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.
Kochees, May 25, Santa Anita R (euthanized May 26) – “sesamoid fractures, suspensory rupture”
Current Times, May 27, Santa Anita S – “struck pole; severe, comminuted, displaced skull fracture – bleeding from nostrils and ears”
Derby River, Jun 5, Santa Anita T – “[shoulder] fracture, massive hemorrhage”
Formal Dude, Jun 8, Santa Anita R – “catastrophic pelvic fracture”
Truffalino, Jun 9, Santa Anita R – “horse collapsed, then expired” (three years old)
American Currency, Jun 22, Santa Anita T – “sesamoid fractures, suspensory rupture”
unidentified 3-year-old, Jul 11, Los Alamitos S – “temp of 105, signs of seizure – severe, chronic pleuropneumonia”
Cuervo Foose, Jul 20, Los Alamitos R – “[shoulder] fracture, severe hemorrhage”
unidentified 3-year-old, Aug 5, Del Mar S – “acute gastric rupture”
Bri Bri, Aug 12, Del Mar T – “pulled up lame – pelvic fracture”
Ah, Kochees. Another Santa Anita Death Track victim who stands out in my mind, more so than many of the others. No time to look up his depressing details, but I recall he was 1. “old” by racing TB standards, 2. a gelding, 3. a claimer, and, (worst of all) 4. a Jerry Hollendorfer-“trained” horse.
Kochees was one the fine folks at SADT desperately tried to keep alive post-breakdown, purely for PR reasons. Instead, he was forced t
…forced to suffer the start of surgery to “save” him, only to be euthed later that day, or possibly the next. Of course, a previous video of Hollendorfer feeding Kochees carrots in his stall was soon released. Presumably, this was to show how “loved” he’d been. Never mind that he’d been passed around all over the place throughout his life. Never mind that CNN did a huge expose about Hollendorfer’s (and others’) callousness and carnage toward Kochees that aired the following week.
That poor horse DEFINED the horrors of horse racing for me.
Thank you, Kelly, for relating the story of this beautiful horse that had to suffer and die at the hands of racing and gambling thugs. The heartless heathens that abuse, torture and cause horrible, horrific and excruciatingly painful injuries to horses and pretend to “love” them need to be arrested and jailed for Abusing Horses and Cruelty and TORTURE to horses. They are two-faced and that’s why I say that their TRADEMARK CHARACTERISTIC is being dishonest, lying, cheating, being deceptive. I know they do unbelievable and unacceptable things to horses and set out to DECEIVE THE PUBLIC ON PURPOSE to line their own pockets. PARI-MUTUEL BETTING, WAGERING, GAMBLING is huge to these thugs and of course they don’t want to lose their millions and billions of dollars of wagering handle income. So, naturally they lie, cheat, bully, and deceive the public. It’s their job.
Yet another horrific list of pain, suffering, and dying.
They all count, but I want to focus on a few.
Some of the horses listed had their names and/or information deliberately missing.
This business is pathetic and so vile.
Anyways, multiple racehorse killer “Trainer” Jerry Hollendorfer is at it again.
This dude must enjoy the racehorses who die under his care, custody and control because there are so many dying.
On this list there are 2 victims of this racehorse killer.
As Kelly pointed out KOCHEES.
Poor 10 year old gelding, KOCHEES, a multiple stakes placed racehorse that made over $245,000.
I quote the money made to show how greedy these horse racing apologists are.
They just keep running them and taking one more risk knowing that they are either sore, have serious issues, and they are actively doping them up to flip another buck for them with total disregard for their welfare.
Not even a quarter of a million dollars is enough for these parasites to ensure KOCHEES got a safe landing.
Rather, they ensure, via their abusive business practices, that he died on the track – low life parasites.
Plus, they kept dropping him down, lower and lower, in the claiming ranks which is strong evidence that they knew he was one step away from dying.
The proverbial “vanned-off” – you people make me sick.
Next up 5 year old gelding AMERICAN CURRENCY.
Another victim of racehorse killer Jerry Hollendorfer.
In any other setting Jerry would have been in jail about 10 dead racehorses ago.
TRUFFALINO – another victim of racehorse killer Richard Mandella.
Owners Calumet Farm who have many other dead racehorses under their belt.
On every single Kill List there’s at least 1 repeat offender.
Every single “top” trainer (according to horse racing standards) has a long list of racehorses dying under their care and they are never held accountable so why not kill some more?
Racehorses are their personal gambling chips.
There to be used, and dumped when they are worn out, than replaced with some new gambling chips.
The factory farming of horses to be used as gambling chips is a key component of this sleazy gambling and racing business. I doubt very much that the Jockey Club will ever put a cap on the number of breedings allowed to any Thoroughbred stallion or Thoroughbred mare. I think the headline I read about that was 100% false. I didn’t read the article because it is aggravating to read (or hear) lies.
Quite frankly Wanda there is every indication that pro-horse racing entities actually like the high rates of death because that fuels the multi-billion dollar sales profits.
If they were taking care of racehorses than the demand to buy more and replace them would be less.
The entire business revolves around replenishing and replacing their worn out or dead gambling chips.
They wouldn’t make any money if they actually took care of them and they would lose money if they put them out on a farm in a grassy paddock for the next 10+ years.
I’ve directly witnessed trainers who were elated that their “dirty rat” died on the track and then actually complained that they had to pay for the euthanasia and removal of that racehorse.
This business is so vile, so horrific for the racehorses I cheer every time another track shutters.
I will celebrate when they get their casino/taxpayer handouts cancelled because that will be huge.
Horse racing is a horror show, torture and death chamber for racehorses and it attracts the most cruel, sadistic animal abusers because they know they can get away with just about anything – total impunity.
Gulfstream and Oaklawn each had a horse VANNED OFF yesterday. Just heard from Ohanzee’s trainer that he is alive, and “thank you for asking…looked much worse than it was.”
Don’t know about Glory Stars, race 8 at Oaklawn, and probably never will. The chartwriter left him off the footnotes altogether. Plus, it’s Oaklawn; not exactly famous for transparency.
Thanks for the update Kelly.
This vile business can’t even go one day without maiming and/or killing a racehorse.
Plus they insist on continuing their public butcher show in the middle of a pandemic while humanity is facing one of it’s biggest crisis on Planet Earth.
So sorry for the racehorses who succumb to the daily business practices that prolong their suffering.
Kelly. I believe the Gulfstream one was race #1
12 left the starting gate and 11 crossed the line. The announcer said somebody was out of the race. I looked on every site to see what happened. So glad you provided this info. Thank you. Even with this reduction of possible “incidents ” as. they say on TVG it still continues. Shocking they are still open for business in that area.
I had been referring to Gulfstream, Race 3, yesterday (Friday, Mar. 26.) That was the race in which the WINNER, Ohanzee, was vanned off after the race. He’s okay, per his trainer, today:)
…Then again, Nancy, I would not be surprised to read something happened in today’s racing (at Gulfstream, or any of the other tracks still operating through this crisis, as well.)
They’re just gonna keep on truckin’ regardless of how many horses they kill AND people they sicken.
Kelly..there was a problem definitely with race 1 yesterday then. Horse number 11 at Gulfstream. They just announced breaking news on TVG. Santa Anita not racing today. Shocking!!!
Yikes, Nancy! You’re right. But the Santa Anita Death Track was doomed to be forced to stop racing one way or another. If killing off horses by the dozen each month wasn’t a good enough reason to shut ’em down, I guess spreading around Coronavirus IS;)
Kelly- the footnotes on Glory Stars actually said “pulled up in distress and vanned off”. I’m not very optimistic about the outcome.
Thanks, Peggy. Pretty sure that wasn’t included with the chart that I read on Equibase. I’ll look again, as either I missed it completely, or that info has since been added. Either way, I agree with you wholeheartedly about that poor horse; “in distress” usually means “about as bad as it gets”:(
Of course, the chances of Oaklawn officials acknowledging this are about as good as poor Glory Stars’ chances for long-term survival.
I can hear the champagne glasses dropping!!
Nancy, thank you for the update on racing status at Santa Anita in California. I don’t have TVG so don’t watch horseracing at all anymore except occasionally a YouTube video here and there. It is so disturbing to watch such an abusive event that cripples and kills so many horses. Just knowing the kinds of things the horse-torturing, horse-killing heathens do to their horses behind the scenes is disturbing enough and to think that so many people are still clueless about how much pain and suffering that the horses are forced to endure is disturbing. But, somebody has to suffer through this horror show called horseracing to keep others informed. 😞💔
Wanda.
I turn it on during commercials. Just for information. My nerves cannot take the races anymore knowing what you have taught us(and the others who are in the know).
Amen Nancy,I’m fucking sick of ALL of it. The end. Pick on humans,leave innocent animals alone.
Thanks Nancy. I have learned a lot more from this blog and the many others that have had first-hand experience in horseracing and have turned away from it because it is so vile, depraved, corrupt, evil and totally unacceptable that anyone with a conscience and and compassion would not want to be part of the extremely cruel abuse and torture of horses. Horses are just too awesome to be exploited day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, and for over two centuries in horseracing that I know of. It is time for these vile horse-abusers to be put out of business once and for all. 🙏
It’s official.
Santa Anita has been ordered by the L.A Health Department to cease all horse racing until further notice.
It’s about time.
While businesses all over the country are sacrificing and doing their part horse racing insisted on racing although it’s a NON ESSENTIAL business.
While other businesses complied knowing how important it was horse racing had to be ordered.
Multiple racehorse killer “trainer” John Sadler said “I know that the CHRB didn’t order this.”
Well there you have it.
The CHRB is nothing but a bogus organization there to protect the daily abuses and business of horse racing.
Of course we knew this back when they covered-up the Justify debacle.
I knew it when I worked for them.
The entire CHRB is supposed to be neutral and is funded by California taxpayers money.
Although they will continue training at least the racehorses will have some respite kind of.
Reportedly rumored that if Gulfstream continues to defy city orders to shut down horse racing they will be heavily fined under 3rd degree Felony laws and they are just waiting to do it.
We will see tomorrow.
Could it be that horse racing is losing influence in political circles or perhaps just not paying-off the politicians enough or could it be that we finally have a younger group of politicians that won’t stand for this anymore?
Stay safe everybody.
Awesome news, Gina, that they are being ordered to stop racing, or else!
I could never bring myself to actually watch a race, even if all of the horses made it across the finish line. Just knowing the life of abuse and horror represented by each horse walking into the track makes me sick to my stomach.
Racing is solely responsible for this heartbreaking carnage. No horse should have to suffer and die of such gastly injuries.
And racing apologists claim horses injure themselfs all the time in paddocks and pastures just like in racing! What alternate universe these wacky people inhabit?!