A world away from the intense spotlight at Churchill Downs – scene of 7 kills in 10 days, including 2 on Derby Day – another racehorse died last night. But this one was cheap, and she died at a cheap track. Accordingly, her death has been utterly ignored by the media, racing and mainstream alike. In fact, it will only be acknowledged here. How sad.
At Mountaineer, says the chartwriter, Mon Paradis “was injured past the wire and euthanized on the track.” She was five years old; this was her 26th time under the whip. She was also “For Sale” the day she died. This, not the dog and pony show Saturday, is horseracing – everyday cruel, ever abusive, grind-em-up-and-spit-em-out horseracing.
Every single horses life matters! Money and fame does NOT define the true value of these gorgeous, majestic animals. These atrocities say everything about the people involved in this industry, and it’s anything but good!
For me, the least expensive horse on the lowliest of tracks is worth every bit as much as the horses running at the most prestigious tracks. They are all innocent, sentient, beings with the right to be cared for and loved. Thank you for remembering her. I’m sorry, Mon Paradis.
Those horse-exploiting thugs at Mountaineer don’t want anybody snooping around their place of horse-abusing, horse-doping, horse-killing and horse-torturing activities. There needs to be more exposure of the torture-fest of horses at Mountaineer.
It doesn’t matter what useless track these poor horses are at – the bottom line is no one gives a shit about them – it is all about the money, money, money. This poor horse never deserved to be treated in the manner in which she was – all of their lives matter – at least to those of us that post these comments. This bullshit abuse that goes on at every track needs to be front and centre with the media – get the stories out there and maybe someday hopefully soon these pieces of crap owners, trainers, jockeys will all be gone by the wayside. Such a sad sad state of affairs. RIP in sweet girl
I certainly agree that the lives of all horses matter regardless of the status afforded them by this industry.
The fact that seven horses died at Churchill Downs leading up to the facade of the Kentucky Derby is a form of poetic justice. It would not matter a damn how many horses lost their lives in the same timeframe as long as they died at various tracks across the country. It would be ignored by racing and the media. But this cluster of deaths at Churchill rained on racing’s parade in terms of negative publicity and the PR that the Derby is for this sorry business.
Also, banning the trainer, Saffie Joseph because two of his horses dropped dead makes it look like this is an anomaly and they are shocked. Really!!
We know all too well these poor animals drop dead while training, while racing or walking back to the barn and in their stalls at various tracks. It is not at all uncommon.
We also know these deaths are Ho Hum to this business. They are ignored.
What a sleazy phony gambling business!!
I DESPISE HORSE RACING IT SHOULD BE STOPPED FOREVER EVERYWHERE !!!!
My heartache extends across the (entire span of) cruelty that horseracing ~IS~ but —-[simply remembering what I was taught as a child, although I’m no longer a church-goer]—- “As you did not do it to one of the LEAST of these, you did not do it to ME, (Matthew 25:45-46),” cases like that of poor Mon Paradis which are, in actuality, the norm
…………………… just absolutely “gut” me.
I always tried to treat my patients —[from those who were, say, the very wealthiest; the most-decorated with medals; and/or the most-recognized, internationally, in their field ~down to~ the poor/drug-and-alcohol-destroyed homeless man off-the-street]— in the same competent and compassionate way, not wanting anyone to ever feel “cheap,” “lost,” or “forgotten,” you know.
You’re right again, Patrick: NOBODY outside this site is reporting on this poor, abused mare and her hideous, untimely death.
– Not the staff of (one of the) shittiest, bottom-level meatgrinder tracks in the nation, Mountaineer.
– Not the (highly-credible, fact-seeking, dead-horse-revealing) racing press.
– Not the (super-humanitarian, not-shady-at-all) West Virginia Racing Commission — whose logo features the outline of a DOG racing next to the outline of a HORSE, because, hey, they’re West Virginia and they’re cool with that kind of thing.
– And certainly not the laughably-named so-called regulator (and self-proclaimed savior of thoroughbred racing in this country) known as HISA. They’re too busy fending off Dead Horse FoIA requests to remark upon poor Mon Paradis — or the fact that her cretin owner/trainer seems to be just fine with forcing ELEVEN starts on her in the past four months.
Yep. All of these fine upstanding folks who represent this slaughterfest known as U.S. horse racing not only allowed this to happen; they enabled and encouraged it…
Then, they don’t even have the most basic decency to say her name and speak of her killing. Monsters.