Another Victory in Massachusetts

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From our executive director, Nicole Arciello:

I am thrilled to announce that last night the Board of Selectmen in Hardwick, Massachusetts, voted against the horseracing-facility proposal that would have brought Thoroughbred racing back to the state!

This is the third track proposal in MA in the past calendar year; a similar proposal was defeated in Sturbridge, and another is nearing its inevitable end in Plymouth. Horseracing Wrongs has been working closely with residents in these towns to educate about this cruel and deadly industry, and to provide the tools needed to be a voice for the horses.

To assist Hardwick residents, HW put out an Action Alert on social media and through email, urging advocates across the state (and country) to contact each member of the Hardwick Select Board, respectfully asking them to say no to horseracing cruelty. In addition, in an effort to educate about the reality of horseracing, thousands of HW leaflets were sent out to Hardwick residents.

On Monday morning, we delivered our petition with signatures and comments to the Chair of the Board. Today, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports: “During Thursday’s meeting, about 60 residents held up sheets of paper with the word ‘NO’ typed in green, as the board discussed its vote.”

We at Horseracing Wrongs are proud to fight with the good people of Mass to stop new racing, and we will continue until these proposals end once and for all!

Thanks to you and so many people who care about the horses, Massachusetts (and all of New England) remains free of Thoroughbred racing! Thank you for your support as we continue to be a voice for the horses!

Nicole

10 Comments

  1. That`s our favorite view of horses as above. Running free in a grass field free of whips & bits. Glad to see the people of Mass. smart enough to keep their state a racing free state.

  4. Thank you to everyone who stood up for the horses and against racing and wagering in Massachusetts! Thank you for standing up and speaking out against the inherent cruelty and torture of horses in the racing industry! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to this cause!
    This (money) would have benefited certain individuals in the horseracing industry in Massachusetts a great deal and left so many taxpayers of the State of Massachusetts out in the cold, both literally and figuratively.
    I think it will be a “back to the drawing board” mentality for a bunch of the racing insiders, so this fight against felony animal cruelty, which is another name for horseracing, is definitely not over. That 360-Acre farm that used to be a dairy farm is still there.

  5. As a former bettor, less than a year ago I might have woefully bemoaned that fact that yet another race track opportunity has come and gone, and here, so soon after Boston’s Suffolk Downs had closed for good [I think in 2019].

    But the people have spoken, and have not forgotten that Suffolk Downs and thoroughbred racing in general of late have greatly declined in popularity, a fact not lost on these potential voters. And don’t think for one moment that the local politicians don’t see that very clearly. They tried to pull a fast one, hopefully to get their bill passed quietly, but surprise, they got caught! And the residents let them know in no uncertain terms what they, NOT the politicians or the racing industry desired for their community.

    Good for them.

    Sad to say, the sport of racing is dying. But really, in actuality it’s not so sad at all. It’s a very bad, crooked, and cheating game, a bad industry which cannot help but injure, maim and kill it’s athletes, and, IMHO has only gotten way worse over the years.

    To use the industry’s own terms, ‘It’s a bad bet – all around!’

    I can’t bet the races any more, I can’t watch it, and it certainly appears that many patrons and gamblers of the racing sport are beginning to feel as I do.

    Case in point: sports betting s growing, and horse racing is not. A betting friend of mine from New Jersey, who regularly attends the Meadowlands Race Track, has told me that ‘Fan Duel’ is what’s really keeping the place going. Although ‘Fan Duel’ offers wagering on horses, almost no one bets on them – only on pro sports. He also explained that live racing at the Meadowlands is now down to only two days a week – it used to be six.

    As an aside, he is also beginning to lose interest. The doping and drugging is affecting the races’ outcomes, and, like myself, he believes the rampant cheating is becoming more and more obvious. It’ll take time, but soon, I think he’ll probably leave the game too. And like me, he won’t be back.

    It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where this game is going. You wouldn’t catch me placing a bet on this dying industry reviving any time soon.

    -Joe

    • The population of horses available for exploitation in horseracing is declining at a steady rate. I don’t have the information on Standardbred harness racing horses, but the charts for the Thoroughbred foal crop numbers show that the population of Jockey Club (USA, Canada and Puerto Rico) registered Thoroughbred foals increased from the 1800s up until 1986 when the foal crop number was 51,xxx. Sorry, I don’t have the exact number handy, but it can be found on the internet. The foal crop numbers have been in a steady rate of decline since it peaked in 1986. The estimate for 2022 is 18,700 and, due to late registrations, the exact number won’t be known until after the foals are at least two years old.
      It really is a no-brainer at this point in our history that horseracing is not as popular as it once was and I commend anyone who wants to keep the breed from becoming extinct without exploiting them in this egregious-cruelty-to-horses business.

      • That would be use Wanda. We raise our thoroughbreds for young people to teach to ride for themselves & NEVER allow any of them to raced for any price! Thoroughbreds are very versatile & smart & can be taught to do many things.

        • I was thinking of you both when I stated that, Fred and Joan. Thank you for caring about horses that much! Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to have a gelding that had THREE BARS bloodlines on the top side. He was registered as an American Quarter Horse but, as you may know, THREE BARS was a JC registered Thoroughbred approved by the AQHA and was one of the top sires of running Quarter Horses. I have always admired Thoroughbreds since I was a very young child.

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