Through a FOIA request to the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks in 2020 (this is part 2, part 1 here). Please note, however, that for the vast majority, immediate causes of death were not disclosed. (Where possible, I have supplemented with notes from the race charts.) In fact, information-wise, this is the thinnest disclosure I’ve yet received from PA – certainly a far cry from the detail-laden 2016 report. Why? Well, here’s their explanation: “Your request is granted in part and denied in part. Pursuant to 7 Pa. Code §407.3 (f) of the Commission’s regulations, necropsy reports are deemed investigatory documents. Therefore, necropsy reports have been withheld as they are exempt from disclosure by law.” Nonsense, of course. In any event, here is what I do have:
Iwon’tbedenied, Jan 7, Parx S – “colic”
Diagonal, Mar 7, Parx R (euthanized Mar 12) – “injury, euthanized”
Lay It On the Line, Mar 31, Parx S – “degenerative arthritis” (just four years old)
Mr. My Way, Jun 13, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Zero the Hero, Jul 3, Meadows T – “acute vascular hemorrhage”
Golden Chance, Jul 3, Penn R – “pulled up lame”
Micro Margarita, Jul 7, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Dereya, Jul 7, Parx R – “twisted colon [post race]” (chart said “fractious in gate”)
Fratello Del Nord, Jul 17, Parx S – “right hock displacement” (had been raced 55 times)
Bourbon Honey, Jul 17, Parx S – “chronic osteoarthritis in fetlock” (just six years old)
Telling You Twice, Jul 21, Penn S – “lameness”
Weed Wacker, Jul 27, Presque Isle T (euthanized Aug 12) – “injury, euthanized”
Copper Rain, Jul 29, Pocono R – “sudden death”
Doctor McSwing, Jul 31, Harrah’s R – “sudden death”
Trusty Roll, Aug 6, Presque Isle T – “injury, euthanized”
Can American, Aug 7, Presque Isle T – “injury, euthanized”
Billy’s Jump Start, Aug 12, Parx T – “injury [not euthanized, just died]”
One Honey Bell (possibly sic), Aug 16, Presque Isle S – “injury, euthanized”
Heraway, Aug 26, Parx R – “suffered a catastrophic injury”
Sir Elton, Aug 27, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Sweet Lullaby, Sep 2, Meadows S – “unknown [not euthanized, just died]”
Geleta, Sep 2, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Happyandiknowit, Sep 4, Penn R – “suffered catastrophic injury, fell, euthanized”
Make ‘Em Smokey, Sep 12, Penn T – “injury, euthanized”
Anxious, Sep 16, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Won and Done, Sep 19, Parx S – “laminitis post-surgery”
Thisonesfordougie, Sep 24, Presque Isle R – “clipped heels, fell”
Natasha Fatale, Sep 29, Parx S – “pneumonia [not euthanized, just died]”
Dynamic Dynasty, Oct 5, Parx R – “injury, euthanized”
Louis the Sixtieth, Oct 7, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Field Reality, Oct 12, Presque Isle R – “injury, euthanized”
Relentless Albert, Oct 14, Presque Isle R – “injury, euthanized”
Ms Purlin’s Musket, Oct 20, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Best Bud, Oct 21, Presque Isle R – “injury, euthanized”
Millies Party Boy, Oct 30, Penn R – “vanned off lame, euthanized” (after “winning”)
Tootsie Jones, Nov 6, Parx T – “injury, euthanized”
Kitty in the Woods, Nov 14, Penn T – “injury, euthanized”
Barcode, Nov 16, Parx R – “suffered a catastrophic injury”
Bearing Secrets, Nov 23, Parx R – “suffered an injury leaving the backstretch”
Snowy Morning, Dec 4, Penn R – “pulled up lame”
Whizzer, Dec 8, Parx T – “sudden death” (two years old)
Bioness, Dec 15, Meadows S – “unknown illness [not euthanized, just died]”
This is tragic! So many horses have to die for these demented people. Horseracing participants, including gamblers, the $2 bettors, are EVIL to put money over the well-being of the horses!!! Horseracing must be stopped to stop the abuse and killing of racehorses!!!
So many denied the “mercy” of euthanasia and simply left to suffer alone by an industry that “loves them like our children”. And then of course there is the never-ending parade of “injuries” and “sudden deaths”, just a blithe little footnote representing the untold terror and agony these horses endured in their final moments of exploitation.
Absolutely. Freakin’. Disgusting.
You are so RIGHT,Rebecca. Ask Drawing Away stable in ny, how they allowed a Gorgeous tall chestnut to mother f’n DIE , ALONE in his stall, without ANY veterinary AIDE. I am here to tell you ny, is the WORST. WORST. They need to be brought up on MULTIPLE charges. Even Ca., isn’t as bad as ny. (what he had was worse than colic.WORSE). I can’t even imagine what he went through.
*Scoff: “Necropsy reports are deemed investigatory documents.”
Yes, as we speak, hundreds of PA scientists are poring over these top-secret reports, analyzing every piece of their data, and INVESTIGATING every angle of each racehorse death, in the hopes of gleaning their first clue as to how and why they occurred: “Keep looking, boys! The answer to this mystery is bound to be somewhere in these reports, and WE are gonna be the first to find it.”
(Thank goodness nobody in the general public has figured out that when you abuse, drug, whip and force baby horses to run at breakneck speeds, they are often killed in the process.)
As if there wasn’t reason enough to STOP THE FUNDING to this killing business then this list should be a stark wake-up call to the public and our politicians.
I’ve gone over every racehorse on this list and it’s heartbreaking to say the least.
It’s just the same pattern over and over again as the PP’s clearly show how they were struggling to get through many of their races.
In some cases, there were 3 y.o’s who have no training or race record – go figure!
These people are true parasites and their hosts are their voiceless victims – the racehorses.
Parasites like easy prey, ones in which they can suck the life and blood out of them with little oversight and that’s exactly what’s happening here.
There’s also a total lack of oversight on the billions in casino profits their getting to carry on like this.
In the midst of racehorses dropping dead and well-publicized deep corruption it’s long overdue to stop financially supporting this and I bet, if they were to conduct a survey of PA residents, they would vote to STOP THE FUNDING.
This is more reason than any to phone, fax, write Gov. Wolf’s office and don’t stop – repeat x 100.
Another thing, this type of factual evidence and information should be on every single major media news outlet in this country – no excuses not to cover these killings.
I agree totally with Wanda Diamond and the others who made comments. There is no excuse to allow so many horses to suffer and die. There should be punitive actions taken against the humans who are responsible to hold them accountable for these horrible atrocities.
The infamous serial racehorse killer Python Pat AKA Patricia Farro who trains and runs on PA tracks is at it again.
Her modus operandi is to claim senior geldings with back class and squeeze the life and breath out of them.
These racehorses only have 2 exits out of Python Pat’s racing stable. 1. die 2. get claimed.
RUNS FOR LUCK (RFL) is a prime example of their claiming modus operandi and it’s heartbreaking to watch this play out yet again.
RFL has made over $502,000 and at 10 years old Python Pat and slime balls Vaccaro Racing (whose that?) is not done with this senior gelding yet as they recently claimed him.
82 starts and over half a million is STILL not enough to pull this horse from racing and give him the retirement t
Now Python Pat is wrapped around him, has him in her clutches and will squeeze until there’s no more life left, he dies or gets claimed.
That’s Python Pat and there are so many more like her in this vile business.