The following is but a sampling of horses killed at U.S. tracks last year (full list here). Please note that I have not included kills that took place in California, Maryland, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, for those states provided the most (excruciating) detail and merit stand-alone views – California, Maryland, Kentucky, Oklahoma.
(Although I noted ages for a few, keep in mind that all of these horses were young.)
Captain Dashi
“collapsed after passing the finish – bleeding from both nostrils, agonal breathing, died within a few minutes”
Hatties Jewel
“went down – multiple severe, comminuted skull fractures”
Border Star
“entire metacarpus fractured into dozens of shards; diaphysis shattered into many fragments with red, ragged soft tissues”
Thirty Six Senoritas
“broken back” (two years old)
That’s a Bird
“open fracture of the right forelimb with soft-tissue damage such that the distal limb hangs by the ligaments and skin; the exposed metacarpus is covered in dried blood and dirt; the medial branch of the suspensory ligament is torn and ruptured”
Fifty Two Pickup
“crashed into rail, bled-out [from] both nostrils, died”
One Valiant Love
“heatstroke leading to lack of blood flow to brain and major organs, seizure, death” (two years old)
Heir Horse One
“broke neck in the fourth turn”
Ghaaleb’s Appeal
“[Right forelimb]: both the medial and lateral sesamoid bones are fractured, with the proximal 10% of the bone completely separated from the body of the sesamoid. The suspensory ligament directly overlying the sesamoid bones is friable. [Left forelimb]: the distal 1.5 cm of the fourth metacarpal bone is fractured from the bone and freely movable within the fascia of the limb.” That’s two broken legs.
Habobanero
“went down post race – whinnied, breathing rapidly, pronounced dead approximately six minutes [later]”
Gold Rush Junior
“severe hemorrhagic colitis; subcutaneous and meningeal hemorrhage, head and brain; chronic gastric ulcers; chip fractures in both front fetlocks”
Classic Landing
“sudden death after finish – ruptured pulmonary artery” (two years old)
Dreaming of Toga
“[multiple] complete, displaced fractures; [multiple] torn ligaments”
Ami’s Curlin
“laminitis, all four feet” (two years old)
Willie the Man
“fell: complete, comminuted neck fracture”
Kulthum
“pulled up, collapsed, all membranes very pale, horse not breathing, bled out”
Westa Waverly
“heatstroke, deceased on track” (temp that day was 98 degrees)
Talkingnonstop
“flipped and died: [multiple] skull fractures, significant intracranial hemorrhage”
Nosbor
“snapped front leg during gallop out – jockey heard a loud pop”
I’m Fedup
“hit head, severe epistaxis which drained into the trachea and lungs, died”
Donna’s Mischief
“trauma, died: [13] rib fractures; hemorrhage in pelvis, lung, heart”
yet-to-be-named 2-year-old
“sudden death, suspected heart attack” (again, just two)
Sbd Corazon
“shattered pastern”
Sporty Pants
“flipped, hit head, started to bleed extensively from oral and nasal cavities”
Mercedez
“found dead in stall – ruptured stomach”
Zelenskyy Strong
“[multiple] compound, comminuted fractures – P1 protrudes”
Dg Rarest Glory
“fell, trapped under gate, struggled for extended period – multiple skull fractures”
Bully Girl
“fractured spine”
Star Sequence
“collapsed, expired on track” (two years old)
Rave On
“found dead this morning, stall gate off the wall: severe, chronic pleuritis with tracheal hemorrhage”
Tapwood
“fell, became wobbly, was placed into the trailer and in a few minutes collapsed and died”
Destinys Lil Wagon
“fell, hit head, bled out”
Bye Bye Ray
“[multiple] fractures, fetlock completely luxated with tearing of ligament and almost all of the skin and soft tissue”
Sugar Sin
“shattered MCIII, severe soft-tissue damage”
Years Fly By
“sudden death post-race: bled out internally”
Red Eye Express
“Thursday, horse collapses, starts thrashing in stall, hits head multiple times, [causing] corneal perforation, iris prolapse, head wounds. Saturday, down, thrashing again, euthanized.”
He’s a Flyin
“compound fracture of MCIII, some segments of bone missing”
Oak Hill Strong
“fell: [multiple] open [through the skin], displaced fractures”
Ivory Senator
“down immediately post-race; horse was agonal and almost deceased when given permission by insurance to euthanize”
Jess Jammin
“fell, paralysis, euthanized”
Burning Bright
“hit rail, fell, expired on track”
Take Charge Deputy
“severe laminitis with severe rotation and sinking of P3 in both front feet – P3 has nearly pierced the solar surface in both feet” (had been raced 57 times)
Kas Hes Revenant
“fell, unable to stand: fractured pelvis, fractured MCIII”
Wicked Wow
“horse dropped dead on track after training” (three years old)
Outback
“head trauma [in gate] causing loss of vision, ataxia, severe swelling of head and upper neck”
Happy Like Jerry
“rider felt pop during gallop”
Seattle Bold
“broke down: [multiple] fractures, multiple tears of [multiple] tendons”
Liveforthesong
“was unsaddled and collapsed – blood in both nostrils, significant amount of red serosanguinous fluid within oral cavity and throughout entire trachea”
Freestone
“found dead in stall morning after race: severe, acute hemothorax”
R B’s the Boss
“fell heavily”
Little Four
“horse fractured both knees around 1/2 pole”
Cape Union
“significant fracture of the skull with severe intracranial hemorrhage”
Duke of Hazzard
“horse suffered cardiac event after 1/4-mile breeze”
Palatial Times
“fell: [multiple] compound, displaced, comminuted fractures”
One Fabulous Seis
“head trauma with acute nasal hemorrhage – died on track”
Casino Magic
“fell near 3/4 pole – died acutely”
Poppy’s C Note
“severe, chronic septic arthritis, with focal sequestrum [necrotic bone detached from healthy tissue] in fetlock” (had been raced 56 times)
Tout Ensemble
“died walking off – aortic rupture”
Grace and Pearl
“multiple complete, displaced, severely comminuted fractures – greater than 15 fragments”
Hip Hop Hooray
“fell dead after finish” (three years old)
RED EYE EXPRESS must not have suffered enough to satisfy these human parasites because they waited from Thursday until Saturday to finally euthanize the poor horse. That sounds horrendously sadistic to say the least.
Every single one of these death’s, from horrendous injuries to unexplained collapses, would not have happened if horse racing was stopped. Greyhound dog racing was nationwide; now down to two in West Virginia and as soon as the dog racing can be separated from their casino’s, the last two will close. Horse racing has to end and I believe if these reports could be more in the public face, more awareness of the abuse, it would be helpful.
Hatties Jewel “went down – multiple severe, comminuted skull fractures”…..From what I just read about these kinds of skull fractures, makes me wonder if the horse had been abused.