The following horses were “scratched” from recent races at the Alameda County Fair (California). This serves to remind, again, that the wrong is more than just killing.
6/18 IZZY’S INPUT Injured
6/18 UNPOSSIBLE Injured
6/18 JUST LIKE FRED Sick
6/18 MISS INDEFATIGABLE Injured
6/18 AUBURN STREAK Sick
6/19 LORD WIMBORNE Sick
6/19 LUV IS ALL YOU NEED Unsound
6/19 MARK WHATS MINE Injured
6/19 MR. ARTISTIC Lame
6/19 MORE POWER TO HIM Unsound
6/20 MATTAWA N THAT Sick
6/20 CARTELLATE Lame
6/20 SUNRISE JOURNEY Sick
6/20 MANY ROSES Sick
6/25 HOT SEAN Unsound
6/25 LINFIELD Sick
6/25 SOJOURNER TRUTH Unsound
6/25 BLUSHING BAY Unsound
6/25 TEXAS BOB Injured
6/25 EMPIRE HOUSE Injured
6/26 COMMON CAUSE Injured
6/26 GOOD VERSES EVIL Unsound
6/26 SMOKIN HOT BOBBIE Sick
6/26 EMPRESSIVE CAT Sick
6/26 ROUSING SERMON Sick
6/26 THE LUTE IS MINE Unsound
6/26 NORTHWEST FACTOR Unsound
6/26 JOURNEY TO RUN Sick
6/27 ANNIE GRAHAM Sick
6/27 MACEDONIAN RULER Unsound
6/27 CINDERELLA’S PRINCE Sick
6/27 HANDCUFFED Injured
To recap, that’s 32 horses scratched – 2 for being “lame,” 8 for being “injured,” 9 for being “unsound,” 13 for being “sick” – over just six days of racing. Ungodly. In addition, there were four “voided claims” (sales that were disallowed):
NIGHT GIG “lame in right front”
PREMIERE LADY “lame in right front”
VANGOGO “unsound in right front”
SKY NAVIGATOR “hind end lameness”
And finally, the stewards say, “a ‘Fatality Review’ was also on the day’s [Jun 24] agenda.” Nothing yet from the CHRB as to whom that might pertain.
And these horses were STILL sent out to race, and would have been forced to run had they not been scratched. Considering the complete lack of integrity shown by track vets, one had to assume these horses were displaying signs that would be obvious even to the morally clueless crowd in the stands.
I have to ask, did these horses get the treatment they needed, or were they sent to racing’s ultimate retirement?
A Great point has been made by Rebecca.
Thank you. The disgusting industry sends these obviously unfit horses to RUN in a RACE! Yes it is a word these vets, trainers and owners know nothing about: integrity.
Not to mention the Racing Secretary who accepts the entry of each horse and the entry fees for each horse entered in each race. Integrity would have an entirely “different definition” to the morally depraved individuals of this industry than the actual definition.
ABUSE and NEGLECT can and does lead to death. HORSERACING is synonymous with everyday ABUSE and NEGLECT of racehorses. In HORSERACING, the horses are GAMBLING CHIPS/TOOLS. I assume that there was a lot of people in attendance of this County Fair. It’s beyond sad that this much Animal Cruelty could be a part of such “festivities” in a relatively wealthy community. With the severe, extreme, and exceptional drought conditions, I expect the so-called “horseman” of California will have to pay much higher prices for hay in the coming months. I expect the so-called “horseman” to retire more horses to the livestock auctions, killbuyers and the slaughterhouses than usual due to the shortage of hay and inevitably higher hay prices that will logically happen.
My “favorite” thing about the Cali summer fairgrounds meets is how they straight-up refuse to admit the record-setting heat waves that have rocked the entire West. There IS no temperature (or heat index) in which the CHRB deems it too hot to race horses to death. Their biggest priority in the summer is protecting those all-important RACE DATES, rather than horses’ (and human) lives. In fact, since Alameda County Fair officials clearly don’t understand how to operate a thermometer, the CHRB, for their (enabling) part, is just content to sit back and watch as horses drop from heat exhaustion:
“Hey, y’know it beats the hell out of having to hear the Fair Freaks bitch about their reduced race days, yuk yuk yuk.”
I was thinking the same thing, Kelly – the equine suffering is immense in this industry and it’s evidenced by the report Patrick provided here. BUT…I also think about the countless horses having to race in this oppressive heat. A friend texted me the other day and we were talking about the “feels like” 91 degrees at Thistledown where they still ran all 8 races on Monday. It made us sick to acknowledge how hard that was for those poor equine slaves.
But racing is just like what my horses do in their pastures?!? – BULLS**T – my horses are choosing to stand in the shade of the trees or in front of the fans – and they don’t even break into a trot on these hot days. And I sure as hell am not giving them Lasix.
I think the worst offenders in terms of straight-up animal abuse in the sweltering heat are the monsters in Arizona. They’re literally bragging about today’s high being 96 degrees at their dumpy dustbowl now named Arizona Downs. Of course, they don’t have to worry about their kills being admitted to the public anymore, so why not race ’em all to death when it hits 120? (And it will.)
Now that the super-safety-conscious Racing Commission of the Arizona Dept. of Gaming has decided that horse kills are just one of those pesky things they’re not gonna publicly admit anymore — since Turf Pairo’Deaths’ most recent bloodbath has proven that their safety measures have only brought racehorse kill numbers UP — they’re free and clear to promote the heat-stress deaths of as many of ’em as possible.
Way to go, AZ.
Here in Washington it hit 109 and in some places 116, plus the humidity. My Arab was soaked in sweat standing in the shade. I hosed him down until he was cool to the touch every four hours and kept him in his shed in front of a high powered fan. I can’t even imagine what those horses went through having to race in that kind of heat – and I’m sure they don’t get the aftercare needed to help them recover properly.
Exactly, Rebecca – we already know that racing is so hard on horses (ever notice how after the “big” races the racing publications quote the trainers regarding their horses, ie, “he’s tired but he should be OK”, “he cleaned up his feed this morning”, “thankfully [my horse] came back fine”, “he came out of the race no worse for the wear”, “he looked tired last night” – these were all from trainers after the 2021 KD)…now imagine how spent they are after racing in that heat!
(regarding the quotes, it’s so telling how they need to convince everyone their horses are “OK” after a race – why wouldn’t they be?)
Thirty two horses scratched because they were lame, unsound or sick as well as four claims voided because they were lame and unsound, all in six days of racing!! This has to be a record!!!
Something is very wrong here.
I doubt we will see these horses again…lets see the “after care” program kick in!
“6/26 ROUSING SERMON Sick”
the only Rousing Sermon I could find, is a 2009 TB, who hasn’t raced since 2015, and is now at stud
I checked the charts for 6/26/21, and ROUSING RAINSTORM (by Rousing Sermon) was a vet scratch out of Pleasanton race 5, is that who you meant?
Indeed, that was a stewards’ error. This came directly from the Minutes:
“6/26/21 5 7 ROUSING SERMON J. Puentes Sick De La Cruz $66.70”