(Note: I had this post ready to go the day after Thanksgiving, but an initial report was changed, so I had to wait for confirmation from the KY Commission. That has come.)
Some 45 million turkeys were tortured and murdered for yesterday’s uniquely American holiday. If you thought horses were spared on this “day of thanks,” think again. Four Thoroughbred tracks were open for business yesterday, and at least one horse was killed in the process. At Churchill, Operation Sunrise “suffered a catastrophic injury to his right foreleg and was humanely euthanized.” He was three. Among the complicit: William Mott, Flavien Prat, and anyone who thought supporting (betting, attending, watching) this evil industry was the best way to spend Thanksgiving Day.
Agree 100% with you Marie & Wanda. We went plant based in 2004 after a racing accident & finding out of only having limited kidney function. Limited to < 50 grams protein daily will extend our function without complicated treatments. Have not eaten any turkey since 2003. The non-turkey replacement made here in Oregon is very good. Don`t forget to add Lucas & Stevens to the list of horse people abusing horses & Stevens has admitted on recordings to having used "Machines" on horses! Used to groom some of the horses when he was riding at Portland Meadows in the early 1980`s.
Would greedy rich people continue to dope, whip, race, and kill as many Thoroughbreds IF they were not allowed to use their financial losses of dead horses in this cruel industry as tax write-offs?
People are still going to be greedy and sadistic because it is part of the problem of being morally depraved.
However, it would not be as simple to profit from the cruelty to horses if the killing of horses by abusing them to death as gambling chips were not allowed to be used as a tax write-off, in my opinion.
Bill Mott is one of those trainers who got to the level where he is in the racing world by being ruthless as far treating horses as expendable objects and making it look like something to be desired to the woefully uninformed.
Bill Mott, Steven Asmussen, and Bob Baffert have been known to kill several horses and they are at the top levels of horseracing as far as this disgustingly deceitful industry of abusing horses goes.
Nearly 46 million turkeys are killed every year just for this one holiday. They’re raised in crowded industrial barns. Choosing plant-based dishes cuts down on that suffering and reduces your environmental footprint. Animal agriculture contributes about 14–15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Compassion that’s good for the planet, too. It’s amazing how much compassion we can add to the table just by choosing foods that don’t cause suffering. And the best part? Plant-based dishes are just as delicious.
It’s heartbreaking but not surprising to hear that another young horse just three years old lost his life for the sake of holiday entertainment and gambling revenue. Operation Sunrise’s death isn’t an isolated tragedy. And the real sorrow is that these horses have no say. They run because humans decide they will. They suffer because humans find it thrilling. They die because someone calculated that the profits were worth the risks.
What happened to Operation Sunrise is not a footnote. It’s a reminder that every bet, every attendance, every broadcast rating is part of the fuel that keeps this machinery of suffering running.