Last week on U.S. flat tracks (racing only):
Warriors Hero “vanned off” at Turf
Miss Bee Hiving “pulled up lame, vanned off” at Charles Town
King Alan “fell, DNF” at Laurel
Union Bliss “bled” at Golden Gate
Yolo Jet “vanned off” at Laurel
Fore On Seven “distanced, DNF” at Laurel
Shared Sense “vanned off” at Oaklawn
Sara’s Memories “vanned off” at Sunland
Nosy Banker “vanned off” at Fair Grounds
Charging Nellie “vanned off” at Fair Grounds
Umbra “vanned off” at Gulfstream
Bering’s Special “bled after the race” at Sam Houston
Mapache Man “vanned off” at Oaklawn
Clubhouse Party “vanned off” at Sunland
While not all the “vanned” end up dead, most do, as borne out by our year-end FOIA reports. But even if death is not the ultimate result, the above are victims nonetheless, suffering painful injuries – in the case of the bleeders, pulmonary hemorrhage – so that some men may gamble, others chase pots of gold. (For any new confirmed deaths during the week, please see our running annual list.)
UNION BLISS, born March 20, 2017, is a maiden. He has been raced a total of eleven times and always in Maiden Claiming races. Two of those times were this month: January 7, 2022 and January 28, 2022.
If he is still alive, I don’t think his owner and trainer, Jose Puentes, will stop forcing this horse to run until he causes the pre-mature death of this horse. This industry needs to be outlawed.