Here is an updated list of injured horses on California tracks since Jan 2020 who have not been heard from since. It falls to the CHRB to tell us where these horses are.
Clubhouse Soda, 1/16/20, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Captivating Cartel, 1/24/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Warrens Lil Margie, 2/23/20, Golden Gate – “bled in the stretch”
Tizalwaves, 6/5/20, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Spectator’s Dream, 6/7/20, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Nice Blaze, 7/3/20, Pleasanton – “fell, vanned off”
Girther, 8/8/20, Del Mar – “vanned off”
No Name Fred, 8/9/20, Del Mar – “bled”
Kr Casper, 8/16/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Verifiable, 9/5/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Rick’s Dream, 9/7/20, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Rule He Will, 9/19/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
El Aracada, 11/13/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Magnolia’s Hope, 11/27/20, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Velvet Queen, 11/27/20, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Twirling the Gold, 11/27/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Taco Twosday, 11/29/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Princess Noor, 12/5/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Josephin Bono, 12/6/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Colour of Money, 12/11/20, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Florentine Diamond, 1/16/21, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Gowdy, 1/23/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Warm It Up, 2/26/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Whatdidido, 3/27/21, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Tuxedo Flats, 5/1/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Omph, 5/9/21, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Big Dog Daddy, 5/14/21, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Fashin Icon, 5/22/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Eel Point, 5/28/21, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Street Dancing, 5/31/21, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Lips Like Sugar, 6/19/21, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Contagion, 7/18/21, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Listen Linda, 7/18/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Perrys Everlasting, 7/24/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
PRESTONS LADY AA, 8/13/21, Golden Gate – “bled”
Esagerare, 8/19/21, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Queen Helene, 8/27/21, Golden Gate – “collapsed, bled profusely, vanned off”
C’Mon Jenna, 9/10/21, Golden Gate – “bled, vanned off”
Investment Account, 9/10/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Bathory, 9/11/21, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Great Power, 10/3/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Rocket Song, 10/10/21, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Wild Cat Canyon, 10/16/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Frost Warning, 10/17/21, Fresno – “pulled up, vanned off”
Favorite First Down, 10/23/21, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Dual Reality, 10/31/21, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Prudent, 11/4/21, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Da Kine, 11/13/21, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Deputy Bernardini, 11/26/21, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Oro Crystal, 1/9/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Malibu Mayhem, 1/23/22, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Equivalence, 2/18/22, Santa Anita – “bled following the race”
Ed Gatty, 3/6/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Viva La Fiesta, 4/1/22, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Intenses Suspenses, 4/3/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Savvy Gal, 4/10/22, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Union Boy, 4/23/22, Golden Gate – “bled”
Pray to an Angel, 4/29/22, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Banjo Queen, 5/15/22, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Brittany Breeze, 5/28/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Smokinhotredhead, 6/18/22, Pleasanton – “vanned off”
I Am Not Uncertain, 7/3/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Sparkling Gem, 8/14/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Sentauro Image, 8/20/22, Los Alamitos – “fell past wire, vanned off”
Smitten by Kitten, 9/4/22, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Trumper, 9/4/22, Los Alamitos – “fell, vanned off”
Flying Charlie, 9/25/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Weasley, 9/25/22, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Set for It, 10/16/22, Los Alamitos – “bled”
Cold City, 11/4/22, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Exclamation, 11/4/22, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Say It With Roses, 11/5/22, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Bobs Blues Man, 11/20/22, Del Mar – “vanned off”
Migration, 12/26/22, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Good Time Dolly, 1/8/23, Golden Gate – “vanned off”
Fort Bridger, 2/4/23, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Sierra Pass, 2/11/23, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Italian Love Song, 3/4/23, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Tucker’s Tribute, 3/17/23, Santa Anita – “vanned off”
Above the Law, 4/8/23, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Midnight Jostar, 4/8/23, Santa Anita – “fell, DNF”
Rough Ride, 5/27/23, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Thoughts to Remember, 5/28/23, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
Surplus, 6/4/23, Los Alamitos – “vanned off”
That’s a lot of horses forced to run and forced to suffer career-ending injuries and most likely life-ending injuries.
The members of the California Horse Racing Board may be tight-lipped about disclosing details of what happened to any of these horses, because it doesn’t sound good to say they’re dead or shipped to slaughterhouses even though that is part of the game or as the industry calls it, the sport. Nauseating.
Multiply this by 1000s, as every track in the world has a list like this. Pro horse racing folks would have us believe that the majority of these horses have found a wonderful lives, post-racing, and are either beautiful show ponies or living life in lush pastures. The sad truth is – the majority have most likely made their way to dinner plates in Canada, France, and Korea. This is what broke my heart year after year at the tracks I was at, scrambling to try to find homes that weren’t there for the injured racing cast offs only to have them conveniently disappear before I could secure them a home. Every track has a meat man, and every track knows where the horses disappear to. The threats of losing stalls or being banned are a joke. That is the pathetic reality of the racing world, not the idyllic pastures and successful show horses.
What about Echo Zulu?
She suffered a biaxial sesamoid injury on 10/13 at Santa Anita training for Breeders Cup and has had surgery but surgeon reports “there’s a long way to go.”
Think there might be a connection between that and fact she was scratched at gate prior to Belmont race on June 10? Asmussen reported next day she x-rayed clean and was good to go.
When will these people learn. The horses are trying out to tell them something!
Q. How can you tell when a Hall of Fame trainer is lying?
A. When his lips are moving.