Through a FOIA request to the California Horse Racing Board, I have obtained the following information regarding racehorses killed at California tracks in 2019. Due to the volume, I will be posting incrementally.
Strengthinnumbers, Mar 24, Golden Gate R – “[multiple] fractures”; “multiple large ulcerations within stomach”
unidentified 10-year-old, Apr 23, Golden Gate T – “fractures, rupture, avulsion”
unidentified 4-year-old, Apr 28, Golden Gate T – “[multiple] fractures and ruptures”
Alive and Well, Jun 2, Golden Gate R – “[multiple] fractures and ruptures”
unidentified 7-year-old, Jun 15, Golden Gate T – “[multiple] fractures and ruptures”
No New Friends, Jun 30, Pleasanton R – “[multiple] fractures and ruptures”
Sandra Smiles, Jul 7, Pleasanton T – “sudden death” (two years old)
unidentified 4-year-old, Jul 11, Golden Gate S – “trailer accident; suspect septicemia”
Bowl of Soul, Jul 29, Del Mar T – “[multiple] fractures and ruptures”
Black Site, Aug 1, Santa Rosa R – “catastrophic scapular fracture, severe hemorrhage”
unidentified 3-year-old, Aug 2, Golden Gate T – “rupture, [multiple] fractures”
unidentified 6-year-old, Aug 6, Santa Rosa T – “ran into pole – neck and skull fractures; severe spinal hemorrhage”; “gastric ulcers were chronic and extensive”
Bronco Brown, Aug 18, Ferndale R – “went over the rail – [broke both front legs]”
Mr. Frank, Aug 18, Golden Gate R – “collapsed just past wire and died” (three years old)
Eagle Screams, Sep 14, Golden Gate T – “horse dropped dead – artery rupture with exsanguination”
unidentified 2-year-old, Sep 27, Golden Gate S – “catastrophic skull fracture – blood coming from ears”
There is no excuse for causing these horrible, horrifying, horrific injuries and deaths to horses. I can’t imagine what it is like to have chronic gastric ulcers and to be forced into the life that causes such pain. A life of pain and torture is what racehorses are doomed to in the gambling industry known as horseracing. Money is a “god” above God to the morally depraved, vile people involved in racing and abusing horses to death. It is sickening and it needs to be stopped permanently.
Another revolting kill list accompanied by horrific pics. This is so vile. This must be shut down, and should not be given any consideration otherwise. Why I’m the hell does Gov. Newsom cowtail to this despicable business by allowing it to stay open during the biggest global crisis in human civilization? It shouldn’t be open at all let alone now. How are they getting away with this? It’s outrageous! BAN horse racing, let the racehorses live without the pain, suffering and dying that this business requires and widely accepts.
Gina, I truly believe that if racing were to be stopped in Cali completely, nearly every TB owner would instantly begin the impending slaughterfest. You often say that racehorses are nothing but disposable gambling chips to their connections, and I completely agree. Therefore, these are not the kind of people who will arrange to have their “beloved family members” enjoy several months’ worth of downtime (and costly care) in a grassy paddock like we do. If they all find out at once that their game is over, even temporarily, they’ll be immediately scrambling to strike those costs from their budget by any means necessary.
Governor Newsom may just be delaying the inevitable racehorse holocaust that we all know is coming, with or without COVID-19. I think he understands that allowing the tracks to keep racing (and killing) is, for now, truly the lesser of two evils:(
They’re going to slaughter anyway. Prolonging racing just means that more will be bred to suffer the same fate.
I wish that there could be a “bailout” for the racehorses so that they all could be rescued from the hands of the sadistic, morally depraved, vile heathens that exploit them to their death, whether it is death on or at the racetracks, death by abandonment and starvation, or death by slaughter. Wall Street and banks will get bailed out to the tune of trillions of dollars but the horses will just have to suffer. Things are the way they are. Reality is reality. Things are not the way they should be whether anyone likes it or not.
Yes, Alan, they are. And I’m the first to agree that all horse racing MUST and will END in the U.S.. But if all tracks, in all states, are shuttered at once — as it appears to be close to occurring with this pandemic — I fear the “loving” racehorse owners will eliminate all their beloved family members AT ONE TIME. Phasing out racing should help to mitigate the number dumped and slaughtered by the “We Love our Horses” racing crowd. Not by many, granted, but a few more might actually be spared.
Kelly, few are spared now as you are well aware.
We both agree on the outcome of horse racing, but I vehemently oppose any track staying open for us to be concerned about what is already going on.
Staying open will only fuel their delusional parasitic thoughts that this will continue when there is every indication that horse racing will close it’s just a question of when.
Furthermore, I personally despise the fact that people like us, who oppose horse racing, who don’t breed to race, who don’t cripple, dump and kill racehorses are ultimately the ones who usually step up to the plate to take care of their disposable gambling chips.
Back in the day, when I had the resources, I rescued and re-homed 22 racehorses that were steps away from the kill auction truck from the Ft. Erie stalls, literally, to their horrific fate.
Anyways, back in 2004 the cost, on average (as some were more or less than others) was $3000 per horse.
Not 1 call to either the HBPA. Woodbine Aftercare (they were getting 345 million per year of taxpayers money most of which is unaccounted for to this day while Frank Stronach and his ole boys club network ruled the roost) or to any of these so-called people who loved them like “family members” gave me one dime.
Although I didn’t expect anything from any one of these vile parasites what blew me away is that they ended up buying or claiming other racehorses so that made me an unwilling enabler as the horrific cycle of maiming and dumping continued unabated.
Why do we, as a society, community and individuals have to constantly step up to the plate for a multi-billion dollar profit industry?
Why doesn’t the government legally MANDATE that these parasites be both fiscally or morally responsible for their racehorses especially when they are getting billions in either taxpayers money or casino profits that are being diverted from our communities?
This business, from start to finish, is full of abusive, sadistic, serial racehorse killers and I resent the fact that people who have nothing to do with their exploitation are expected to take care of these poor racehorses.
It’s heartbreaking for me and, as far as I’m concerned, let’s just get it over with now because we are only delaying the inevitable and giving them a chance to continue their horror show.
Moreover, with all their billions in profits you would think that they would design an emergency or contingency plan!
Of course how would I ever consider such absurdity coming from people who have little to no moral compass, compassion, or even one iota of care for their racehorses beyond a $2 bet?
Horseracing has not actually been stopped completely anyway in the United States; it has experienced a “set-back” due to the new measures to slow down the spread of the novel Coronavirus known specifically as COVID-19. The most well-known races have been postponed, not cancelled. The spokesperson for CHURCHILL DOWNS announced that they would come back stronger than ever. Instead of the Kentucky Derby being run on May 2, 2020, it is scheduled to be run on September 5, 2020.
So time will tell what will happen next and when. There is hope that it will be stopped completely, both horseracing and COVID-19. Due to the uncertainty of how fast this novel Coronavirus will spread in the next few days, weeks, and months everyone will need to stay informed and plan without panicking. BOTH HORSERACING AND COVID-19 ARE GLOBAL. If these horseracing heathens cannot continue their sadistic exploitation of Thoroughbreds in the United States for any reason, they will continue their horse abusing and killing actions in foreign countries as long as they can get away with it. I hope that the FBI will get results that will seriously crack down on at least some of these filthy horse-killing heathens. I hope that our state and local governments that still have horseracing would be more vigilant in cracking down on abusing horses! There really does need to be government intervention in how Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Standardbreds and any other breed of race horses are “disposed of” in this vile industry of horseracing!
In this time of uncertainty and economic crisis due to the COVID-19 PANDEMIC, there will be other horse owners (not in horseracing) who may experience extreme financial (and health) difficulties. I have seen one horse rescue (on Facebook) that has already experienced a change in circumstances that requires that she get people to adopt the horses immediately! They rescued several horses from slaughter. Now it is critical that someone, many people, step up. She needs people to step up now, not later. This is a crisis for many people and many horses. It is bigger than one state or one governor, unfortunately.