Back in November, I reported on the death of Ekhtibaar: “found DOA [inside] van at Belmont…cause of death unknown.” Ekhtibaar was being shipped from Parx. His trainer: Juan Vazquez. Less than two months later, Vazquez struck again.
On January 6, Vazquez shipped a horse named Shining Colors, this time from Belmont to Parx. Three days later, she was euthanized for, according to a PA Commission ruling handed down yesterday, “a severe, chronic case of laminitis” – perhaps the most painful way a horse can die. The Commission went on to say, surprise, that “[Shining] should never have been shipped.” Upshot: For being “grossly negligent, cruel, and abusive” (probably at least twice), Vazquez has been fined $5,000 and suspended (just in PA) till Jan 2025. Justice served? Please.
Which state , New York or Pennsylvania, would have legal jurisdiction in each of these cases ? You’re right Patrick, this guy should be in prison , and I want to ask the Attorney Generals why he isn’t.
It is on New York for allowing this ABUSIVE so-called trainer, Juan C. Vazquez, and the owner/s, Just In Time Racing, LLC, ( based in New York) to ship this horse, SHINING COLORS, to anywhere. It just so happens to be Pennsylvania.
JUST IN TIME RACING, LLC
300 MCBAINE AVE
STATEN ISLAND, NY 10309
I would say both states. And any others that would allow him to race moving forward. He bears watching as I’m sure he will pop up somewhere.
Absolutely agree, Marie – what is Parx doing accepting a laminitic mare who clearly cannot walk let alone race from a racing stable to one of their barns?!?
That filthy speck of putrid scum Vazquez needs to join the others from this industry who’ve recently found their new homes to be a jail cell due to illegally drugging AND killing the racehorses they all claim to love so much.
I expect that the NYRA will welcome Juan C. Vazquez with open arms. So far, it appears that the stewards at Belmont Park don’t have a problem with him shipping a horse named EKHTIBAAR from Pennsylvania to New York that arrived dead inside the shipping van, and shipping a mare with chronic laminitis named SHINING COLORS from NY to PARX in PA. As most people know, PARX is a racetrack, not an equine facility that specializes in intensive veterinary care of horses, even though chronic laminitis is a death sentence for the horse. There is no excuse for allowing this CRUELTY to horses.
I agree with you, Patrick! This so-called trainer should definitely be in prison!!!!!!! Also, there are a lot of other people that enabled him who should be charged with their individual criminal activities of ABUSE and NEGLECT involving this horrendous CRUELTY to this horse (as well as many other horses).
How did the “authorities” allow any horse to be shipped anywhere with laminitis? A veterinarian would have to be: 1) dead, 2) absent from work, or 3) paid off to allow such a heinous cruelty to occur.
The stewards seem to be out to lunch on these things that lead up to this type of obvious abuse and neglect of a horse.
Of course, everything about horse racing is abuse — it’s just a matter of: WHERE do you draw the line????? This exploitation of horses is all ABUSE AND NEGLECT to varying degrees!!!!!
Each & every day, someone, somewhere IN THE INDUSTRY is engaging in torment and cruelty to Horses — it makes me sick —SHUT DOWN this unconscionably cruel & vile industry — FOREVER — this is beyond hate and immorality and disrespect — we MUST BAN Horseracing FOREVER
We can only imagine what goes on behind closed doors that no one “sees and keeps mouth shut”.
I love how some of these scumbags of racing (trainers/former trainers) try to save their evil asses by writing options and such to try and save horse killing industry, because they SEE the writing on the wall. Intelligent humane sane people … already know abusing animals to be nothing more than a gambling chip has always been immoral from the word go. When something is ill conceived from the very beginning …. there’s no fixing a SHITSHOW. Can’t fix something fundamentally wrong. Little lame commentary and suggestions will NEVER undo the pure evil. Evil is Evil.
I believe there is a special place in Hell for people who abuse children and animals. And even that is too good for them.
HORSE RACING MUST BE BANNED AND ALL RACE TRACKS SHUT DOWN. THIS MONSTER SHOULD GO TO PRISON !!!!
Just remember this …. there is no “fixing” steaming pile of shit.
Stop abusing horses. There is NO excuse!
Take away his licence how would he like to be in that kind of pain poor horse what a horrble way to die he should be locked up for animal abuse
SCUM LIKE THIS DESERVES A CELL IN A HOLE SO DEEP HE NEVER SEES THE LIGHT OF DAY !!!!!!!!
Prick needs to be jailed and whipped daily just like the horses they tortured.
I was shocked when I heard recently that some race horses are given a shot before they race of a concoction that includes snake venom from a cobra. I wouldn’t put it past this guy to be one of them.
You’ve got old lady former trainers right now trying to distract and put polish on an evil, like look at this shiny object. She’s so pathetic,and evil,because anyone trying desperately to hype or make excuses for this ANIMAL torture is scumbag in the extreme. People like this, their tactic is like let’s talk about possible “feel good” stories about lowly laborers. Yeah, that’ll make up for the hundreds of thousands DEATHS of equines.
That’s ALWAYS the apologists go to when they feel vulnerable …. but, look at this groom’s feel good story 😒
Sounds like he’s collecting insurance money off the deliberate death of his horses.
I wonder what an insurance Policy in Horseracing looks like — are there insurance cos. who actually insure Horses in this evil Horseracing? — insurance companies are very smart — they probably do not give out money easily.
I’ve been told that the lower level (claiming) horses are not insured. For horse owners, I think it would be like car insurance in that you end up paying out more money in premiums than you ever get back in a lot of situations. Except there is no state law that says the owners of racehorses must have insurance on the horses themselves, whereas, it is against the law to drive a motor vehicle without the legal minimum of liability insurance.
That’s disgusting he should definitely go to prison and banned from having anything to do with horses for life
All horse racing and greyhound racing should be banned.!
Ironically this bad dude (Juan) is what got me started this journey of learning how heinous this killing industry really is. It was 7/3/17 and one of his horses was killed in a race …now here’s the fishy part: he had been arrested a day or two before the 7/3 race at Parx, he was arrested for not paying his bills for horse supplies,from what I read he told police I’ll have the money soon when my horses win. It struck me as awfully fishy a horse he was not only trainer, but also owner of had to be euthanized after the race on the track. It was HORRIFIC, that damn jockey Jomar forced the horse to get to the finish line even though it was beyond obvious the poor baby had gone lame and lost action shortly after leaving the starting gate. That moment 7/3/17 was the GENESIS of me getting involved in this cause to save the horses.
Thank you, Bonnie. What are the chances of Juan C. Vazquez getting his license revoked permanently? I don’t know but I hope it will happen within the next five years. I wish it would have already happened!!! He is bad but so are so many other people in this evil gambling racket. I know of one horse that was saved from Juan C. Vazquez. I wish all of these horses could be spared from this hideous cruelty!!!!!
He should be suspended indefinetly no where on racing involved w horses at all hes a cruel selflish man no horse should have to endure the pain shini g colors experienced
Fri monmouth 6th race sip n dip fell after hitting rail looks like he slid under rail then got up and stood there must be hurtin jock was injuired emts tended to injuired horse and rider jock had sprained ankle and no word on sip n dip
shut down juan vazquez a speck of putrid
Animals deserve to live their own lives, but humans, eager for money, consider them as things, to be treated as such. Racing is an ancient interest — horses, like greyhounds, have been exploited for centuries. It removes them from their real life into a regimented world over which they have no control. They can be drugged to hide injuries, to run faster; they can be badly injured and euthanized. They are isolated as they wait for the next race.
When people decide that an activity is wrong, they stop it. The industry around racing is wrong. Close the tracks and let horses be themselves.
There are so many vile and corrupt criminal thugs in this industry, from trainers to jockeys to owners to vets, who have made things in it so terminally awful that that there is is simply no way EVER to redeem or fix it. It just needs to be shut the hell DOWN.
PRISON for this scum.. Animal abuse is a crime. ENFORCE the LAW.
Justice…Avsolutely Not. Until these rich shit owners start getting involved with the care (and costs) of their horse, these horrific trainers and staff will just keep doing thier crap. And UNTIL the Commission finds some BALLs and stops cowtowing to the money etc….the horses will Continue to Pay the Price.
Commissioners and stewards own race horses, too! This corrupt, horse-killing gambling racket needs to be banned, outlawed and defunded. The legislature needs to pass legislation to redirect all subsidies to the communities that are in need of the public funds that PROP UP this dying industry that cannot support itself without public funding/government subsidies and government-directed benefits.
What they need is morals! This is a morally depraved gambling racket that only uses horses for financial gain and vain pursuits such as 15 minutes of fame and morbid glory in the “winner’s circle” where the horse is out of breath and sweating. That is if the horse didn’t collapse and die between the finish line and the winner’s circle.
All I know is that I hope this Juan Vazquez gets his karma ASAP!!!