually be your downfall because if you look at the history of say animal experiments, or hunting there were people protesting who became impatient at the lack of “industry” change and took the law into their own hands. Those people, right or wrong were prepared to face many years in prison to right many wrongs.
This “sport” will be s thing of the past. Enough. Cruel, greedy people.
Terri- what does a horse with a broken shoulder look like? Because the one I saw, on the track, after she was euthanized, looked just like this horse! The exercise boy’s tack had been removed, so she had no tack on, either. The only difference between this, and the one I saw? The one I saw was more horrific. Her shoulder was ripped open.
I think you’re being being sad, and irrelevant. Very irrelevant. These horses, whether in the pic, or from a broken shoulder, are dead from this “sport.” That’s the relevance.
Peggy, Terri and her pro-racing friends are supporters of animal abuse and equine slaughter. And she accuses those who advocate for the horses of disrespect? – idiot, indeed.
We share these poor dead horses’ names…we let others know they once shared this earth with us as they deserve that much, at the very least. Terri and her pro-racing buddies? – they won’t give the horses an ounce of respect as evidenced by their hysterical denial of the cruel facts. Their “cheap claimers”? – they’ll never honor them with memorials when they break down and die. They IGNORE them.
Disrespect? – they’ve got that down to a T.
31 horses died there in 2019 that we know of.
It’s actually 43, Lava: https://horseracingwrongs.org/killed-2019/.
If we shot humans when we broke ankles, I’d have been dead three times over. Guess none of them ever watched “Seabiscuit”
Five year old sudden death. I think someone is killing some of them. Two year olds should only be in baby trading. Not raced. Mis step nope something is wrong there. A fracture ankle yes that can happen.
The track issued a statement Saturday:
“Santa Anita remains committed to transparency. Our safety statistics and incident reports are publicly available on our website at SantaAnita.com/safety. Home to 2,000 horses, Santa Anita Park is one of the largest equine training facilities in the United States. Horses raced or trained at Santa Anita Park more than 420,000 times over the last year with a 99.991% safety rate.”
Now tell me what I missed. That’s 1,150 horses per day on a 7 day week. The 99.991% is accurate but only based on the 420,000 number. Did they just back that number in to get to 99.991%
To: It’s Phil, the “special math” that the horseracing industry uses was explained on a different post by Kelly Griffin. It has something to do with how many times each horse has started. I’m sorry I cannot recall more details than that right now. But, I can sum it by describing it as “bullshit math” used by the industry to distort the reality of multiple numbers of dead horses killed by the horseracing industry. I think that is about as transparent as it gets.
Thanks, Wanda. I don’t have the time or inclination to look for that post right now. But Phil’s question nails it, and he’s not gonna find an explanation from the racing industry. And certainly not from the Jockey Club, who devised it in order to create the impression that fewer than two horses die in races out of 1,000 HORSES. Not true, and not even close to accurate:
In short, it’s all about using STARTS, as opposed to using STARTERS (actual horses) when calculating their fraudulent numbers. So, yeah, you’ve obviously figured out the “bullshit math”:)
Wanda, what Kelly said – using starts instead of starters – is KEY to how the industry makes their fatality percentage look much “better” than what it is.
Just an example – let’s just say the industry reports there is one death per 1,000 starts (remember, they use STARTS). Now since the “average” racehorse (or starter) runs once a month, ONE racehorse “equals” TWELVE starts (over a year)….in other words, one STARTER = twelve STARTS.
With one starter equaling twelve starts, that translates to 83 starters equaling 1,000 starts (simple math).
So…one death per 1,000 STARTS is actually one death per 83 STARTERS…one death per 83 HORSES.
Now their death percentage doesn’t look so good, does it (although not one horse should be crippled or killed for betting entertainment – play the slots and leave the horses out of it!).
Does that make sense?
It’s a matter of “how to make statistics lie for you”.
These people are masters of deception . They’ve had years and years of practice! Plus, they have never been held accountable nor have they been challenged over the years
in terms of how they conduct “business”.
Joy, I’m really trying to get as close as possible with the numbers they provide. I would like to politely question if the industry reports 1 death per 1,000 horses. If so then the success rate is 99.9%, yes? Then we have all horses running 1 race per day for 12 days throughout the year. Does the average horse do that? I really have been trying to find the numbers of entry, or racers/starters, for the tracks instead of the starts to see if I can arrive at a fairly accurate representation. And where did Stronach come up with 420,000 starts? I asked them this morning. Any assistance is appreciated. Just help me find a database. I’ll do the rest. I haven’t even found one for my favorite track. I do hope I got this right. Check my numbers. I write silly stuff sometimes as PB will attest.
It’s Phil, I used the 1 per 1,000 just as an example (for easy math). The point is, they are comparing apples to oranges – horse death per start when it should be horse death per starter.
To It’s Phil, Kelly Griffin, Joy Aten, Rose Smith,
Another part of the equation of manipulating the so-called safety rating (especially referring to Santa Anita) is that whoever is doing the math does not count any horse that has been dead for 72 hours or longer if they, for whatever reason, did not count the dead horse as a dead horse within 72 hours. Kelly, you mentioned that but I might not be saying it exactly the way you said it (in a previous post) and I am still baffled by how they can justify that. I know the horseracing industry people are being extremely dishonest, deceptive, depressing, degenerate and depraved, but does anyone know what line of reasoning they use in this 72-hour thing?
Correct, Wanda – if a horse dies of/ is euthanized because of a training or racing injury anytime AFTER 72 hours of incurring that injury, the industry does not count it as a training or racing death.
And additionally, many tracks do not compile deaths from training injuries at all – even if the horse is euthanized immediately after he suffers the injury.
Yes, but like Joy answered you (sorry, didn’t see this until just now:), if they manage to keep the poor thing alive for a few days AFTER the racing injury (with or without treatment and/or pain relief, mind you), and THEN the horse either dies or somebody grows a conscience and puts the suffering beast down, IT DOES NOT COUNT as a racing death.
This is the sickest part of the Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database, in my opinion. It forces mortally wounded animals to suffer so that the industry can save face. Disgusting.
To minimize the carnage, of course.
Thank you for explaining that devious method the industry uses to deceive the public to pretend that they have a better safety rating than they have in reality. It’s unethical and horrible cruelty and torture to horses. It’s so disturbing but I can keep the faith that this barbaric carnage will be de-funded in the United States. It is what I am looking forward to; the tax-payers no longer funding (wittingly or unwittingly) this heinous abuse, cruelty and torture of racehorses.
End the greed and killings of animals.
Boycott the race tracks across America!
This is totally unacceptable,in fact it is unmeriful for these horses to be treated this way and all in the name of big big money so much money in fact it involves corperations and cindications,are vet’s afraid to speak up you bet they are, the ones that aren’t have been doing it so long they don’t care anymore, there’s not a lot the general public can do cause most of them don’t have the money it would take,but believe me it isn’t about the horse it’s about the money
While we are at it, let’s ban eventing and hunters/jumpers.
Linda Edwards, hopefully you’re doing what you can to expose and educate about the cruelties YOU are aware of in other equine “disciplines” – we have our hands full with the racing industry and what it does to its “beloved athletes”.
Another group of morally depraved people torture their Tennessee Walking Horses for the event they call the Big Lick. It is not as widespread as horseracing, obviously, but it is horrific animal abuse! It is sadistic cruelty and torture of beautiful and gentle horses.
Where are all the attendant facts regarding this filly? Trainer, what happened? It looks like she hit the rail??? Don’t just scream and yell…try to figure out what contributed to it. Usually it’s a bad trainer or impatient owner, not willing to go slow or give horse time off. You can also blame the tax rules—incentivize breeding without accountability…NO DEDUCTIONS if you don’t make a profit. RULES need to change about ANY business using animals for profit. They aren’t just a bunch of widgets! ALSO…VET RECORDS NEED TO BE PUBLIC RECORD, and there needs to be mandatory bonds and funds for the welfare of these horses. FAR MORE (thousands more) DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH AT SLAUGHTER, than ever die on the track!
“not willing to go slow”
That’s why we call it racing.
ViktoriaKs, did you read the post? In regards to your questions…
She broke her shoulder – what needs to be “figured out that contributed to it” and who do you think would need to “figure” that out?
“Not willing to give time off” to the horse? – she was TWO – she hadn’t even had her first start.
Far more horses go to slaughter than die on the track? – yes, even racing insiders admit 10K to 12K TB’s are sent to slaughter every year. So what’s your point? – because the industry doesn’t provide forever homes for the horses they bred and used, and therefore tens of thousands of their used-up “athletes” are butchered in foreign slaughter horses, the thousands of horses killed training and racing are not worthy of a life of their own? – so are they of no value? How close in number to those slaughtered must the killed on the track be in order to be deserving of LIFE, do you think?
Joy—unfortunately your advocacy for the horse does NOT actually contain solutions other than shutting down racing, which will not happen and it will NOT solve the problems facing the OVERWHELMING majority of horses, not just racehorses. Attacking people with ideas OTHER than a total shutdown of racing, does not serve the horses well at all. Just like the SAFE ACT is a joke that will do nothing to truly stop the inhumanity toward horses, YOUR brand of advocacy only creates animosity, NOT solutions.
ViktoriaKs,
What is your solution to the every day practice of running horses under saddle before they are matured which predisposes racehorses to broken bones, heat strokes, pulmonary hemorrhages and the side effects of the doping/drugging that is also routine practice in horseracing???
The fact that ANY horse dies on a racetrack for human entertainment is worth screaming and yelling about. The racing industry from start to finish is designed for one thing: exploiting and discarding horses. It’s not about the love of the animal, it’s not about the tradition of the sport, it’s not about public entertainment. It’s about horses who are bred, abused, exploited, damaged, discarded, and slaughtered by the THOUSANDS for human greed.
I love to watch horse run but not on the track and not at this age! Even ranch horses don’t really start heavy work until 3 or older.
I’ve just seen the remark “for Christ sake” in a contribution. That’s very interesting as I would hazard a guess that many participants in horse racing, the wealthy owners, the trainers who claim to love their horses, and the jockeys themselves, (and certainly the punters and bookies who are at the “customer” end) are likely to be Christians, whether confirmed or not, or Catholics in the case of many Irish and Latino descendants.
Remember the days of the Mafia?
These were, maybe still are the people who would shoot people suspected of being informers or disloyal and attend Mass the same day and ask for forgiveness.
So do those of you in the racing industry who are committed Catholic/ Christians think for one minute your eternal souls are not in danger for your part in torturing and killing these beautiful animals?
I find your remark exceptionally offensive – and completely indicative of propaganda. There is a HUGE difference between someone who walks around with a rosary around their neck and sits numbly in a church pew every Sunday to a true Christian. Hollywood would have you believe that every religious person is borderline psychotic, blindly fanatical, and always leads a double life as a serial killer, rapist, child abuser or animal torturer. There are many verses in the Bible regarding the ethical treatment of animals, so no, a true Christian would NOT be involved in the racing industry. What people choose to call themselves in terms of religion is one thing, but the truth of their beliefs is in their actions.
“the truth of their beliefs is in their actions” As a confirmed Athiest I whole heartedly believe in that statement. Let me back up. Never argue politics, religion or operating systems. Politics has been brooding around in the bushes but religion has arrived in this post. Risky business ladies. We’ll have to see how the moderators react but I’m in 😎. On the road down to Santa tomorrow then off to who knows where but I’ll do my best to follow, and contribute, to the discussion. Now, as we all know, writing is much more difficult than a face to face with emotion. PB does it pretty good when he can stand it 😉. Let’s see how long we can survive ahead of the moderators. Or hell. Not.
Doin’ me best PB.
These people have no respect for animals ,the animals are used for profit and for human greed and ignorance
We MUST continue to make all aware of the immoral, sadistic, depraved brutality of this industry — the HORSES endure horrific suffering and premature deaths — we must FORCE a SHUTDOWN — the sooner, the better.
I totally agree with you! Horses are suffering extreme brutality and violence at the hands of horrible, heartless heathens that care only about the money that they can make off the cruelty and torture to horses forced to perform at top speed when they are immature and should not be ridden. The horses need people who care about their health and well-being to be their voice! There are many ways to earn a living that are not morally depraved and vile as horseracing and betting, wagering, gambling on horse racing is! The wagering handle is what drives this insane cruelty and TORTURE of horses!
Well The Stronach Group decided to defy an order by continuing to race in South Florida yesterday.
True to their corporate culture they are hell bent on continuing their killing show at the peril of hundreds of racehorses who die on their tracks yearly – hardly people who care.
Turns out 1 person who works for the county of Hallandale where Gulfsream is located, unilaterally, decided that horse racing was essential to the utter shock of all other members of the country including the Mayor.
They expected The Stronach Group to do the right thing – laughable.
It seems obvious to me that this person was rewarded very well for making such a decision and an internal investigation should immediately ensure into this person.
Nevertheless, some more racehorses barely finished the race and were in extreme distress yesterday while The Stronach Group raked in the millions at the peril of the entire residential population of Florida.
Frank Stronach, his cohorts, his CEO daughter are all rotten to the core and yesterday confirmed that.
Total disregard for the racehorses and now for humanity.
They have blood on their hands from the racehorses and now are probably responsible for plenty of Covid-19 human illness and possibly death.
Way to go Belinda Stronach – is this part of your “modernization” plan?
Forgot to mention that some horse racing apologists are now blaming HRW & PETA for influencing local governments to not accept help from tracks for “public relations” reasons.
No kidding!.
How low, demented, and utterly ridiculous these parasites are.
We are in the middle of a pandemic that is killing people and all they can think of is their track meets and bets.
I suppose some things will never change.
ALL funding, all casino profits should immediately stop to horse racing permanently.
True to industry form, CEO of NTRA, Alex Waldrop has made a public announcement that he has a “seat” at the table with Gov. Cuomo to get more handouts for their struggling industry in light of billions of casino profits.
True to industry form, no emergency or contingency plan in place for times like this, but what could you expect from people who don’t take care of their horses after they are done maiming them?
Gina. The running of the curlin Florida Derby probably had ALOT to do with it yesterday
Your probably right, but there were tracks all over the country that were ordered and complied with our current state of Emergency and they had lots of stake races too.
I agree with you, but they should have been shut down.
Who in the hell do they think they are?
All over Twitter gambling addicts praising that they stayed open and snubbing their arrogant noses at any Twitter account that demanded the temporary shut down of horse racing.
They are now emboldened, but you know what?
So am I.
I will continue to be a voice for the racehorses, to advocate for the total BAN of horse racing in America, the complete & immediate cessation of all taxpayer/casino derived funding, and to call them out for what they are.
Racehorse dopers, beaters, abusers, maimers and killers who are also thieves as they continue to steal billions in casino profits away from our communities and the education of our children.
Damn the politicians who are, most likely, bought-off by this industry with some serious hard cold cash.
This is a modern day Whitey Bulger gang ring that needs to be busted up and, so sadly, the racehorses are their voiceless victims paying the price every step of the way.