“Opening Day” at “world famous” Saratoga Race Course is still 10 days away – but the track has already tallied three kills. Yesterday, Vindatude collapsed and died while training – collapsed and died, that is, at the age of three. Vindatude was coming off her first race, June 26 at Belmont, a race she “won,” garnering almost $25,000 for her exploiter, breeder/owner/trainer George Weaver; Weaver grieves today.
Incidentally, the racing rag BloodHorse reported on this because – and only because – the rider, who also happens to be Weaver’s wife, was injured and transported to the hospital. An eyewitness, a “fan” there to watch morning training, told the paper that the rider was pinned under the dead horse, adding: “It’s terrible to watch something like that and to not be able to do anything about it… She was so far underneath the horse that we couldn’t even see her.” And that, folks, is all they truly care about.
Well, racing fan, there actually is something that can be done about it – bring an END to this dangerous, gambling activity called horseracing. There are plenty of gambling activities that do not risk human and equine lives. An added bonus to no human/horse deaths due to horseracing when it no longer exists? – no more countless racehorses being dumped into and/or at struggling rescues, unfit and clueless private homes, auctions and direct-to-kill lots.
You would think that considering the likely possibility of serious injury people would be smart enough to quit participation in this “crooked, crummy,gamboling game” We know of one rider who has broken her back TWICE & yet still gallops horses on various bull ring tracks in our state! She has had MANY horses break down under her both in the mornings & when she used to ride races.She is well into her 50`s ! She once was even allowed to ride one of her owners horses in a race despite it being against the rules. She had to ride the horse, as earlier in that race card, a Jockey was injured when a horse broke down & the track had no jockeys left that could ride!. So many more horses injured & harmed by this completely unneeded venue of gamboling than people participants.
To be a fan of racing or a fan of horses…
Were fans of horses!
Thank you, Fred and Joan!!!! Obviously, you both know the difference! Thank God!
VINDATUDE was bred by George Weaver to gain access to the NY breeder awards, which are provided for by the millions in subsidies.
George Weaver also engages in wage theft.
He was found guilty and agreed to pay $325,431 in owed wages to employees and $99,567 in civil penalties related to violations of labor and immigration laws,
He denied overtime hours to 59 employees whose share will be $2,548 each.
Like all the top trainers on the NY circuit, such as Pletcher and Brown, George Weaver regularly requires immigrants to fill stable help positions and he violated the H-2B visa program denying workers minimum wage, charging employees for costs related to utilizing the program, and trying to discourage employees from reporting to federal investigators or cooperating with the proceedings.
It’s incredulous and shameful that hundreds of millions of dollars is handed over to this cruel business on every level whether that’s the racehorses or human rights violations.
I can’t think of any other business in this country that has baked-in local and state funding with little to no accountability and what about all those jobs they claim to support?
Well, most of the stable help jobs and many of the jockeys now are filled by foreign workers.
Just about every claim that horse racing makes is either delusional, not factual or over inflated figures it seems.
Not to mention the criminals in this criminal enterprise should be locked up behind bars and given jobs making little rocks out of big rocks or similar manual labor.
This insane abuse of horses needs to stop. Let’s end the racing of horses on a permanent basis!