Through a FOIA request to the Ohio State Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks thus far this year.
San Ruler, Jan 1, Mahoning T – “horse became lame after working Dec 9; when lameness did not resolve…radiographs revealed fractured ankle [and] owner elected euthanasia” (that’s almost a month with a broken ankle)
Official Kisser, Jan 1, Northfield R – “fractured pastern, euthanized on track”
Smokin Joe, Jan 1, Northfield R – “compound fracture MCIII, euthanized on track”
One Fine Andi, Jan 1, Northfield R – “suspected fractured shoulder/vertebrae, vanned off, euthanized” (all three of these horses were killed in the same race)
Yamboree Queen, Jan 5, Mahoning S – “found in stall with severe colic; horse died while waiting for permission to euthanize”
I’m Feeling Lucky, Jan 14, Mahoning T – “[multiple] fractures, vanned off, euthanized”
Sky Writer, Jan 14, Mahoning R – “fractured sesamoids, dislocated ankle – euthanized on track”
Bearpath, Jan 19, Mahoning R – “horse fractured and displaced both RF sesamoids – euthanized on track”
News Watch, Jan 20, Northfield R – “compounded fracture, vanned off, euthanized”
Hoboken Hustle, Jan 24, Mahoning R – “fractured sesamoids, dislocated ankle – euthanized on track”
Secret Princess, Jan 26, Mahoning T – “open, displaced fracture LF cannon – euthanized on track”
Uncaptured Soldier, Feb 22, Mahoning R – “horse fractured both RF sesamoids, euthanized on track”
Ruby Jane, Mar 21, Mahoning R – “severe, displaced fracture right knee – euthanized on track”
Jersey Jim, Mar 22, Miami Valley R – “fractured cannon; due to open wound contaminated with dirt, cannon [in] multiple pieces, and intractable pain, euthanasia was recommended”
Marquero, Mar 23, Mahoning R – “broke ankle, vanned off, euthanized”
Carina, Mar 28, Mahoning R (euthanized Apr 8) – “broke down (4/5 lame), vanned off, shipped to farm, deteriorated, euthanized”
Ma Moos Warrior, Mar 28, Mahoning R (euthanized Mar 30) – “multiple displaced pelvic fractures” (he was made to suffer with multiple fractures for two days)
Travel Ban, Mar 30, Northfield R – “fractured pastern, vanned off, euthanized”
Rum Chaser, Apr 6, Mahoning R – “horse collapsed and died around the 3/8 pole”
Zenmode, Apr 8, Mahoning S – “horse developed a fever of 104 on Apr 6; found dead in her stall Apr 8”
Anastasia Nikki, Apr 15, Northfield T – “pelvic fracture, euthanized”
Natchez Belle, May 1, Northfield S – “fractured tibia, euthanized”
Stone Palace, May 2, Belterra T – “fractured scapula, euthanized on track”
Antagonist, May 4, Miami Valley R – “slowed dramatically, dropped over dead”
Thechromeweknow, May 4, Thistledown R – “[multiple] open fractures, euthanized”
Abacus, May 14, Scioto R – “shattered pastern, euthanized”
Competent, May 23, Thistledown R – “horse fractured both RF sesamoids, euthanized”
Hadlen, May 31, Thistledown R (euthanized Jun 2) – “displaced fracture RF leg”
Run With Grace, Jun 14, Thistledown R – “horse [suffered] open, displaced fracture and dislocated ankle – euthanized on track”
Frontal Assault, Jun 17, Belterra S – “horse had a history of sporadic epistaxis [and] would occasionally bleed in stall; on Jun 17, horse bled profusely in stall – blood all over – was agonizing in shock and had [to be] euthanized”
Blameworthy, Jun 17, Belterra R – “sesamoids fractured, attachments avulsed, vanned off, euthanized”
Super Steamy, Jun 21, Belterra R – “ligaments completely avulsed, joint disarticulated, euthanized on track”
yet-to-be-named 2-year-old, Jun 24, Northfield S – “colic/impaction, euthanized”
Fox On the Run, Jun 25, Thistledown R – “open, displaced fractures LF ankle – euthanized”
Dream Fever, Jun 27, Thistledown R – “horse became distressed post-race, went down, deteriorated, died”
Pharoah’s Sympathy, Jun 29, Thistledown R – “fractured scapula, vanned off, euthanized”
True Hero, Jun 30, Thistledown R – “horse was bumped and hit the rail, falling and dislocating ankle – euthanized on track”
Horns For Three, Jul 7, Northfield R – “horse slowed down, proceeded to fall to the track, dead on arrival”
Hard to read these.. Horrible people in this non sport.
That idea of publishing the list of names of horses exploited for racing (and the injuries inflicted on them by their connections and the manner of death and killing by abuse and neglect, etc.) in the appropriate newspaper, whether it be local or national (such as USA TODAY) is an extremely GOOD IDEA!!!!!! Thank you for sharing the idea, Gina Powell, even though you were speaking of the LIST OF RACEHORSES MISSING IN ACTION in California, the horrific pain and suffering to horses exploited for racing is in every state where horseracing exists!!!! The abuses in this list of injured and abused horses from Ohio is just so egregious that more people should know about it!!! The newspaper is one more way to educate people; to get the word out to the public — the public who either knowingly or unknowingly pays through their taxes to keep this egregious-cruelty-to-horses gambling racket PROPPED UP!!!!
Seems the OSRC Commision vet can’t count. According to his report , as of June 16, there were only 23 fatalities total, with only 7 being Standardbreds. I coulnt 11, and obviously way more TBs than 16. Hard earned tax money going to waste there …
Thank you, Marie. I wonder if he is having difficulties counting accurately, or if he is using some sort of creative accounting method, you know, applied to Veterinary Medicine — creative accounting of horses injured and killed by racing???
Regardless of what method used to account for the numbers of dead racehorses, it all involves egregious cruelty to horses and must be stopped!!!!!
Are the A**h**es of racing really gonna make these spectacular gorgeous innocent horses race in this death oven that is the weather today? May you lazy people of horse torture suffer the same as the horses, actually I hope you suffer more.
“Intractable pain?” You think with a broken cannon bone? Interesting choice of describing these horrible injuries! Agree that all these horrific injuries should be listed in local media sources with pictures showing what the bettors are really supporting with their $$. Kind of like the Surgeons General warnings of tobacco use on all tobacco products. If we had seen such pictures of these all to common injuries to racing horses when we started at the track in 1978, we would have most likely never become involved with racing at all.
All heartbreaking examples and many obviously denied critical vet care probably due to inability to pay, outstanding vet bills, but obviously severe neglect of a racehorse in their care overall.
Yet, in any other setting in this country an owner who knowingly denies vet care to a domestic pet, and is caught/reported, results in automatic Felony Animal Cruelty charges.
This is all happening because our elected officials hand out hundreds of millions in casino subsidies to Ohio horse racing and no matter how rotten it gets for the racehorses they still get their millions.
It’s rubber stamped every single year with zippo accountability to all that’s wrong and illegal.
There’s no incentive to change and every incentive to exacerbate the exploitation and suffering.
Pharoah’s Symphony… Hmmmm, still being reported as active and another broken horse sired by American Pharoah. He seems to be producing weak offspring.
I weep for these poor babies and also for the countless other atrocities committed by humans towards all innocent’s, including their very own kind. They shall reap what they sow, one can’t escape recompense unless of course one truly repents and changes one’s ways.
Em, thank you so much for bringing up that point. I cried my eyes out for Freedom Force,and so many others of his offspring. End this EVIL. NOW.
Em, if you mean active on the Horse racing nation profile, that doesn’t change unless someone goes in and edits it. So that may show active forever if no one changes it.
Over my years of being a fan, I quickly noticed that information about a death of a horse was very difficult to get. Deaths are “supposed” to be reported to the Jockey Club, but there were horses I knew for a fact had died, yet there was no death report filed. Sometimes a less official site, such as pedigreequery.com, will have information, but for most horses, the trail goes cold. Were they sold and afterward died? If the horse is no longer racing, the new owner may not know that they can file a report with the Jockey Club. It’s very frustrating, and part of the wall of silence that surrounds racing, one of many reasons why I decided a few years ago that I was done with it.
Why can’t they at least wait till they’re grown. They’re babies. We don’t even walk them until their bones and joints are developed.
Well, because the “god” of horse racing veterinary medicine, Larry Bramlage, said it’s better for babies to be pounded on. And the majority of the racing world is undereducated, desperate for money, and sheep that will believe anything that will give them rationale to continue pounding on the babies.
Any decent horse person that knows anything about horse anatomy knows that’s a crock of crap.
An acquaintance from Ireland once told me Americans do it all wrong. In Ireland, they start their 2year olds lightly, walking them and eventually jogging them on concrete roads or hard packed ground to build bone. Not run them incessantly in one direction in mushy sand and dirt.
The Kentucky Derby being a race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds requires the total ABUSE of starting colts and fillies out way too young, before they should be according to common sense and common decency. This means the colts and the fillies, especially the colts, have to be started out very young, way too young, and raced as 2-year-olds. If they don’t make it, they don’t make it. Who in this abusive tradition of racing immature and underdeveloped colts and fillies cares???
It’s for the selfish greed of barbaric assholes that get their jollies off ABUSING HORSES.
There is way too much money involved for these moral degenerates to care about the comfort, the physical and mental health of any horse.
This deliberate ANIMAL CRUELTY needs to be deprived of ALL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT of any and all kinds!!!!
These abusers of horses need to be arrested for FELONY ANIMAL CRUELTY!!!!
It should be against the law to use horses as gambling chips!!!!