Chart notes from U.S. Thoroughbred and Quarterhorse races last week. “Vanned Off,” “Equine Ambulance”: Horse unable to walk off track under own power. While fates remain unknown at this time, we will eventually get death confirmations on many, if not most, through our FOIA reporting. “Bled”: pulmonary hemorrhage. “DNF”: did not finish.
Idyll Gossip “bled [Commission said, ‘visible bleeding’], vanned off” at Finger Lakes
Dos Zensation “fell, vanned off” at Grants Pass
Don’t Blink Twice “transported off via ambulance” at Louisiana
Chaste One “fell, transported off via ambulance” at Louisiana
Smokey Places “injured himself in starting gate” at Parx
Crossed Up “removed from track via ambulance” at Thistledown
Annieworkstoomuch “vanned off” at Parx
Rusty My Brother “reared, hit gate, [did not race]” at Presque Isle
Strapped “transported off via ambulance” at Aqueduct
Heart of Stone “was slammed, clipped heels, DNF” at Horseshoe
Square Baby “bled, transported off via ambulance” at Gulfstream
Midknight Ryder “pulled up, ambulance” at Prairie
Remaining Nameless “pulled up, ambulance” at Prairie
Clintsbuckeye “transported on ambulance” at Belterra
Rosies Cornet “went wrong, transported from track in ambulance” at Delaware
Micro Brewsky “transported off in ambulance” at Meadowlands
Painted Tres Sign “ambulance” at Prairie
Favor to You “transported off via ambulance” at Santa Anita
Silver Prospector “fell, DNF” at Shawan
Garrison Forest “fell, DNF” at Shawan
Presence of Mind “fell, DNF” at Shawan
The Red Fox “fell, DNF” at Shawan
Made to Be Lucky “collided with a loose horse, DNF” at Shawan (see this)
Take Charge Tom “ambulanced off” at Remington
September 27 Micro Brewsky stumbled and jockey Carol Cedano fell and was trampled by horses following them. Jockey was hospitalized. I have been searching for the horse’s condition. Apparently, he stepped in a hole on the track and was seriously injured. No surprise he was euthanized. Pathetic and disgusting.
Knowing the various internal injuries, including ulcers and degenerative joint disease among many others, that race horses suffer from, it is absolutely impossible for me to enjoy watching horses run at a full gallop while also being whipped by a jockey. It’s also a reality that horses are shocked with electric shock devices. They use different names for the small hand-held electric shock devices but in the unregulated racing videos, the jockeys wear them on their wrists like a watch.
Trainers can use electric cattle prods to “train” young and underdeveloped colts and fillies, especially Quarter Horses, to jump out of the gate fast. It is not horsemanship; it is abuse. Knowing more about how much these horses are forced to suffer is not anything I can enjoy.
When I think about how much horses suffer from being confined to a box stall with no outdoor pen, paddock, or corral to get any kind of free exercise or grazing, it is extremely disturbing. Horses are not cars and they should not be “parked” in a stall for 23 hours until the next time they are taken out to be whipped around a racetrack and overexerted.
Then there is the doping with painkillers and performance enhancers. The more you know, the more you cringe. It doesn’t help the horses for people to be ignorant of what it is really like for the horses.
Have you ever watched a big Thoroughbred confined to a dark stall with a mental health disorder called weaving? That is only part of the various abnormal behaviors horses are forced to suffer from in this inhumane so-called sport.
I will have an update on Take Charge Tom when we receive our FOIA request, Nancy. That said, please take some time on our site (particularly the state-by-state death reports in the “Categories” drop-down, and this general overview of the “wrongs”). The evidence here is overwhelming. Horseracing is inherently cruel and inevitably deadly. Also, uncomfortable to hear as it is, watching (like betting on and attending) horseracing is supporting horseracing. Thank you. – Patrick
RIP
Please update me on Take Charge Tom. And I had no idea so many horses were injured or died, weekly. I’m not a race better; I just love watching races, but this is too much. Makes me worry more about Thorpedo Anna.
I was hoping to watch Coal Battle yesterday, but he was scratched, even after running a “bullet” workout a few days before the race. It seems like maybe Lonnie Briley is very careful with his horses. Hope so.
Thank you