Through a FOIA request (repeated requests, actually) to the Arkansas Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills at Oaklawn Park in the just-concluded meet:
Usual Suspect, Jan 13, Oaklawn T – “exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage”
Shut the Box, Jan 23, Oaklawn S – “equine protozoal myeloencephalitis”
Ted’s Shadow, Feb 1, Oaklawn T – “catastrophic injury”
Devil’s Drama, Feb 15, Oaklawn R – “catastrophic injury”
Smokey, Feb 16, Oaklawn S – “injured in barn, died due to cerebrum hemorrhage”
Different Days, Feb 16, Oaklawn R (euthanized Feb 17) – “carpus fracture”
Taraz, Feb 17, Oaklawn T – “catastrophic injury”
Arguto, Feb 26, Oaklawn T – “catastrophic injury”
Arkyarkyarky, Mar 8, Oaklawn R – “catastrophic injury”
Dynamite Dan, Mar 12, Oaklawn T (euthanized Mar 14) – “catastrophic injury”
A P Dancer, Mar 21, Oaklawn T – “cannon fracture”
Glory Stars, Mar 26, Oaklawn R – “catastrophic injury”
Kahului, Apr 2, Oaklawn R – “ruptured vein in the pelvic cavity, hypovolemic shock”
Joan’s Delight, Apr 4, Oaklawn T – “sesamoid fracture”
Blowinthebluesaway, Apr 10, Oaklawn R – “fractured shoulder”
Muskoka Wonder, Apr 17, Oaklawn R – “catastrophic injury”
Rockys Warrior, Apr 26, Oaklawn R – “carpus fracture”
Midnight Sway, Apr 26, Oaklawn R – “fetlock fracture”
How does a horse get a ruptured vein in the pelvic cavity? Do these horseracing people have a contest amongst themselves to see what sadistic things they can do a racehorse for their own amusement? One reason I ask is because I have never heard of such an injury in normal everyday horse activities where the horses are not treated as disposable commodities to be brutally tortured to a degree of unimaginable pain and suffering.
With the research I’ve done on racehorse deaths in NSW, Australia, I came across a horse that had died of a ruptured vein in the pelvic area. Apparently, when he jumped out of the gates he suffered a bone injury which caused the vein to rupture. So much stress placed on these horses on their hinds and pelvic area after standing confined and then forced to jump out fast, jockeys often use spurs in the gates. Many a racehorse has died from a fractured pelvis after jumping out.
Carolyn, that makes sense. In this case of the horse named KAHULUI, the report does not mention anything about a fractured bone. I looked up hypovolemic shock on Google and it describes what happens and what causes it in humans. This kind of injury to a horse could only happen in horseracing, I think. It certainly does not happen in pleasure riding for backyard horse owners.
Wanda, Dr Chris Whitton (Australia) does incredible research work on racehorse injuries. He has stated publicly along the lines that musculoskeletal injuries found in racehorses are not usually found in other horses.
Doesn’t this country have enough PROBLEMS & ISSUES right now?, without continuing animal abuse? Leave the innocent horses alone. Animal abuse is a sin.
How many horses are you gonna kill until this stops. The people have no morals you sick and greedy
It can be safely assumed that this list is far from inclusive of the actual numbers of recent racehorse deaths at Oaklawn Park. Any regulatory body so reluctant to release public information will necessarily fail to include much of that information, even when pressed. Arkansas operates much like Florida in that regard; a hands-off racing commission, zero accountability, zero standards, zero integrity.
So they finally admitted to two of the deaths that were already widely reported: Taraz, for being a stakes-winning filly, and Muskoka Wonder, for his jockey’s broken neck and back. These two horse deaths made the news on the days they occurred. But Arkansas couldn’t be bothered to officially acknowledge them for upwards of three months?
And, what of all the other racing breakdowns/vanned-offs Oaklawn incurred this meet? I remember one recent one, Slovak, a Ron Moquett-trained filly. She was vanned off on the same day as two others, both now confirmed dead. She hasn’t posted any workouts since the incident, and the broodmare market isn’t exactly flourishing during this pandemic…
I’m afraid there’s many more horses like her, that Arkansas racing mangled/maimed/killed, but that somehow didn’t make it on this list.
When they don’t kill them racing they ship them to Mexico for SLAUGHTER. They are a bunch of sick …..
Kelly, thank you for adding the name of SLOVAK, a filly. I have not been following closely enough to know about her. What you are saying about their reluctance or outright refusal to be forthcoming with the names of all of the horses that the people in horseracing in Arkansas have abused to the point that their horses cannot be raced or seen in public anymore is truly revealing that horseracing killed more horses than they want the public to know about. They want people to eat and drink and throw some money away on $2 bets on horses that are being used like slaves and thrown away like garbage. Obviously, the horseracing people in Arkansas and everywhere want people with some money to burn to be ignorant of what really happens to the horses.
The depraved, indifferent CRUELTY to these innocent, vulnerable, majestic Animals MUST STOP — FOREVER — SHUT DOWN this vile industry of HORSE-RACING.
“Smokey” was injured in the barn and died of a brain hemorrhage! And 7 horses died because of “catastrophic injuries” plus others because of fractures and drowning in their own blood – just a casual listing of horses killed one way or another in this brutal business – a business funded by gambling addicts and unwitting taxpayers that allows callous and indifferent people to profit from this barbarism.
I wish I had the time to check the available the ” history” of every horse killed at the tracks and especially the ones with brain hemorrhages and “catastrophic injuries”. Every horse has a story.
One of the horses, Dynamite Dan, was 11 and 3/4 lengths off the winner in his last race on 2/13/2020. The comment section said “used up, stopped”. Then he had a “catastrophic injury” on 3/12 but not euthanized until 3/14 – left for 2 days to suffer with such fatal injures. Cruel!!
Another horse Arguto, sold as a yearling for $150,000 to Nick Zito and later for $50,000 in a “mixed” sale.. He was winless in seven starts with earnings of $5,825!!
His last race was a $16,000 claimer on 2/2/2020, in which he finished 5th. Then he suffered a “catastrophic injury” on 2/26. He was trained by his original purchaser, Zito.
Glory Stars, with 27 starts and earnings of $318,000 was pulled up right after the start of his last race on 3/26/2020 and “VANNED OF” with a ” CATASTROPHIC INJURY”. How cruel is that?!
It sounds like these horses are being sacrificed as in animal sacrifice to a heathen religion. In this heathen religion of horseracing and horse killing, money is the “god” that these people worship. It is NOT okay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Horseracing needs to be outlawed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wanda – you are so right! This type of animal cruelty is unfathomable. How is this allowed to happen in the 21st century! Greed – total greed! makes me feel nausea. We have all got to come together to continue to fight this type of animal cruelty!!!!
This must end!