According to the chart, 2-year-old Kiss Then Talk was transported off the Los Alamitos track by ambulance Saturday. We have now learned she is dead. (On a more positive note, all was not lost for Kiss’ exploiters – Cavenaugh Quarter Horses, Juan Aleman, Martin Arriaga – for you see, death came after she had “won” the race and $4,400.) This is the 13th kill at Los Alamitos in 19 days. CHRB, do your job; shut this track down.
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During my betting days, we would often visit Los Al in the evening, after spending the afternoons at Santa Anita- it was not that far a drive. Los Alamitos DID offer thoroughbred racing, as both myself and my fellow cronies never bet on quarter horses.
Well, after a time, we gave up on ol’ Los Al because we were unable to effectively handicap the races with any sort of consistent success. Reason being, the poor horses were so infirm (and, no doubt, heavily drugged) that they could not hold their form for any extended period of time, rendering their racing history, class and past performances almost completely useless.
The track itself was a dump, not very well maintained and it’s my guess (I haven’t been there for years) is that it hasn’t changed. If so, it’s probably worse.
My point being, is that even many years ago it was a train wreck of a venue and probably should have been shut down long ago . God only knows what went on behind the scenes. In many ways it reminded me of Finger Lakes – another s**thole of a track..
Yes, I didn’t win every often at Los Al, and my cronies also lost quite a bit. But the biggest losers, by far, were the poor horses.
So, unquestionably, I agree, shut it down. Like almost every single race track in the country it can’t survive without government or casino-propped up subsidies.
-Joe
Haha, good one, Patrick: “CHRB, do your job; shut this track down.”
I’m not trying to make light of this very deadly, gravely serious situation at Ol’ Doc Allred’s World Famous Los Alamitos Horse Hell and Meat Grinding Emporium. But there’s simply no chance the (esteemed) Board will ever, ever in a million years do that…
Especially now that Commissioner Wendy Mitchell has moved on to better things (as if there’s anything in this world that’s NOT better/kinder/less corrupt/more meaningful than horse racing.) She was the only Board member who would stand up to Ol’ Doc and his killing ways. The rest of ’em: “We need to give him a few thousand more chances. They’re only dead horses, after all, and he’s pretty ancient.”
This racecourse has always been a racetrack for Quarter Horse races as far as I know. If you can get a copy of the book, “Your Western Horse” by Nelson C. Nye, you can learn about some of the history of Los Alamitos racetrack and some of the names of the Quarter Horses that were raced there.
There are also some photographs showing part of the set-up at that track. It looks like they used poles from smaller trees for their not-so-classy-looking racetrack facility. God only knows how many horses were fatally injured in those days; plus the slaughter houses were open for processing horses into dog food and glue, etc. I believe there would have been a lot less red tape for the people who just wanted to dispose of “unwanted” horses that were too lame to be raced anymore. It would have been a much shorter distance from the racetracks to a slaughterhouse within the borders of the United States and most likely within the borders of California.
How many of these casualties were racing at Los Al in those barbaric races that have horses going so fast for 400 yards. I thought the Steeplechase races are barbaric but those races are right down there with them. I also do visit Race Horse Death Watch from UK. There was a race on Oct. 12 at Chepstow with Cuthbert Dibble who was fatally injured. I will not go into detail but it was so bad, they deleted replays from that race. I was able to find the race in entirety. It’s very hard to believe that civilized countries condone these events. Sad sad sad
The demise of horse racing is in the imminent future as the industry is operating in moral anarchy. Horse racing is nothing but crime and perfidy and conducted against society’s conscience. Trainers and owners who slaughter horses for fame and profit are lauded as celebrities when they deserve lifetime suspensions and jail time for aggravated felony against horses. The presentation enclosure (Winner’s Circle), should be renamed appropriately to “Sinner’s Circle”.
When race track chaplains (who profess to love Christ), standby in silence as race horses are being murdered in their stalls by infamous trainers (drugging their horses to death), and they accept blood donations from the wallets of Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas et al, then you know that the industry has lost all connection to God.
Unfortunately, the California Horse Racing Board members and veterinary associates are the “foxes guarding the hen house” and so far no authority is placing them under arrest for their deplorable activities and criminal exploits in this CROOKED & CRUMMY GAMBLING GAME!
Jeff Blea and company should be behind bars as far as I am concerned and I believe some of you may agree.