Two weeks ago today, Baltimore Bucko was killed at Belmont. It was, I’m sure you remember, a particularly gruesome kill:
In the wake of that, BB’s trainer, Keri Brion, gave an interview to apologist (and, hence, cruelty abettor) Steve Byk. Following up on Byk’s “they fall in the wild too” comment, Brion said: “I understand how uneducated people right away are like, ‘I hate watching these races and I hate seeing them,’ but we’re not stu… do you really think that we’re going to force a 1200-lb animal to go jump over fences if they don’t want to? I mean, honest to God, do you really think we’re capable of doing that? No, we’re not.”
Then this:
“He was very, very special to me. [H]e was just kind of the gift that just kept on giving for his owners and for me. … [I]t was unfortunately just, it was one of those things. You know, we’ll never have him back, and it’s hard to see his stall here in the barn in the morning…. It was tough, but he did go out doing what he loved to do.”
Here is Ms. Brion’s twitter should you care to offer her some feedback.
I read this whole interview and boy o boy..a classic apologist if there ever was one. She got her digs in (about our site). And she loved the poor horse like family BUT he died doing what he loved. Right lady
“they fall in the wild too” what a filthy bastard to even think like that let alone VOICE such a comment 🤬🤬🤬
Sure , the gift that keeps on giving – man oh man, just to have 15 minutes alone in a room with this POS would make my day 🤬🤬🤬
The horse went out doing what he was forced to do by his connections! The horse was dominated by greedy, money-grubbing, horse-abusing, horse-killing DEGENERATE people who have NO SCRUPLES, NO INTEGRITY, NO REGARD FOR THE SAFETY OF THE HORSE. These people are sadistic and have no remorse for the evil things that they do for the money!!!!! Nobody bets $2.00 on animals in the wild to Win, Place, or Show!!! What a stupid thing to say — to say “they fall in the wild too” is just a slimeball way of attempting to justify that what these sadistic, money-grubbing horse-killers do to these beautiful Thoroughbred horses that give everything they’ve got to these filthy, slimeball human beings is okay!!! The TRUTH IS that NOTHING THIS INHUMANE IS okay. This egregious cruelty to horses is absolutely NOT HORSEMANSHIP and NOT OKAY. TRUE HORSEMANSHIP is when you take care of your horse and keep him or her out of harm’s way!!!!!
DID THE HORSE TELL YOU HE LOVED BEING RUN TILL HE COULD NO LONGER DO IT? YEAH I BET YOU ARE JUST HEARTBROKEN ABOUT THIS POOR HORSE’S DEATH, BUT NO BIG DEAL YOU CAN JUST GO AND BUY ANOTHER ONE WITH YOUR BLOOD MONEY.
“He was just kind of the gift that kept on giving” – as long as they could exploit him. I’m sure it’s hard seeing that empty stall, knowing there was so much more money that could have been profited out of his servitude. “Went out doing what he loved” – running down the track and being forced to leap obstacles at full speed with a human perched on his back, whipping him if he tried to slow down. Sounds like an activity every horse would enjoy. And of course, per their argument, we’ve all seen horses in the wild flinging themselves over hedges and other objects at breakneck speed for the sheer joy of it, right? I mean, it’s on every documentary I’ve ever seen about horses.
Of course horses jump high hurdles in the wild all by their own selves and fall, so why do they have jockeys whipping the hell out of the horses for the public to see it… Good one, Rebecca!!!!
Your reply is so compelling. Thank you! I tried to leave a comment via twitter, but I can’t keep all the damn passwords straight so I couldn’t. Probably wouldn’t matter anyway. Anyone who thinks like her is lost. It’s so very sad for these beautiful horses.
What Ms. Brion said was so, so wrong! BB didn’t die doing what he loved he was made to jump which caused his painful death. These people who say they care for their horses only care about the money they bring in by racing. No person in horseracing could care for their horses when they are made to do something they weren’t born to do. Disgusting horrible people!
He went out doing what the human loved to do!! He wouldn’t have been in this position without human coercion!!!
I found her article in paulick report interesting, in that she is trying to rationalize jumps racing and beg people to learn to appreciate it.
On her twitter, she minimalizes this horse’s death to rave about the Mean Queens win. That’s so sad. She also mentions that it’s nice to see horses that are “sour” from flat racing leaning to “enjoy” jumps racing because they get to be out in fields and fresh air!
Ms. Brion, isn’t it telling to you that you have to beg people to like your “sport”, and to rationalize its existence? Isn’t it telling that horses are “sour” from flat racing and then they get to enjoy being out in the world?? You yourself said that you considered leaving this business after your horse died. How many horses from your barn have to die before you decide to leave it for good?
Forced Is EXACTLY what you are doing! I have seen the riderless horses Go AROUND the obstacle.
I have seen (in a different steeplechase race) on YouTube where one of the many horses in the race refused a hurdle at the last possible second so that the jockey went flying over the hurdle by himself and the horse turned to his left and ran towards the inside rail and jumped it so that he was completely off the actual racing track. I laughed and cheered for the horse!!! That was great!!!
This is beyond sickening…horses do NOT love to run. They sure as heck do not like being whipped. Perhaps this moron needs to swap places with these abused and exploited horses since she thinks it’s so great.
She is trying to tell us ‘the real story’ for those of us who don’t understand? I’m sure I could get him to jump over that same fence with solitary confinement, rationed food, a whip and no choice. Selfish POS doesn’t even begin to describe this greedy scum bag.
These people think that we are a bunch of ignorant fools. Anybody who knows horses and is honest about it understands that horses will run to their death when they are being whipped, and that’s exactly what happened here.
We are not the ignorant, uneducated ones. We are the compassionate, unselfish ones, unwilling to ride an animal to it’s death for the hopes of money and “glory”
Seriously, he “died doing what he loved doing”??? Could anyone with a rational thought in their head actually believe that garbage??? Maybe its time for the owners and trainers, who love, love, love their animals to go run the course and jump the fences. Yup, I’m sure they’d enjoy it.
Yes, and I’m sure these human beings that love to whip the horses into submission would love to have the whip used on their flesh!!!!! If they don’t think the whip is enjoyable enough or “encouragement” enough, how about a buzz of electricity shooting through their bodies?!!!?
I hope she uses that excuse to God on Judgment Day. Race trackers forget that God will make every individual and all nations account for what they did during their time on earth and what they failed to do. Our Lord keeps a special affection for horses as anyone who has read the Bible’s Book of Job will attest. Woe to those who mistreat our defenseless brothers and sisters of the animal kingdom…woe to those who have no mercy for animals….woe indeed.
Died doing what he was forced to do. That’s truthful!
There are no excuses to allow horses to die this way. These people who are responsible are monsters with no heart.
I don’t think that i’ve ever read anything that has pissed me off more. The Breeder’s Cup is coming up soon. I am damned determined to use this window of opportunity to do everything within my power to make everyone more aware of what this vile sport is all about. I.m open to any and all suggestions about how to do this. .I’m ready to take off the gloves. It’s time to kick ass.
Rick, are you on Facebook?
#HorseracingisAnimalCruelty
#endhorseracingNOW
Not on Facebook, but I am on LinkedIn.
So am I.
The end to this is coming soon, but not soon enough. We won’t stop until these poor horses stop dying in your care. You need to be strung up by the small balls that you have…
This innocent horse did NOT die ‘doing what he loved’…he DIED because he was forced to gallop at full speed by being whipped, he DIED because he was forced to jump fences but don’g forget, his owner and trainer LOVED this horse, yea right, loved him whilst he was running races and giving them five minutes of fame and glory, they probably love the insurance money and slaughter house fee even more. Heartless, gutless, soul-less pieces of money-grabbing, profiteering, human trash.