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.
Henry, Jan 14, Santa Anita S – “horse had a volvulus of the colon, which produced a rupture of the organ with spill of colonic content into the abdominal cavity”
Ponchito, Jan 22, Santa Anita S – “gastrosplenic ligament perforation with entrapment and severe hemorrhages of small intestine”
Mongolian Hunter, Jan 28, Santa Anita S – “two-day colic”
unidentified 4-year-old, Feb 21, Los Alamitos T – “displaced, comminuted fracture; severe ligament rupture”
Cooney, Feb 22, Santa Anita R (euthanized Mar 3) – “acute laminitis both hind legs” (three years old)
Yes I’m Ready, Mar 17, Los Alamitos R – “[multiple] ruptures; MCIII bone completely perforated the skin; complete exposure of the distal third of cannon bone”
Rolling Shadow, Apr 4, Santa Anita S – “catastrophic skull fracture, massive hemorrhage – with blood coming out of both nostrils and right ear”
Thorny, Apr 6, Los Alamitos R – “catastrophic lumbar fracture, severe spinal cord compression”
unidentified 3-year-old, Apr 22, San Luis Rey T – “comminuted fracture, [multiple] ruptures”
unidentified 2-year-old, Apr 24, Los Alamitos T – “severe, multiple lacerations; hemorrhage”
Bos Dream, Apr 26, Los Alamitos R – “[multiple] fractures, extensive cartilage loss”
unidentified 3-year-old, May, Los Alamitos T (euthanized May 7) – “sesamoid fracture”
Hailey Rachele, May 17, Los Alamitos T – “[multiple] fractures and ruptures”
Commander Coil, May 17, Santa Anita T – “comminuted humeral fracture, massive hemorrhage”
Spectacular Music, May 19, Santa Anita R (euthanized May 20) – “catastrophic pelvic fracture, fractured vertebrae”; “a large number of adult worms [found in] cecum”
The heartless heathens that can and do cause such horrific and heinous injuries and pain and suffering to horses need to be locked up and punished severely! There are no excuses for this stupid, greedy, cold, callousness to living, breathing horses. The sleazy business of racing horses and using them for what they are being used for must be outlawed and banned once and for all so that horses don’t have to suffer the cruelty and torture of racing and gambling thugs using them to make money.
Senator Dianne Feinstein really needs to represent the public that she was elected to represent instead of looking to line her own pockets. She allegedly sold stocks before doing anything to protect the public from the current health crisis. The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 was threatening Wall Street so what did some of our elected Senators do? Allegedly, selling their stocks to line their own pockets was a higher priority than protecting public health. We need her to represent the public not just herself. We need her to step up and protect the horses!!!!
Wanda, Great comments. I have written to my governor, state and federal representatives several times as well as producers of documentaries such as NIGHTLINE and Independent Lens in hopes that someone will do a film based on the killing fields that is horse racing. I have not gotten back even an acknowledgement that they have received my request. Very frustrating! The insanity has to be stopped. Perhaps the Corona virus will cut into their attendance and profits so that more tracks will close..
Trainers and politicians = expert and well practiced liars with little to no integrity. The common denominator is MONEY. PERIOD.
Colic for two days? Worms?! Hell is too good for these parasitic racetrack asswipes.
Despicable is far too lenient to describe these excrements! Yet another catastrophic skull fracture! No, I honestly do not understand how that is possible. I am not an expert by any means but… does a horse need to be euthanized because he/she had colic for 2 days? I am assuming it had become too severe but even so, does the f**g owner/trainer/groomer or ANYONE have a damn clue the horse is suffering and needs help? Wait, if help comes from one of “their” corrupt, imbecile vets then… I understand.
I just caught a segment on ABC News Miami… Gulfstream Park CEO defending his death track saying -non verbatim as I cannot remember his exact words- Horses are living, breathing beings and they needed to be able to keep the track open in order to be allowed to exercise the horses as they CANNOT be kept in a stall day in and day out. Ha! Not good for them…
Oh, and concern for the jobs at the track… so you see, it has EVERYTHING to do with the love for their horses, their concern for their wellbeing ( no, no, they are really not kept in stalls 23 hours per day anyway during the good times) and of course concern for their people. Same bullshit we have heard over and over and over again and the lies and obscenities just won’t stop. LOATHSOME!!
The horrific abuse/murder of these beautiful animals…..I’d like to see the owners, trainers, jockeys and anyone involved, or turn their head and pretend it doesn’t happen, thrown in prison (the sooner the better).
Thanks to Patrick for ‘Horseracing Wrongs’, what must be one of the most difficult jobs to have.
Horse racing entities are using their age old argument to keep their tracks open: “horses are living, breathing beings that need daily care and we are concerned about their welfare.”
Laughable.
I don’t see them say this when a racehorse is laying in the dirt with shattered bones or dropping dead from cardiovascular collapse.
Or how about all the shady trainers with multiple doping violations, suspicious deaths, and multiple racehorses dying under their custody?
They revere, and facilitate their killing operations on tracks all over America – so much for caring right?
You would think that a business that cares would immediately suspend any licensee who kills racehorses instead of waiting for the FBI to step in and do the right thing.
Yet another horrific list of racehorse kills and thanks to Patrick and supporters of HRW for their unwavering voices for the racehorses backed up by facts.
There are just no words for this cruelty! What I know about liminitis and the pain it causes, wouldn’t a trainer notice that his horse suffered from it?
Not only would they notice, but most are well aware of it.
The example that exemplifies this cruelty is the undercover video of Steve Asmussen’s barn operations.
A top winning stake horse called NEHRO had this painful condition plus half of his hoof was missing.
Not only was the Trainer aware, but the now defunct millionaire owner Zayat.
In fact, the owner ordered the horse to continue training and racing knowing that the horse was suffering.
This plays out on tracks every single day and if this isn’t worse enough, many horses with this painful condition get “sold” in the claiming ranks and their medical records don’t follow them.
Poor NEHRO died a horrible death due to colic, but colic was probably a result of his long term pain with each condition contributing to his suffering and demise.
HAVE ANOTHER see post here on HRW on September 21, 2019 “5-year Old Dead of Severe Laminitis.”
Yet, the industry insists that it was not a result of horse racing and categorize it as “non-racing.”
Callous, lying parasites.
“Two day colic” and no notation whether Mongolian Hunter was euthanized or if he was allowed to suffer for 48+ hours and die in extreme pain – “volvulus of the colon with rupture”, and again, no notation as to euthanasia or if allowed to suffer and die on his own. Make no mistake, that horse was in extreme agony from a twisted gut and subsequent rupture – catastrophic skull fracture with “massive hemorrhage” with blood coming from both nostrils and ear – the list reads like a horror story of astounding animal suffering. But to racing, it is just one more list of dead horses – happens all the time…