According to the NYS Gaming Commission, this happened to Shadow while training at Belmont Apr 24: “Horse experienced an idiopathic seizure, became loose on the track, then exited and knocked down a NYRA peace officer. Horse fell to the ground and was vanned to barn for evaluation.” I have now learned that Shadow was ultimately euthanized. She was barely two years old. Take a moment to contemplate this poor baby’s terror that day. We are so sorry, Shadow.
Also, this chart note for Forgotten Peace at Presque Isle Wednesday: “pulled up losing her action in distress, fell on the turn, was determined to have bled, and was transported off the track on the equine ambulance.” “In distress.” “Fell.” “Bled.” “Vanned off.” But wait, there’s more. In her most prior race, at PI Jul 8, the 9-year-old – yes, 9-year-old – Forgotten “bled and was vanned off.” The person most responsible for this abuse: trainer (and part owner) Tim Girten. Of further note: Girten and his fellow owners had purchased (in a “claim”) Forgotten back in Feb; these were her first two races since then.
Here is a clip of Forgotten “pulling up in distress” Wednesday:
RIP, Shadow and Forgotten.
It appears that Tim Girten, the trainer and part owner of this nine-year-old Thoroughbred mare, is using other people (as part owners) to cough up their money so he can continue his willful and deliberate abuse of FORGOTTEN PEACE. These people are diabolical in their moral depravity.
The willful, deliberate, premeditated and daily routine abuse and cruelty to Thoroughbred yearlings and two-year-olds is ABUSE, not horsemanship. To these despicable people the horses are a tax write-off among other things. The horses are a commodity to these heartless heathens. The fact that horses are sentient beings is disregarded by these evil people.
Elizabeth, You are so right in your observations—and one other thing about racing…..normally, a 9 year-old horse would just be entering her prime of life. In racing, a horse of 9 is generally in some phase of break down due to their early years of pounding and drugs. Horse racing destroys horses. Period.
This is heartbreaking and enraging. A 9-year-old mare, already showing signs of physical breakdown, was pushed back onto the track only weeks after collapsing and bleeding. To force her out again only to have her “in distress, fall, bleed, and be vanned off” isn’t bad luck, it’s deliberate cruelty.
The trainer and owners knew her condition. They claimed her, ran her twice, and both times she suffered. This is not horsemanship, it’s exploitation. Forgotten Peace deserved rest, safety, and dignity, not to be used up for someone’s purse money.
Every time a horse is “pulled up,” “bled,” or “vanned off,” the industry tries to sanitize it with euphemisms. But the reality is pain, fear, and neglect of a sentient being. Forgotten Peace’s story is yet another indictment of racing as a business model that chews horses up and discards them.