The just-concluded 4th race at Mahoning: “Wonderful Justice off slow…suffered an injury after passing the 7/16 pole, pulled up, and was subsequently euthanized on the track.” Wonderful was five years old, and this was his 22nd time under the whip. His exploiters – Michael Friedman, Nestor Rivera – also had him “For Sale” moments before he was killed.
This is horseracing.
Jdoe, I completely agree with you that there is absolutely nothing glamorous about doping or shocking horses. It is not training. It is abuse.
In 1966, I discovered that horseracing as seen from the ground in person was not glamorous at all (but I was impressed at this one man who had taught his beautiful bay horse to drink clean water straight from the hose). I have not seen anyone else ever do that since. I was 13 years old at the time and was disillusioned at how NOT GLAMOROUS it was to watch and hear the jockeys yelling at the horses as they were coming out of the starting gate.
That one summer of racing in Lewiston, Idaho lost money. The racetrack was used for training only after that one summer of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing.
There is just nothing cool or glamorous about doping Thoroughbreds or ‘training’ the new crop of 2 year olds by hitting them with high voltage from hidden electrical shock devices at about the 1/2 mile pole in the early morning darkness.
WONDERFUL JUSTICE (GB) was sired by JUSTIFY, the winner of the Triple Crown in 2018. If the California Horse Racing Board was not so corrupt and if they had enforced the doping rules, JUSTIFY would have been disqualified from running in a key race, the Santa Anita Derby, worth points leading up to the Kentucky Derby.
If the CHRB would have done their job of regulating instead of being a party and a part to the cheating, Bob Baffert would not have been allowed to get away with the doping violations. Therefore JUSTIFY would not have been qualified to run in the Kentucky Derby. So it is a no-brainer that he would not have been a winner of the Triple Crown and not as valuable as a sire as he became even though the doping violations were made known. But, of course, the dishonest and corrupt members of the CHRB determined behind closed doors that the violation was the result of “environmental contamination” in order to cover their own asses as well. How convenient when you have the power to commit lawlessness and not be held accountable.
Having also been on the inside as well from 1977 until 2005 we have seen everything! Galloped 3 legged lame horses at a walk. Seen SWT used illegally on a mare until se broke both legs on the final day of the meet at Portland Meadows in 2004 in 2nd race. Heard how the riders agents would choose which horses their riders would ride amongst themselves. Heard this over the tracks backside PA system. Was shocked when I realized how the system really operated. Have seen many other things to repugnant to write!
The smirks, excuses, and whitewashing the deliberate abuse of horses is vomit-worthy to say the least. The most despicable thug smirk I can recall immediately is that of Bob Baffert and everyone that has a brain should know what a lying, cheating, horse-doper, and horse-killer he was and is.
Having been on the inside, I can assure you that at every track in America horses have been doped/electrocuted.
Those things happen in the dark shadows while nobody is looking.
Don’t let their clever smirks, ridiculous excuses and pretend integrity police fool ya.
And in the next race, the beautiful grey Cryo was sent out by his trainer to race and needed to be scratched during the post parade because he was 3 legged lame. The trainer was ok with him racing like that. A five-year-old horse dead on the track after being whipped for the 22nd time, literally listed for sale moments before he was killed. That tells you everything about how this industry sees these animals. Not as living beings but as disposable inventory. “Wonderful Justice” wasn’t wonderful to them. He was a tool and when he broke, they threw him away. This is industrial animal exploitation. Horse runs until he shatters. Another horse is visibly lame and sent out to race. Trainers and owners face what? A scratch? A fine? And tomorrow they’ll do it again. These horses don’t get to consent. They don’t get to say they hurt. And the industry keeps proving over and over that profit comes before life. RIP Wonderful Justice. You deserved protection and safety.
CRYO is a gelding with earnings of over $200,000 so, of course, he would be considered disposable in the eyes of the owner/trainer, Michelle Winters.
And in the next race, the beautiful grey Cryo was sent out by his trainer to race, and needed to be scratched during the post parade because he was 3 legged lame. She apparently was ok with him racing like that.