Harness trainer Rene Allard (pictured below), one of the most successful in the land, is the latest to be indicted by the Justice Department. The following transcript, published in the Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN), is from an intercepted call between two other defendants, Ross Cohen, pusher, and Louis Grasso, veterinarian. In it, the pair discuss the deaths of Allard-trained horses:
Cohen: “What’s going on with the Allard death camp?”
Grasso: “(laughter) Well I didn’t get anymore emergency calls yesterday so I am assuming…” [Yes, a veterinarian laughs at the mention of a horse “death camp.”]
Cohen: “Assuming the number stopped at 7?”
Grasso: “Well yeah.”
Cohen: “How many died?”
Grasso: “Three.”
Cohen: “Jeez. What were you thinking?”
Grasso: “Three or two maybe.”
Grasso: “One of them just died on the table they just cut him open and poof it died.” [“It,” not he, died – again, a veterinarian.]
Cohen: “Holy fuck did they do an autopsy?”
Grasso: “Their heart rate was like triple they were breathing real heavy their membranes were going fucking purple.” [Once again, a veterinarian.]
Within racing ranks, there have been three types of reactions to these charges: One, disbelief (“I’m shocked!”). Two, retreat, silence. Three, relief, for according to these folks (including the TDN writer, Bill Finley), this is exactly what Racing needed – a good, swift kick in the butt, a cleansing of the “bad apples.” Liars and cowards, all. But it’s far worse: Anyone in racing who suspected (suspects) that horrible people were (are) doing horrible things to their horses and said (say) or did (do) nothing, is not only craven but every bit as culpable as the monsters themselves.
Everyone in harness racing saw this coming. Ron Burke is next.
Thank you, Alan. I don’t know that much about the people involved in harness racing so I would have no idea of the names of the horrible people doing horrible things to their horses in harness racing.
I know I will be criticised yet again but I will say it again, these monsters don’t care a FIG what people say about them and have so many officials in their pockets that normally there is nothing to worry about.
Only when THEY become as terrorised and fearful as these poor horses (and Greyhounds in the other cruel sport) will this stop. When a trainer or owner or jockey, race track owner or dodgy vet, has to look behind their backs every time they leave home or the stables or the track, will we succeed in getting victory for these poor tortured animals.
Only yesterday about three horses died during jump racing in the UK, Uttoxeter and Chepstow. These smarmy, well suited commentators were smiling one minute about the winners especially in the Grand National of the North, then an obligatory sad face announcement of the fallers and their fates. “Sad day, will be sorely missed” then back to the festivities of the winners. No different from the lies and “fake news” of the sports media about deaths in the industry.
My God, if a human athlete were to break a shin bone or snap their leg in two and try to keep running there would be hell to pay in the press.
But nobody in their industry has the guts or conviction to speak up, and this recording proves what totally callous bastards they all are.
I’m very much afraid that unless you can get some humane politicians in power who choose to speak up and force through changes in the law for these animals nothing will change, so regrettably fear and rough treatment may have to be used.
Ray, I don’t think you said anything that warrants criticism for saying it. If there are no serious consequences for these diabolical demons from hell committing the horrible things they commit against the poor sweet horses that are forced to do what they do and callously killed, why should these horrible slime-bags do anything differently? They are already violating laws anyway and getting away with it and they know it. Time and educating the masses is key to forcing a change in how these pieces of filth are dealt with; a change in how the legislators look at abusing and killing racehorses. The laws against CRUELTY and TORTURE of animals evidently needs to specify *racehorses* as animals, especially animals that need to be protected from CRUELTY AND TORTURE.
This is one of many reasons as to why ALL subsidies to horse racing must immediately CEASE!
The billions they get probably lines the pockets of local and state politicians.
They buy anybody they can including members of law enforcement it seems.
There is not one justifiable reason to financially feed these killing and corrupt parasites.
Our educational faculties including their students, our community centers, and our crumbling infrastructures require this money.
Their voiceless abused victims, viewed as objects such as gambling chips, are the biggest losers.
This business is corrupt right down to its rotten core and pro-horse racing individuals are all complacent even if they didn’t pull the trigger.
Gina, that money ain’t gonna be there now…just sayin’.
No criticism here, well said.
Ray. Was one of these at Cheltenham? I saw 4 horses fall in one race that started with 20 (my guess).
Patrick, THANK YOU AND HORSERACING WRONGS for suspecting and seeing that horrible people were and still are doing horrible things to their (the owners, trainers, veterinarians) horses AND SAYING AND DOING *SOMETHING* ABOUT IT!!!! Hats off to you and Horseracing Wrongs group for your choice to fight the good fight!!!
Reading the heartless way this so-called “veterinarian” talks about these horses and their pain and suffering is beyond disgusting. Someone needs to take this SOB to his own clinic and do a frontal lobotomy on him – it’s obvious he doesn’t have a heart to check for.
The cold and heartless Veterinarian is positively disgusting. These are people who are supposed to care about the animals, who take an oath to “do no harm,” All of horseracing is vile, corrupt and horrible and the people who work in it, support it and attend it are no better. But for a Veterinarian, this is beyond vile. Money corrupts those who have no morals or strength of character. I worked in the Veterinary field for over 10 years and this just totally make me sick to my stomach.
“Allard is second in the current trainer’s standings at Yonkers Raceway, behind only Richard Banca, who has also been indicted as part of the doping probe undertaken by the FBI.”
Number 1 and Number 2 at Yonkers – both indicted in the racehorse doping scheme….as another industry member recently stated, racing doesn’t WANT to catch the cheaters – on that we can all agree.
Aqueduct race 7 someone pulled up. I think #7
Looks like races #7 AND #9 had breakdowns/vanned-offs, Nancy. Of course, the chartwriter had to throw in his/her usual flourishes of praise for the way Scoreswhenhewants “was indeed pulled up” by the little-bulimic-creep-with-a-whip. In fact, said creep was, according to our bizarre fiction-writer friend at Aqueduct, “displaying professionalism” as the poor, broken down horse had “lost his best action.”
I suppose by the time poor Ernie Banker broke down an hour later, our chartwriter had run out of colorful superlatives to describe the “expert” handling of the horrors.
DEAR God,Kelly – Please make it GO away #Ican’tcope It’s like living on pins and needles-with one eye open. This is no way to live.
This choice of false adjectives, etc. used in the narrative by the chart writer to cover up the blood, guts and broken bones reality of horse-killing is evidence that the whole horseracing industry is corrupt and rotten to the core from the inside out. I know people have to be watching out for what is going on in this morally depraved, vile industry but I am not able to follow it in this way that you and a lot of other individuals here are doing. So thank you for your constitutional fortitude, Kelly! (And everyone else, too!)
Kelly, I hope you know I wasn’t telling you to quit reporting breaking news updates for us all. I’m appreciative of you and Nancy,and others for keeping us INFORMED. I’d rather hear the unvarnished TRUTH from friends,rather than others, who I don’t care about. But,we do all need to make “this” stop.
Regarding veterinarian Grasso, the following is from a PR article dated November 2010 – nearly TEN YEARS ago the industry was aware of this SCUM and he’s STILL hurting horses that industry members claim to love…
“Veterinarian Louis A. Grasso, who recently started working on horses from Elk Creek Ranch, was the central figure in two criminal cases involving banned medication and has had to surrender his racing license or had it denied in New York and New Jersey. In 1991, the 53-year-old Grasso, primarily a Standardbred practitioner, was convicted of the federal crime of selling anabolic steroids to an undercover agent. Nine years later, on April 11, 2000, the New York-based Grasso was under surveillance in Delaware while visiting a private racing stable and agents with the office of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs attempted to stop him. A high-speed chase ensued on Delaware’s Highway 13, with Newcastle County police eventually pulling him over. According to a source, a ‘treasure trove’ of prohibited drugs, including blood-doping agents, was found. Grasso pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest and put on probation with the threat that any violations may result in charges involving confiscated drugs.
“On the matter of Grasso’s license being reinstated by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board in 2005, a hearing officer ruled against him, saying ‘undisputed evidence in the case discloses that Dr. Louis A. Grasso has been convicted of serious felony grade crimes and that he has violated the conditions upon which his license was based.’ The refusal was based on Grasso’s ‘experience, character and general fitness’ being ‘inconsistent with the public interest.’”
Speaking of the harness industry, there is a harness racing owner/trainer in NY by the name of Justin Sodano who is another “thug” and I have quoted Sodano below. As far as the “thug’s” credibility is concerned, he has ZERO credibility, just like Ms. Brothers.
A quote from the “thug “…Sodano.
“Harness racing isn’t incline to report its deaths because there is almost none, go fuck yourself Patrick. How about that ? Our horses live a better life than you do”.
Hmmm…the horses live better lives than “we” do. Anyone who believes that will believe that the earth is flat. Keep it up, racing industry! You are digging your own grave!
Mary, that kid (Sondano) is a moron. Advocates send me damning information about these abusers frequently…listen to THIS from Sondano;
“[My newly claimed Standardbred] was about 150 pounds underweight when I claimed him 2 weeks ago…two weeks later he’s put on at least 100 pounds” – yes, you read that right – he says he put ONE HUNDRED POUNDS on that poor horse in TWO WEEKS.
Yes, this “horseman” says he feeds a skinny horse (and yes, that gelding was SKINNY in the photo) to a result of a 50-pound weight gain a WEEK – when a safe gain would be about 5-7 pounds a week (MAX).
Liar. AND moron. He’s going to kill that poor horse one way or another.
Joy, and don’t forget that Sodano posted on a FB page that he would like to vandalize HW bus benches in California and threatened to make Patrick disappear so we can add moron to his previous description of thug. You are also correct that no horse should gain 50 pounds in a week. Perhaps he is just running his mouth.
He’s a small time idiot who comes from a family of slime balls.
Oh he’s that little twerp who made those threats, Mary? – like Alan said, he’s a small time idiot from a family of slime balls.
He’s either THAT stupid – thinking a horse can gain 50 pounds a week (without a serious colic or developing laminitis!) OR thinks he can claim such BS and people are going to buy it. Idiot, indeed.
Yes, Joy, he made those threats and, additionally, there were quite a few WSHR “thugs” that liked his comments. One “thug” that liked his comments seems focused on calling “us” terrorists. Unbelievable but then I remember that she is a supporter of horseracing where “thugs” feel right at home!
In reply to the Allard comment…there is 1 person who is against his successful win PCT (Gural )
who inherit all his money and is a sore loser
Allard is a proven horsemen….doesn’t use any PEDs unlike the other other guys who were indicted…note Allard was never indicted …after speaking to some attorneys about his case …they informed me his case will get tossed out …he will pursue malicious prosecution in this case and hopefully take some of Gural 6 billion fortune
Rene Allard was the “trainer” of three dead horses and that makes him innocent????
Lol you’re a moron. Allard has more hot tests than I have hairs on my head yet he always seems to get the suspensions and fines reduced. We’re not talking late to the detention barn, we’re talking oxy, codeine, morphine, etc. He’s been banned from three of four tracks. Beyond that you make zero sense. If he wasn’t indicted, as you say (I don’t know if that’s true), he can’t sue for malicious prosecution because he wasn’t prosecuted. Then to suggest he can sue Jeff Gural because the FBI arrested him is the epitome of stupid.
Yes, how does Rene Allard have a case that is not an indictment???? If Rene Allard was not indicted, as the report states that he was, what is the “case” against him that “allegedly” is being thrown out???? If you want to defend Rene Allard, can you, Rich Carter, not at least make some logical sense????