Jockey Mauro Cedillo was thrown from Spectacular Road in the 1st at Thistledown yesterday and was subsequently taken to a hospital. While I wish him the best, it is awfully telling that, apparently prompted by a jockey vote, the remainder of the day’s races were canceled. Contrast that (reasonable) reaction to what happens when horses die at tracks across America every day: nothing. The show goes on.
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It’s obvious that jockeys and horses are not anything even remotely resembling a team: look at the ridiculous amount of excessive whipping charges, the number of videos of jockeys punching horses or hitting horses in the face with whips or kicking them in the belly, and the way jockeys flail away at a flagging horse just to get over the finish line. I think so many jockeys suffer from “little man syndrome” – because of their smaller size (read into that what you will) they become addicted to the power they have over a large animal who won’t fight back.
Every time a horse breaks down there is the chance that the jockey could be, or was, injured to some degree. This happens every day somewhere in horseracing; the evidence is reported here and there are videos on YouTube (for anyone who wants to argue that point).
Recently, I saw a video of a jockey being trampled by a horse and the race continued as though the life and well-being of the jockey was seemingly regarded as no more important than the horses’ lives or well-being when there is a catastrophic breakdown of a racehorse on the track.
What is different in this case than any other catastrophe on the racetrack involving a jockey being injured? I didn’t read the article online yesterday and this morning on TDN there was a critical error notice in place of the article that would be a follow up to yesterday’s article.
At least, this incident shows to the public that jockeys DO HAVE A CHOICE and a VOICE.
It would be ridiculous to say that “Mr. Ed” (the talking horse from the early 1960s) could walk in and protest the racing of horses and call attention to the life-threatening danger to the horses. In other words, horses don’t have a choice and we all need to be their voice.
“And the race continued as though the life and well-being of the jockey was seemingly regarded as no more important than the horses’ lives or well-being….”
BINGO.(again), Wanda. Edgard Zayas suffered only bruising and a broken jaw, I think. Whereas, Mauro Cedillo’s injuries are said to be far more grave. In both cases, as always, the remaining riders immediately continued the all-important competition — as if the importance of a bunch of degenerate gamblers’ wagering dollars far outweighed the life of their friend they’d just trampled.
Another tragedy of Mr. Cedillo’s accident — and it is certainly a tragedy, even if this young man manages to survive — is that most long-time horseplayers will continue to pursue their quest of gambling PROFITS, even from these inevitable horrors. In their minds, all the human and equine mangling caused by racing doesn’t detract from the “winnings” some of them received as a direct result of Spectacular Road’s full-speed stumble.)
But, hey, it’s Derby Death Week. (So who ya got in the 6th at Thistledown?)
Derby Death Week… What great timing for the remainder of the day’s race card at Thistledown to be canceled yesterday because, obviously, racing IS NOT safe.
First, the incidents at Maryland’s Laurel Park calling attention to “SAFETY” in horseracing and, now, second, this jockey being hospitalized in Ohio, the talking heads on Derby day will be busy spinning the public relations playbook to make it sound like they really care about the “safety” of this horse killing enterprise as entertainment and as the (so-called) “sport” of (so-called) kings. The majority of the people in this egregiously barbaric industry are not kings and associating themselves with this archaic industry is never going to change their social status in real life.
This is sickening but I imagine that the talking heads of the Kentucky Derby will make this INJURED jockey, Mauro Cedillo, sound like some kind of a martyr — a hero, a “real” hero of the racetrack. Yeah, right. What a sick joke!
Not surprising……The horses are commodities, Sad!
I’m sorry to say this but personally I couldn’t care less about the ‘injured’ jockeys as they so obviously couldn’t care less about how many horses DIE whilst they (the jockeys) are beating the life out of the horses and forcing them to run faster and faster even if they’re not capable of going faster or injured.