Through a trusted source at the track, I have been able to confirm that on Sunday – the second day of its 2022 12-day meet, and one day after two horses were killed during the premiere – Rillito Park notched two more: Dyna Cat in the 3rd and a yet-unidentified horse who flipped in the pre-race paddock. So to recap, that would be four kills in two days. Added to the disaster that is Turf Paradise, and I must ask: What, Arizona, are you waiting for? End the cruelty. End the killing. End horseracing.
Governor Ducey: 602-542-4331; contact/social media
Senate Leaders (leadership positions in bold)
House Leaders (leadership positions in bold)
Felony Animal Cruelty should not be considered a “job” in Arizona or any other state. Horse racing is Animal Cruelty and it should be recognized by law as such.
What are they ALL waiting for?
Every one of our elected politicians continue to rubber stamp the hundreds of millions of dollars going to horse racing with zippo neutral oversight over their accounting practices, with no mandatory financial contribution to racehorse aftercare, no accountability to the health and welfare of racehorses, which falls on the rest of our communities to clean up their neglected and unwanted racehorse mess,.
It’s shocking that our politicians are in bed with this industry instead of redirecting that money to much needed beneficial community groups and projects including education.
It’s a quid pro quo – politicians arm the horse racing industry with the millions they use to buy off our politicians it seems and the only beacon of change is coming from some politicians in New York wanting to redirect a large portion of that money to beneficial causes and also Education Voters in Pennsylvania.
It’s not only the subsidies, but the properties that horse racing retains and leases for about $1 per year when these properties are worth millions if developed and millions more in property taxes going into the public coffers not out of the public coffers.
Then there are the sales taxes on racehorses that continues to be exempt.
We have people spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on just 1 racehorse and even millions.
For example, Mandy Pope spent 8.2 million on America’s Joy (who subsequently broke down and died even before the filly made it to her first race yet another victim of multiple racehorse killer Todd Pletcher) and didn’t pay one dime in taxes.
It seems abundantly clear that these are the type of people that SHOULD BE PAYING TAXES because the rest of us do every time we buy something so why should these millionaires get away with not paying sales taxes?
The never ending money pit, at the expense of taxpayers, goes on and on.
$8.2 million is an amount of money that the majority of Americans won’t even earn in a lifetime, yet, she gets away with not paying sales taxes?
It’s shocking to think of the expense it takes to run horse racing, but the biggest expense is paid for by their voiceless victims, the racehorses, who pay the real price every step of the way.
As ALWAYS top prize goes to Gina, for not missing a single thing in her surgical dissection of this blight on society! Thank you Gina.
Yes, thank you, Gina! There was racing article this past December about the tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy – it was shocking. An excerpt…
“ProPublica revealed that the owners of six of this year’s Kentucky Derby contenders were able to use their racing operations to claim a combined $600 million in losses that they could use to offset their federal taxable income. Among them:
-Paul Fireman, owner of King Fury (scratched from Derby after spiking a fever): As of 2018, Fireman has claimed $9.3 million in losses for his racing business.
-Charlotte Weber, owner of Soup and Sandwich (19th in Derby): Over 21 years, Weber has claimed $173 million in losses for her racing business.
-Brad Kelley, owner of Bourbonic (13th): Over 16 years, Kelley has claimed $189 million in losses for his racing business.
-Seth Klarman, owner of Highly Motivated (10th): Over 19 years, Klarman has claimed over $138 million in losses for his racing business.”
Politicians are disingenuous.
We hear the mantra “pay your fair share” ad nauseam. Meanwhile, huge tax breaks like those afforded wealthy racing participants fly under the radar,,,
And if that were not enough, the business is subsidized!!
Emilie Munson explains in great detail in the Times Union of how the State of New York is losing a lot of money by bankrolling horse racing in New York.
I always thought getting the Uber rich to pay more in taxes should have been a no-brainer. I know first hand how greedy and stingy the mega rich are, they are the WORST! I’m not blowing smoke,if you know what I mean,my Aunt and first cousin live in East Hampton ny, and they are so tight with money they rub old Lincoln right off the pennies … I kid you not! Neither of the two has an Altruistic bone in their body. So I’m here to tell everyone give up on that idea that they care about anything other than getting even more rich,they are the stingiest people you could ever meet,their mindset is oh well, when we get together we take you to the priciest restaurants, so there you go. Thinking that Michael Dubb and Mike Repole would ever do the right thing … when those two could provide forever homes and soft landings for EVERY horse in existence, is sheer folly. If they were decent people they would. Dubb/Repole have more money than they could spend in several lifetimes. But, will they take care of all thoroughbreds? No. I know the mindset of these people and how they think and operate.
Patrick, there is a statement made by Mr. Gorre concerning the killing fields in Arizona on the Paulick Report. It is not complimentary to the situation there.
“On Saturday I was at Rillito watching the races on opening day. There were two horses that suffered life-ending injuries on opening day. I did something I have not done in past — I walked out to observe both situations. I went behind the curtain. The breakdowns were horrific, disturbing, and not something I will ever be able to erase from my memory. I witnessed the horse’s leg dangling by skin with the broken bone protruding out.
“On Sunday, Rillito had two more dead horses. One during racing and another during an incident in the paddock.”
-Rory Goreé
I get the feeling Mr. Goree isn’t planning on being a “regulator” for this sick game much longer. His recent public statements seem more aligned with anti-racing sentiment than with those of his horse-killing-enabling brethren in similar “leadership” (ha ha) roles.
So, the folks at the AZ Gaming Commission are probably gonna have to find themselves yet another qualified racing commissioner. I think their ideal candidate is Mr. Wade Rarick of Creative Plan fame. Now, hear me out: Mr. Rarick appeals to true horse racing fans and bettors. He won’t waste their valuable (and extremely limited!) time with silly notions like Equine Safety and Welfare, Long-Term Horse Health, Short-Term Horse Life, etc. Racing fans will looooove that about him. They’ll know that no matter how hideously crippled these “beloved athletes” might SEEM before their (non-existent) pre-race vet check, Rarick will appreciate their need to “Get that broken-down baby into the gate. Got some money to make off these rats, whoo-hoo!” even more than most.
And that’s the kind of conscientious leadership and vision that the humanitarians of horse racing need right now. Especially in Arizona.
Isn’t it sad that someone who’s in such a position has never done that before? And just now he realizes it will stay with him forever? Maybe that’s what needs to happen to all these higher ups at the tracks. They need to tromp their happy isolated asses out there at each breakdown and take a close look at each injury of each and every horse on their track and maybe then it will make them think twice of what’s going on.
But that’s wishful thinking on my part.
I have high hopes that the Governor of Arizona will see the bloody horror of horses injured and suffering first-hand since it is happening. Nobody is making this nightmare up. I am not holding my breath, but I do hope that he will at least want to put a stop to this use of living sentient beings for wagering revenue at Turf Paradise and Rillito Park Race Track.
Very few see behind the screen so the severity isn’t realized. I’ve said it before and will say it again. Prime real estate those tracks sit on put to better use benefit the state, people and the country.
The gate scratch might be Irish Cream N Kafe – she was a vet scratch in the 7th.
To digress for a sec…. does that Rybelsus (hope I’m saying it right) commercial get on anybody else’s nerves? I think it’s a diabetes medication, that blares an obnoxiously loud version of the song You are my sunshine. Now back to the topic … why should we live in dred everyday? … wondering how many,and which of these spectacularly gorgeous creatures has died. It shouldn’t be this way,it’s not a normal way to live. A day doesn’t go by without losing one or multiple horses, sentient beings who have a natural life span of around 30 years or more. The scum in this industry are hi jacking their right to life.
Dyna Cat in race 3 listed as finishing 3rd in that race. I also snooped around and went thru Saturday’s 8 races. I found 3 DNF including race 2 Charlie’s fast man, race 3 Gato Sililiano and race 6 Brastika(who didn’t make it)