The CHRB has revealed that One More Bid, who died training at Santa Anita Thursday, was the victim of “sudden death.” That’s “sudden death” – at the tender age of four. Two addendums on this kill. First, and as is usual with the deaths of high-profile horses, there was this bit of obscenity from OMB’s owners, California Racing Partners:
“Today, we bid a heartfelt farewell to our beloved One More Bid. His spirit, grace, and unforgettable presence will forever gallop in our memories. Thanks for the memories and the joy you brought us. Rest in peace, champ.”
Then there was the embarrassing spectacle of CHRB spokesman Mike Marten attempting to explain (to City News Service) this latest kill away:
“As the CHRB, with the full cooperation of the racing industry, continues to reduce the number of equine fatalities each year – reduced by more than 50% in the last few years – there are fewer musculoskeletal fatalities associated with racing and training. Therefore, as a percentage of overall fatalities, sudden deaths have become a larger percentage, as the raw number has remained constant. There are not more sudden deaths than before. It just appears so in light of the decrease from other causes.”
And:
“Sudden deaths are a worldwide problem, and not just among racehorses. Sudden deaths occur in other animal populations, as well as occur among humans, particularly athletes.”
So much to unpack there. In 2021, 74 (that we know about) horses were killed at Cal tracks. In 2022, the toll was 64. This year, with a full month to go, we’re at 78. Is that progress? And does it really matter how they die? Also, where’s the data on sudden deaths in other adolescent animal populations? And finally, they revisit one of their favorites – the big lie of deaths among human athletes, something I’ve covered several times, most recently in June. The upshot: Horseracing kills about as many in one day as the four major professional sports leagues have in their collective 407 years.
They distract, dissemble, and deceive because they have to. Their product is inherently cruel and inevitably deadly. And slowly but surely the American public is catching on.
Believe me they, the race tracker horse killing supporters, are getting very worried. I know from the words of several on social media and they think if people saw and ‘understood’ horse racing from the beginning, not just the races, they would understand. “It matters the perception” they say…and “we have to educate the public otherwise our sport will end.” They are beyond stupid and I would love for the public to see the prison cells the horses live in 23 hours a day. The pressure is scaring them! Keep fighting the good fight. I will keep educating everyone I can on the brutality that Horse Racing Wrongs exposes.
Poor Mr. Marten is forever put into the position of having to explain “CHRB Math.”
(Why the esteemed Board thinks a dude who can’t master the complexities of a freaking Twitter/X page is capable of teaching it to real reporters is beyond me. But, hey, bonus points for sending him out there to spin their death count, either way;)
The public is catching on? Really?
I really, truthfully would like to believe that if it wasn’t for the fact in the UK, despite a dwindling public interest, a new dog racing stadium has been recently opened.
The fact that the public often witness a horrible and fatal fall, or a terrible fall that results, often unnecessarily the shooting of the magnificent horse, they still come in their droves, often to be seen in public for the big races, the Royal race meetings. They come to bet, and to be seen in smart fashion, albeit in the case of the women looking like tarts, usually because of an excess of champagne.
I only wish that witnessing such a cruel and horrible death they would not support racing any more, but like those who eat meat despite the knowledge of the cruelty and suffering of animals in the food chain, prefer to put their fate at the back of their minds, convincing themselves that the animals had a “good life” and that their deaths were quick.
Get a shovel because there is a ton bullshit coming out of the mouth of the California Horse Racing Board’s spokesperson, Mike Marten.
This racing induced death of a high profile horse, ONE MORE BID, could represent the racing induced deaths of who knows how many other racehorses that nobody from the racing industry media care about even though the prevailing practice is to say “We love our horses” while they are literally causing physical and mental harm that leads to racing induced death at a fraction of a horse’s normal lifespan.