Secret Oath, a top-tier horse with almost $2.5M “earnings” over just 18 races, is being retired for what’s being termed “a minor ankle injury.” So where, pray tell, is the 4-year-old being retired to? Surely, with that kind of success, she has earned some bucolic setting, open pastures, the pleasures of frolicking – or just being – with her own kind. Nope. According to trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Secret’s breeders/owners, Robert and Stacy Mitchell, plan to send her to Fasig-Tipton next month. “She’s fine and she’s sound,” Lukas said in the TDN. “But…rather than try to get her back together we decided to just go ahead and sell her.” Yes, nothing says gratitude like the auction block.
As if the above didn’t already perfectly sum up this filthy, rotten industry, here’s more from Lukas. First, in BloodHorse, “We’ll miss her financially….” But then, upon further reflection, he says (Horse Racing Nation): “We’ll find another one.” Yup, next cog up.
That’s creepy that they will miss her financially and that they will find another one. They will find another young, underdeveloped colt or filly that they fully intend to exploit without giving the colt or filly half a chance to grow up and become fully grown and matured. They could go bowling instead. They could set pins up and knock them down instead of setting the horses up to be knocked down.
Lukas also minimized what was actually wrong with her, and said that after she is sold and rested up, she could possibly race again.
What she actually has is a non-operable sesamoid fracture, and per the owner, career-ending! This is how little Lukas actually cares about her.
Thanks, Marie. That sounds like the typical playbook of Horseracing “Integrity” Lies and Falsehoods to dupe the uniformed; as if a permanently disabled horse could go to the “magical” animal hospital and get all better again and live happily ever after.
Someone will have to spend a lot of money on her for the care she will need thinking possibly it will pay off in the end if they can exploit her as a broodmare.
Disgusting.
“We’ll miss her financially…” He actually said that? “We just decided to go ahead and sell her (instead of paying the money to help her heal)” And she won over2M dollars for them! There is nothing these poor horses can do to please these stone hearted sociopaths. They really have something wrong with them. Sick individuals.
Well said, Teresa. A so-called “minor” ankle injury that ends her “racing career” but doesn’t necessitate immediate euthanasia, and if she should ever be rescued by a bonafide rescue group, I have no doubt that these stone-hearted sociopaths will not cough up $5.00 to help pay for her aftercare.
Actually, i own her! Her injury prevents her from racing but it doesnt keep her from being a broodmare. As far as aftercare, i have her 32 year old grandmother here whom i care for deeply. I have a field full of my retired race horses! you know nothing about me or my farm!
As far as Patrick goes, his page proclaims he presents “facts”…. the only fact in this rag of an article is that she is injured. If you saw her today you probably wouldnt even realize she is injured because she walks soundly….
Funny how you never contact connections to seek out REAL TRUTHS! How convenient for your fund raising…. spreading skewed opinions as truths…..
Have a great day!
Dear Stacy Mitchell:
Do you have any feelings of guilt for putting your horses at risk of injuries and death???
Don’t tell me you didn’t know that forcing young and underdeveloped colts and fillies to gallop as fast as they can while carrying over a hundred pounds on their backs can put them at high risk of broken bones and other injuries.
Once again the old chestnut is spouted forth…yea we love our horses like family, until, of course, they can NO longer win races or give us five minutes of glory. Then its off to the auction to end up ‘God knows where’ or direct to the slaughterhouse. But never mind, we’ll just find another innocent baby to abuse, torture, injure or kill to carry on our heinous, disgusting fun and entertainment. All I can say, is ‘God’ help their families….if that’s how they treat family members.
Coincidentally on the Paulick Report there is a short video indicating what happened to all the 2014 entries for the Kentucky Derby.
This is why the slaughter kill pens exist!
No one wants her, because she’s not earning her keep. They should be using her as a brood mare now!
Her current owners are sending her to Fasig-Tipton so it’s logical that someone else will buy her for her bloodlines and race/earnings record and use her as a broodmare.