“Collapsed While Galloping and Died on the Track” – and Several Other Kills

This for Mim at Belmont yesterday, in the words of the Gaming Commission: “Horse collapsed while galloping during training and died on the track – cardiac event.” She was only four years old, an equine adolescent. “Cardiac event.” By the way, Mim finished dead last in five of her final six races. Perhaps she was trying to tell her exploiters – owner Edward Messina, trainer James Ferraro – something?

Also, the Commission has updated on Secret Money, who was “vanned off” after “winning” a race at Aqueduct Saturday: “Horse experienced biaxial [multiple] sesamoid fractures, transported for further evaluation, euthanized [next day].” Secret, too, was four.

And finally, the CHRB has announced that five more horses from Heath Taylor’s barn at Los Alamitos were euthanized yesterday for “equine infectious anemia,” bringing the total killed there to 12. The most recent victims:

3-year-old Devastating
2-year-old Chaddock
2-year-old Favorite Fire V
2-year-old Heart of Gold V
2-year-old Superfli

Those poor babies. And yes, they count. If not for horseracing, they would not have been at that place, at that time. (An additional six Taylor horses were euthanized for the same thing Oct 2 in Texas.) So, the list I posted last night has already changed.

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet
PinterestSave

Subscribe and Get Notified of New Posts

9 Comments

  1. I love watching the horses run but as long as money is the motive, evil will be done. There is no honor left, capitalism rules.
    It sickens me. Oversight needs to be MUCH more stringent but it will never happen, because the overseers can be bought off. The slave athletes have no voice.

  2. Whatever happened to requiring negative coggins tests on horses!?
    This is disgraceful negligence.

  3. Peter, you’re not wrong if you believe that Messina and Ferraro raced MIM to death on purpose not caring one bit that she could or would die from the abuse. This is what these people do. It’s who they are. It’s how they roll. They will replace this dead filly with their next victim more likely than not.
    This Animal Cruelty should be taken seriously and punished seriously but it is being propped up with taxpayer dollars instead. It’s all a miscarriage of justice.

  4. The AQHA is a disaster for their horses.
    Not only do they support overbreeding , they are very much in favor of horse slaughter.
    And as we know, the AQH and QH types make up the majority of the horses brutally slaughtered year after year.
    Nice work AQHA!!!

  5. There are people sending “condolences ” to the connections. Cut me a break really??? If in fact this disease was caused by contaminated instruments administered to these poor horses…no sympathy just disgust.

  6. Heath Taylor is clearly doing something wrong as far as general Animal Husbandry is concerned which begs the question, “Why is this abuse and neglect not being reported in the national news?”
    Equine Infectious Anemia isn’t “Bird flu” but it is contagious. There have been numerous reports about dairy cattle getting bird flu and now a few human beings are reported as getting it.
    Maybe no other horse owners care if their horses get Equine Infectious Anemia???

  7. Dr Messina is quoted in a newspaper article on how his wife said they can make money from racing horses. so clearly racing that horse although it came in last 4 out 5 races shows an intent to race it to death. he is a Dr of physiology. how the body works. he knew what he was doing imo

  8. Maybe some of these owners make more money by having the horse killed on the track than they can make on the track.

    It would not put it past them.

    Gee, if my horse was losing race after race, it would not take me five races to investigate the reason why.

    I would call the vet and have a workup done.

    This was not mentioned in the article that the owner or trainer had done, so I think they did not care about the horse and wanted to dispose of it in a way people would not question as much. (Actions speak louder than words).

    I hope I am wrong.

    Peter D. Ohmart
    17 Oct 24
    1019 hrs

  9. Interesting that people keep defending this guy even after all HIS QHs are needing to be euthanized. Although sharing needles in the QH world seems to be common practice, it really must be standard practice in this trash bag’s barn. Sad that he could go to tractor supply and pick up new needles for a few bucks but he’s willing to play Russian roulette instead with a bunch of sick horses. Add to that- he’s not even supposed to be giving anything via injections to his horses, but yet the AQHA seems to be shrugging that off as his horses keep dying.

Comments are closed.