Through a FOIA request to the Kentucky Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks thus far this year (because of the volume, I will be posting in installments).
open fracture: bone broke through the skin
comminuted fracture: bone shattered into multiple pieces
displaced fracture: bone snapped out of place
Shadow, Mar 26, Keeneland T
“Was galloping when she became abruptly lame: [multiple] fractures; marked soft-tissue damage, including tearing of deep digital flexor tendon, body of suspensory and both branches, palmar annular ligament, and straight, oblique, cruciate and intersesamoidian ligaments.” Also: “moderate numbers of tapeworms occupy the lumen of the cecum.” Shadow had not yet turned two. Yes, she was still one.
Total Gas, Apr 10, Keeneland R
“Pulled up with catastrophic injury: complete, severely comminuted, biarticular fracture; [multiple] ligaments hemorrhagic and torn.” Also: “grade-4 ulcers.” Total was two.
Splash Master, Apr 18, Keeneland R
“Pulled up acutely and severely lame: superficial digital flexor tendon extensively torn.” Also noted: “debris (track material) within the tissues.” Splash was four.
Tonalite, May 24, Churchill R
“Pulled up with catastrophic injury: [multiple] fractures, fetlock joint open.” More detail: “Severe soft tissue damage, resulting in protrusion of the [bone] through the flexor retinaculum and further through the skin; rupture of suspensory, intersesamoidian, and medial aspect of annular ligament; tearing of deep and superficial digital flexor tendons, lateral aspect of annular ligament, lateral branch of suspensory, and straight and oblique sesamoidian ligaments.” All that, and they still loaded poor Tonalite, four, into the ambulance before ultimately euthanizing. What’s more: “grade-4 ulcer disease.”
Super Rich Lady, May 26, HighPointe S
“7:20 pm: horse dull, abrasions left eyelid. 11:30 pm: horse deceased – mesenteric rent with small intestinal entrapment, mesenteric abscess.” Also noted: “autolysis precludes histologic examination.” Super was three.
Storms Home, Jun 1, Churchill T
“Pulled up with catastrophic injury: [multiple] fractures with luxation.” And: “Extensive soft-tissue damage, with rupture of intersesamoidian ligament and medial aspect of annular ligament, tearing of flexor retinaculum, superficial and deep digital flexor tendons, lateral aspect of annular ligament, suspensory ligament, lateral and medial branches of suspensory, and straight and oblique sesamoidian ligaments.” Or, leg destroyed. Also: The “carpal-joints severity score” was a 5 out of max 9. Storms was four.
RIP
The brutality against horses used and abused for racing including the training and the stall confinement must be exposed to the public in more places so that it is in everyone’s face instead of hidden.
I can’t say on this platform what I would like to say about this morally depraved and psychopathic bunch of people who participate in this inhumane so-called sport.