Word out of Arizona yesterday is that a second deal to sell Turf Paradise is dead (first one here), leaving the very real possibility that the upcoming meet (Jan 29-May 4), which was already truncated, will be that track’s last. If so, as of May 5, the state of Arizona will be down to a single track, with that one (Rillito) running just 18 days. Golden Gate and Turf gone in the same year? ‘Twould be excellent.
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The corporate welfare to horseracing needs to be terminated.
It’s time to make the “sport” shrink to nothing. Any use of animals for entertainment is wrong, and I didn’t feel that way until a few years ago. And I’m probably going to get flamed by everyone here, but I still like studying the history of horse racing, watching the videos of the greats, and it creates more than a little cognitive dissonance to enjoy those moments.
The smaller, claiming tracks need to go away. Everyone here might disagree, but the big tracks will remain. It’s a pretty big industry with political weight. Over breeding is a massive issue. Retirement is almost non-existent, and “livestock auctions” circumvent US slaughter laws. The small tracks are bastions of shipping horses to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. You run for your life as a horse, if you don’t die on the track before you end that unfortunate demise.
I get that this is a terrible industry. I just don’t think that it is going away totally. People want their Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup. They want mint juleps and to wear their fancy hats.
My home track was Portland Meadows and I’m glad it closed. It was a rough place for humans and especially the horses.
At the very least, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is not allowing Bob Baffert to take horses to the Kentucky Derby. He and his racketeering cohorts should be in prison, but he isn’t and they’re not. Thankfully, there is the RICO Act that gives gamblers the option to sue. That’s because Pari-mutuel wagering is legal.
I believe that Baffert’s suspension really isn’t about violations of Animal Welfare as much as it is about violations of Business Conduct. The corruption inside of racing is what I think the FBI is more concerned about than the “protection” of horses exploited for racing.
I can’t do a back flip but you can guarantee I will dance! This is a great signal to the likes of Del Mar and Santa Anita…HW is coming for YOU! 💪🐴❤️👏👏👏
This industry isn’t a game,isn’t a sport…it’s a full-blown racket.
What will happen to the horses when their owners and trainers are no longer in a position to exploit them as racehorses at Golden Gate Killing Fields or Turf Paradise?
I read a few weeks ago that there were 1,200 horses stabled at Golden Gate Fields. That’s a lot of horses to dispose of. That’s what I think they’ll do. I expect most of the owners of these particular horses will get rid of them like last week’s newspaper.
Unfortunately, it’s the mentality of livestock producers. Since horses, including racehorses, are treated as a commodity, they’re usually only kept when they’re profitable. I applaud anyone who is able to rescue the throw-away horses now and in the future.
” ‘Twould be excellent”: yes, *y.e.s.*, it certainly would; plus, I honestly think one of the best-ever things to celebrate in Life is an END …………………… to Cruelty, [and, undeniably, horseracing has always been/continues to be Institutionalized Cruelty]!!