Chart notes from U.S. Thoroughbred and Quarterhorse races last week.
Bea Bea Kaz “broke down on turn, euthanized on track” at Mountaineer
Eysa Ivory Girl “vanned off” at Prairie
Malibu Knight “fell over fence, DNF” at Presque Isle
Till “collapsed after race, transported off via ambulance” at Fairmount
Euro Suprise “severe injury, fell, euthanized” at Fairmount
Kim’s Money “fell, DNF” at Horseshoe
Resilient Beauty “taken off in ambulance” at Belterra
Major Lloyd “taken from track in ambulance” at Mountaineer
Tarzans Favorite “vanned off” at Lone Star
Flashys Lil Lane “vanned off” at Lone Star
Casanovas Racy Miss “fell, injured, vanned off” at Prairie
My Firing Line “vanned off” at Prairie
Royalty Blood “transported off track via ambulance” at Albuquerque
Bonito “transported off track via ambulance” at Albuquerque
Dunedin Causeway “transported off course via ambulance” at Aqueduct
Samyaza “transported off track via ambulance” at Delaware
Jess Corona Blue “equine ambulance” at Fair Grounds
Tarzan in the Wagon “fell, equine ambulance” at Los Alamitos
Running Alex’sband “vanned off” at Prairie
Mistical Curlin “bled” at Aqueduct
Best of Greeley “taken off track in ambulance” at Churchill
Bee Major “transported off track by ambulance” at Laurel
“Vanned Off/Ambulance”: While not all these horses end up dead, most do, as borne out by our subsequent reporting. “Bled”: pulmonary hemorrhage.
I rarely watch races now. I can’t stand to see how the horses are abused. However, I did watch a recent race at Monmouth because a horse I’m following was entered.
What struck me more than ever was how every horse was a split second from disaster. They were running in fear, certainly not because they love to run, as these people claim! I can only imagine the level of stress, physical and psychological, these animals we’re experiencing and how the extreme stress was taking such a toll on their bodies, the vast majority of them underdeveloped. It is actually surprising that any of them manage to survive race after race even with all kinds of chronic conditions…