Some odds and ends…
In the 4th at Churchill Friday, Vicki Rose “went wrong” and was eventually “vanned off.” Nothing unusual there, of course. But there’s also this: Vicki “was fractious in the starting gate.” Perhaps the two-year-old – two-year-old – was trying to tell her exploiters, in the only way she knows how, something was wrong from the start.
Yesterday at Sam Houston, Runaway Match Race became the third “bled [from the lungs], vanned off” in two days at that track.
And finally, after waiving his right to a hearing, trainer Jorge Gonzalez was fined by the stewards at Remington for drug positives in his charge Eye On Politics after a race in May. The drugs in question: caffeine and theophylline, which, WebMD says, “is used to treat lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema” – in humans, of course. Eye On Politics continues to be under the yoke of Gonzalez.
To engage in horseracing is to throw true horsemanship out the window and engage in straight up animal abuse!!!!!
#EndHorseracingNOW
#HorseracingisAnimalCruelty
And the amount of the fine??
Also, was this his first offense or not? I’m assuming that it was not his first offense.
Jorge Gonzalez is on Equibase with both TB Stats and QH Stats.
I think the amount of the fine is beside the point. He’s not only allowed to continue in his chosen profession, but also still has Eye On Politics. No mere fine would be enough.
Anyway, the OWNER should be fined ( he chooses the trainer, I believe) and the trainer suspended.
If the fines and suspensions are weak : we get what we have, constant and repetitive disregard for the rules.
J Brooks, I think that it is time and energy not as well spent to focus on reforming as it is to focus on the mission to just BAN horseracing to smitherines!
Horseracing is like child pornography — BOTH are all wrong through and through. There is NOTHING FUNDAMENTALLY RIGHT about abusing horses for racing and wagering revenue and subsequently corporate welfare to keep it propped up! These horses are being forced to endure the torture of not being allowed to have normal lives. Racing people don’t give a crap how the horse dies as long as they made some money out of the deal. That’s the deal — money, money, money, and more money.
You’re Absolutely right, Wanda. Horseracing is a prime example of how greed and gambling can change people.
Yes, reform is just about continuing the abuse.
I pray NY removes the subsidies and several? Tracks close!
It’s in the works in New York. Emilie Munson wrote an excellent article in the TIMES UNION. I wish I could have that article printed on paper because it is very tedious to try to read the whole article with graphs and charts included on this cell phone.