Through a FOIA request to the Louisiana Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills on that state’s tracks thus far this year. Please note, however, that the response (as usual) came with this: “The Louisiana State Racing Commission does not track or maintain a list of deaths that occur during training hours as those are more often than not handled between the trainer and their private veterinarian.” Neither, of course, did we get stall deaths. So, the true toll is greater than the 21 reported below.
(Please remember an open/compound fracture means the bone broke through the skin.)
Janets Jay Jay, Jan 13, Delta R – “comminuted fracture”
Janets was five years old.
Lutie Mo, Jan 18, Delta R – “open, disarticulated fetlock” (video here)
Lutie was four years old.
Binding Agreement, Jan 25, Fair Grounds R – “open fracture”
Binding was six years old.
Mystic Creed, Feb 4, Fair Grounds R – “open fracture”
Mystic was three years old.
Soulology, Feb 8, Delta R – “compound, comminuted fracture”
Soulology was four years old.
Whiskey Red, Feb 10, Delta R – “died – external hemorrhage” (he bled out, video here)
Whiskey was three years old.
Oil Money, Feb 10, Delta R – “open fracture”
Oil was seven years old.
Son of Reality, Feb 15, Fair Grounds R – “trauma”
Son was four years old, and this was his very first race.
Zoomin Sly, Feb 28, Louisiana R – “open, displaced fracture”
Zoomin was three years old.
Sikum, Mar 16, Fair Grounds R – “open, disarticulated fetlock”
Sikum was six years old.
Secret Melody, Apr 10, Evangeline R – “multiple fractures, soft-tissue rupture”
Secret was five years old.
So Many Stories, Apr 11, Evangeline R – “multiple fractures”
So Many was three years old.
Rhettt, Apr 27, Delta R – “open fracture”
Rhettt was two years old.
Rh Double Six, May 1, Delta R – “acute compound, comminuted fracture”
Rh was two years old.
Rap Artist, May 6, Louisiana R – “acute displaced fracture”
Rap was four years old.
Bolie, May 8, Louisiana R – “acute fracture”
Bolie was three years old.
Catch Me T, May 24, Evangeline R – “tendon [rupture]”
Catch Me was four years old.
Geaux Maw P, Jun 1, Evangeline R – “suspensory failure/rupture”
Geaux was three years old.
Run Daddy Run, Jun 5, Louisiana R – “open, disarticulated fetlock – severe”
Run was three years old.
Sweet Tee Girl, Jun 12, Delta R – “skull fracture, spine fracture”
Sweet Tee was five years old.
My Little Mia, Jun 25, Louisiana R – “disarticulated fetlock – severe”
My Little Mia was five years old.
Point well taken, Kelly. On the other hand, they wouldn’t be able to cheat on the doping rules as much. For die-hard drug-abusing horse-abusing criminals, it wouldn’t be as much fun if they had to answer to somebody else before they can get away with something. They might not be able to fill out the race cards if they had to answer to Ms. Lazarus and the Horseracing “Integrity” & “Welfare” Unit. I think there would be more trainers and veterinarians in Louisiana who would have to answer to higher authorities for multiple doping violations.
What would be the fun in that? That could cost a bunch of greedy people a bunch of money in fines and otherwise lost revenue.
In other words, what’s the point in having a racehorse if you can’t dope him/her up and force him/her to run regardless of any lameness issues.
For depraved people who just want to run the life out of their horses for fun and profit, I don’t think there’s any one of them that would want to wait around and have to have their horse put on “the Vet’s List” and then be told to wait “this length of time” and “jump through these hoops” to get your horses off the Vet’s List. (Ain’t got time for that!)
Agreed. Horse racing across the U.S. is teeming with greed-fueled abusers and addicts. But Louisiana still somehow manages to consistently keep themselves among the worst-of-the-worst. (Personally, I think they should join up with HISA, if for no other reason than Lisa and Co. will more effectively help them hide their horse fatalities from the public.)
So what’s the deal with the Louisiana Racing Commission about using the lame excuse that training injuries and kills are handled “privately” between the trainers and the “private” veterinarians, who are not paid by the racetrack, to examine or euthanize horses in the mornings?
Who knows how many of these injured horses are “privately” shipped out to the slaughterhouses while suffering from injuries?
The members of the Louisiana Racing Commission should be on trial for malfeasance to say the least in my opinion.
Who knows how many horses are being and have been doped with illegal drugs and illegal use of legal drugs that the Louisiana racing commissioners don’t even care about??? They changed the doping rules at one point in a very eye-poppingly controversial way but supposedly changed them back.
I think these people are among the most corrupt bunch of people in horseracing in so many ways. They belong in jail for Animal Cruelty, violations of drug laws and other forms of corruption.