The New York Racing Association, basking in the glory of its successful – measured by profits, not dead horses (14) – summer at Saratoga, opened its Belmont Fall Meet today with (what else?) a kill. In fact, it happened in the very first race back. Baltimore Bucko, says the chartwriter, “fell heavily at fence three then collided with Perfect Tapatino when attempting to right himself…and fell fatally to the ground.” (The replay, of course, is “unavailable.”) In this same race, A Silent Player “was eased home [and] reported to have bled.” As for Perfect Tapatino, after “falling heavily” himself, he was “apprehended and walked off under his own power.” My guess: the van – carting away a dead horse – was already occupied. Vile.
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Dang, I am saddened by this horses death and the injuries in this race.
I am also saddened, disgusted and afraid what this fall (didnt know they had one) meet may bring.
The Thoughts and Prayers crowd has a busy day on their hands with Belmont’s triumphant return. They’d better start sending out their Condolences to the Connections notes now, just to get ahead of all the carnage in the rest of the “fall” meet.
I take it this was the barbaric Steeplechase they were bragging about at Belmont. The BARBARIC STEEPLECHASE.
Nancy, isn’t it the truth (steeplechase). On a different note…. I just lost my rescue dog Lily. It was a fast moving,aggressive cancer. I knew adopting an old dog…you take a risk…but, I would do it a million times over again. She literally looked exactly like the dog emoji 🐶. I will NEVER forget Miss Lily. My heart is broken beyond …..
Bonnie, will contact you this afternoon.
Yes, Nancy. I just looked at the drf.com website for the results and you are correct.
It was the William Entenmann Memorial Hurdle S. A Steeplechase.
I got the video..just type in name of horse (Baltimore Bucko).scroll down to youtube kill horseracing not horses. No wonder they deleted it. Please be advised this is not a video if you are easily distraught.
BALTIMORE BUCKO was forced to gallop FAST carrying 156 pounds of weight on his back and jump hurdles. This is so cruel! He was carrying the most weight in this barbaric steeplechase race.
Can you imagine the amount of weight that these horses are bearing on one front leg/hoof/knee/sesamoid bone for the split second of time that it takes to land while running and especially after jumping over the hurdle with the momentum and the weight?
Wanda, apparently he was favored, but don’t worry. Buttonwood Barn (his now unoccupied stall) who has Mean Queen in the second race won so all was not lost for them. Horrible. Everyone here knows my dustaste for this kind of horse abuse. Your description says it all.
It’s not so much that, Wanda, as I had seen some obese riders in the hunter jumper worlds, and I have NEVER seen a break down with them. It’s the fact that they’re running at unforgiving jumps in a PACK, at breakneck speeds (literally, in this case), so as in this case, he went down and got crashed into by a following horse. In the eventing world, they have worked diligently to prevent what the call “rotational falls”, and they have jumps that are more forgiving and give way if the horse hits it. But of course, horse welfare isn’t on the majority of the racing worlds minds, it’s the all
Important win for money.
And Nancy, I had read an article, in DRF, that after this horse died, the trainer was contemplating, “I don’t want to do this anymore”, but then Hey!! Mean Queen won, and the idea of quitting seemed to Poof! Vanish! So possibly killing more horses in the future isn’t so bad, cuz hey! She won!
Marie, just like I implied
Thank you for that info..no surprise
Marie, I saw BALTIMORE BUCKO go down (in the replay) coming over the jump (how many feet high, I don’t know) and kind of did a somersault landing with head and face down. He somehow scrambled to his feet only to rear up and fall over backwards. He was square on his back with all four legs in the air and all four legs were moving in the air. Then the video is cut off.
BALTIMORE BUCKO (GB) and THE MEAN QUEEN (IRE) are both listed as having the same jockey, Condon, R. as well as the same trainer and same owner.
How did the jockey bounce back from one horse getting fatally INJURED AND KILLED to riding in the very next race…? I guess the jockey didn’t get hurt too bad…???
It isn’t fair at all to the horses!!!
Wanda, they undoubtedly cut off because it probably got worse than what we saw. Another indication why the video was deleted so fast. If the horse was still alive at the point of falling backwards..what is your take?
Nancy, I have seen two other videos of horses falling backwards and their legs kept moving as in they’re dying. But, they were not race horses. One was the famous world-class showjumper being televised on national TV. The other one was a bucking horse in a SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) video. Both were said to be having a heart attack.
I’ve never seen a horse fall flat on their back with legs in the air still moving. I have seen horses that were trained to lay down with their legs in the air with their legs holding still but sticking up in the air as a trick called “play dead” and then the horse gets up at the command of the trainer.
Seeing BALTIMORE BUCKO in the video replay was a first for me of seeing a horse falling square on his back with legs thrashing in the air during a race. My take is I think the poor horse died soon after the video was cut short. I don’t know, but maybe they had to speed it up with a euthanasia shot. I don’t know, I’m sorry. This is so sickening!
Wanda, I have seen falls and legs continue moving. I always thought they are trained to keep racing and don’t know they fell. Maybe this is wrong. Someone in the business probably has an explanation
Nancy, one thing I failed to mention in the discussion of the two horses dying on video that fell over backwards is that they were on their side while their legs were thrashing. The bucking horse was in a rodeo and being “ridden” by a rodeo cowboy. The rodeo “cowboys” tied the horse’s legs up after the horse fell over backwards and stayed on the ground on his side. I’m guessing that would make it more convenient for them to put him in the van to haul him off out of the rodeo arena. Another thing is that in some cases when an animal is dying, they can still move as in thrashing, twitching, kicking. Sorry but there is nothing pretty about it.
My apologies, and please excuse my naivete but why won’t they ever say anything in the paper of on tv about a horse having to be destroyed. I have also noticed over the last 2 years watching TVG, whenever a horse goes down, NEVER IS THERE A MENTION ABOUT THE OUTCOME AND HEALTH OF THE ANIMAL. Whole thing makes me sick to my stomach.
Scott, that sweeping the grim reality of the horseracing and Pari-Mutuel gambling industry injuring and killing so many horses routinely doesn’t make good “public relations” for this hideous gambling industry.
That’s why this group of activists is necessary!!!
You are right to be sick , Scott. It is through lies, deception , misdirection( and in the next race..) That this business continues . I believe most of the ” casual” fans actually KNEW what this industry was all about; they would not attend or support it. So we attempt to educate and enlighten the public.
I was once one . But, now i KNOW. A horrible industry and disgusting, horrible people are in it.
Bad for business.
Because everything ignored by the media never happened.and fiction becomes reality. Goes on all the time.
Honest journalism is dead!!
Fake news