Chess Master, says the NYS Gaming Commission, “became ataxic, collapsed, and died” while exiting the training track at Belmont yesterday. This poor boy was nine, had already been put to the whip 55 times (including thrice at Saratoga this summer), and had earned his exploiters $524K in a “career” that began back in 2018. And still they wanted more.
The Delaware Park chartwriters have never been what I would call forthright where injured/dead horses are concerned. The past few days are illustrative. Last Saturday, says the Stewards Report, Blackwater Falls was “vanned off after the race”; his chart note: “raced near the back, never fired,” no mention of an ambulance. Same day, Discreet Ops was also “vanned off after the race”; her note: “tried to launch a bid…but was unable to improve.” Again, nothing about an ambulance.
Wednesday, No Need to Ask “flipped in the gate,” was injured, and “vanned off.” The chart simply said she was “scratched.” The stewards also relay that Ritz On Broadway was “lame in the post parade.”
Thursday, as already reported, Cardinale was killed. The stewards, however, add this detail: “Cardinale was euthanized on the track.” The chart? “Injured, transported off in ambulance.” Same day, this happened to Little Crybaby: “[the reins] broke in the horse’s mouth causing the horse to throw his [sic: her] head in the air.” For jockey Corey Mongan, it was “the second incident in two days”; the stewards promise a “meeting.”
And finally, the following horses were scratched for “illness” during the Delaware week: Muazarah, Nancy Made My Day, Salagadoola, Thousand Story’s, Curahee, Baby Bobby, Code Name Brody.
Wanda, that`s abominable of tho AQHA! We have handled stallions who we could lead by their forelock with no halter or lead rope needed. A fellow horseman had a very spirited Thoroughbred breeding stallion who he showed at halter only with a lead rope. He never used a chain around his horses nose. One of our friends sons used to ride him as well around their farm with just a halter & lead. Sadly, his son Austin at the way too young age of 40, was struck & killed by a semi truck after he was hit earlier by a drunk driver which disabled his small car. RIP Austin. Always leave yourself an “Out” when driving as I was taught by our high school driving instructor 50 years ago. That principal has saved our lives several times.
RIP
Fred and Joan, can you believe that the American Quarter Horse Association advocates using the chain over the nose for Halter Class horses?
I didn’t know that until recently when I looked it up online. An American Quarter Horse Association judge was offering instructions to people in the form of articles online. I couldn’t believe that the propensity to show abusive power over a horse could be so ingrained in the equine industry that it would be standard operating procedure and equipment for a gentle well-behaved horse.
Back in the late 1960s, NOBODY used chains over the nose when showing horses in the halter classes. It is so ridiculously unnecessary to show such cruel dominance over a gentle and well-behaved horse that has been handled and groomed and well fed for months and years.
Jdoe, Santa Anita sounds just like Portland Meadows before it closed in 2019. Free parking, admission & beer at reduced $$ on certain days sometimes even locally printed programs were passed out. Used to gallop horses in am at PM. Hated the ring bits, lip chains & severely over tightened too small girths that some trainers used. The abuse of the horses was why I quit in 2004 after > 20 years trying & finally being granted a legal license to ride. None of the Thoroughbreds here at this farm have never had lip chains, twitches or even chains around their nose.
Santa Anita is one of the most incredible entertainment venues in the country.
On Fridays they offer free parking, free admission, half price beer and wagering promotions. Yet the place is still 95% empty.
The horses all come over amped up in lip shanks, ring bits, and scared out of their goards.
There was even diarrhea on the path that leads to the paddock.
The track hosts then talk jokingly with owners over the loudpeakers about those ‘problem’ horses that keep acting up.
The business can spin all they want but the body language of horses is pleading with people to stay away.
To say the reins broke in her mouth is very strange since the reins should not be in the horse’s mouth at all ever, unless the jockey pulled so hard on one side that part of the bit came out of her mouth on one side pulling the rein on the other side into her mouth. It sounds like this jockey, Corey Mongan, is very heavy-handed! The thought of how much pain he has caused to the horses he rides and whips and jerks around by the mouth with the reins and bit makes me cringe to say the least.
Whoever came up with the name “Little Crybaby” for a Thoroughbred sounds like a sadistic, toxic, heartless heathen.
The attitude that horses can be treated roughly and without respect or kindness or empathy is standard operating procedure for horseracing.
#EndHorseracingNow