Through a FOIA request to the Oklahoma Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills at Will Rogers and Fair Meadows last year (Remington to come later).
Hesa Blue Grass, Apr 3, Will Rogers T
“Decline and death in this animal is attributed to severe blood loss in both the thoracic and abdominal cavities – exsanguination [bled out]. Suspect aortic rupture.” Also: “multifocal gastric ulcers.” Hesa was six years old.
Ready At Two, Apr 11, Will Rogers T
“Complete, comminuted skull fractures; severe hemorrhages; damage to the cranial cavity wall.” Also: “multiple stomach ulcers.” Ready was four years old.
Tosh, Apr 26, Will Rogers R
“Multiple comminuted fractures, pulmonary hemorrhage.” Also: “chronic gastric ulcers.” Tosh was three years old.
C C the Bartender, May 1, Will Rogers R
“[Multiple] severe fractures, partially ruptured ligaments.” Also: “chronic degenerative joint disease [both front fetlocks]; chronic stomach ulceration.” C C was nine years old, and this was her 63rd time under the whip.
Mattfoleyvanman, May 15, Will Rogers R
“Comminuted fracture, fetlock bent at almost 90-degree angle; severe, acute ruptures of [multiple] tendons and joint capsule.” Mattfoleyvanman was three years old.
You Sexy Boy, May 16, Will Rogers R
“[Multiple] acute, severe fractures; complete transection of [multiple] tendons.” You Sexy Boy was six years old.
Run Er Done, Jun 24, Fair Meadows T
“Right scapula fractured to the point of being shattered, extensive intramuscular and fascial hemorrhage.” Run Er Done was three years old.
Awesome Maui Girl, Jun 30, Fair Meadows T
“Severe, complete, comminuted humerus fracture – two large pieces and approximately seven additional pieces; abundant hemorrhage.” Awesome was three years old.
Caney’s Ghost, Jul 5, Fair Meadows R
“[Multiple] comminuted [at least five fragments] fractures; partial ligament rupture; extensive hemorrhages.” Also: “chronic gastric ulceration.” Caney’s was six years old.
Yalitza Paricio, Jul 9, Fair Meadows R
“Intracerebral hemorrhage consistent with head trauma [in starting gate].” Also: “chronic gastric ulcers.” Yalitza was five years old.
Balance Be Gone, Jul 21, Fair Meadows R
“Comminuted spinal fracture with extensive areas of severe hemorrhage.” Balance was four years old. Incidentally, the chart simply said, “stumbled, lost rider.”
Inseparable Friends, Sep 19, Will Rogers S
“Neutrophilic cellulitis and myositis.” Inseparable was three years old; last raced Jul 21.
Ar Wired, Sep 19, Will Rogers R
“Catastrophic breakdown of both front fetlocks with multiple fractures and ruptures. Both fetlocks are avulsed, exposing [multiple] bones, ligaments, and tendons. These structures are coated in dirt.” Also: “chronic degenerative joint disease [both front limbs].” Ar was but two years old. Again, he broke both front limbs and already had degenerative joint disease. Defend just this one, racing apologists.
Irish Rose, Oct 10, Will Rogers R
“Fell: [multiple] spinal/pelvic fractures, severe hemorrhage extending from abdomen into pelvic region.” Irish Rose was three years old.
Can one imagine this devastating kind of work these pathologists have to go through performing these autopsies. We would be crying uncontrollably & then becoming angrier & angrier at viewing all this carnage by an unneeded gamboling business.
To name a horse “Run Er Done” says a lot about what these greedy people think of their four-legged gambling objects. Run or you’re done. Well, the horse ran. The injuries dictate that this 3-year-old will never run again. Does anyone in racing have the capacity to understand that if they do the same thing over and over that they will continue to get the same results?
Years ago, when I was actively wagering on horse races, the industry was self-sufficient. As it is quite obvious to all, and not only to the visitors on this site, but more and more to the general public at large- it is NOT. Definitely not! An average day at Aqueduct in the early spring boasted crowds of more than 20,000 – and way more on weekends. Southern California racing was the same. I used to have to call ahead of time to reserve a table. The big days? You had to know someone and hand out fairly large tips to get a decent table in the dining room or the Turf Club.
Now?
Attendance is almost non-existent at almost all tracks, except on the biggest days.. Interest in horse racing? – declining every single day. Southern California racing in particular is in serious decline and I don’t see it turning around anytime soon.
And, as the saying goes, “desperate men will do desperate things.”
Since racing purses now pay to all race entrants, first-to-last, it makes more sense – financially- to simply run your stock around the track regardless of the horse’s physical condition. You’ll get a check as long as the poor animal crosses the finish line. If the horse drops dead, falls, or is rendered otherwise useless for racing, well, there’s always the insurance money or the slaughterhouse. After all, there are always more horses that can be bought and raced.
As a former racing handicapper, one of the first “givens’ when beginning to analyze a race, is that you assume that most – if not all – of the horses running were sound and physically fit. After all, who would run an infirm horse if there was virtually no chance of picking up at least a piece of the purse money – and back then, that meant finishing competitively, i.e. 1st, 2nd or 3rd.
Not anymore. And that just wreaks havoc in the handicapping process, skewering your chances of selecting correctly. As I have stated many times on this site, that was one of the main reasons I quit- my handicapping was no longer effective.
Oh, but racing insiders have adjusted to this “new norm’ and since they were mostly devoid of any sort of a moral compass anyway, they simply took it to the next level. They’re doing what they need to do to survive. There is no sympathy, no love for their horses, no sense of fair play. Nah. That just gets in the way of business.
When racing WAS self-sufficient, they didn’t need to resort to these tactics- although they would have if they had to, as we can see with what’s going on now. And it ‘ain’t pretty’, certainly not for the horses. But, also for them. Their days are numbered and believe me, they know it..
Disgusting? That’s the mildest term I can use to describe a ‘sport’ and a pastime that I tremendously enjoyed for many years. But now, you won’t catch me sending in any bets or attending the races. Not anymore. Not ever. The combination of all the horror, the cheating, the abuse and the outright deception leaves a bad taste in my mouth that no brand of toothpaste will help.
-Joe
Not all of the viable racehorses killed, or crippled for life and therefore no longer viable as racehorses, can be replaced with different viable racehorses due to the decline in the population of new foals since 1986.
As you know, in 1986 the population of new Thoroughbred foals registered with The Jockey Club reached a peak of 50,000+ and now (two years ago) the population of new Thoroughbred foals produced and registered in one year is less than 18,000 foals.
With this decline in the number of viable racehorses there is also a decline in the number of races.
Los Alamitos racecourse could not fill their Friday night card due to a shortage of what they called “cheap” horses. As you know that would include both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. You might remember the year that this happened and that the topic of “a horse shortage” was hitting the headlines.
Catnip dead at the race 7 in Dubai. Big World Cup Day. He was almost at the finish line. Lemaire flying up.in the air and taken to hospital. And the most sickening thing the poor horse was 100/1 odds. Who in a right mind would send their horse to compete thousands of miles away?