Through a FOIA request to the PA Dept. of Agriculture, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks last year (this is part 2; part 1 here – 66 kills in total). As always, the packet came with this: “Your request is granted in part and denied in part. PDA has withheld records related to necropsy reports as they are exempt from disclosure by law.” So, detail is lacking (I’ve supplemented with chart notes where possible).
Echo Echo, Mar 12, Penn T – “injured, euthanized” (still just one year old)
Jw’s Third Mischie, May 20, Parx T – “injured, euthanized” (already been raced 96 times)
Can’t Stop a Chub, Jul 22, Parx R – “suffered catastrophic injury…euthanized”
Bella Artiste, Jul 24, Penn R – “sustained injury, transported off, euthanized”
Promiseland A, Aug 11, Pocono R – “sudden death”
Napolitan, Aug 16, Parx T – “injured, euthanized”
Supreme Mind, Aug 20, Parx R (euth Aug 21) – “injured, euthanized”
Yes Sir Colonel, Sep 20, Parx R – “collapsed – sudden death” (66th race) (video here)
Annieworkstoomuch, Sep 23, Parx R – “stumbled badly – sudden death”
Civil Notion, Oct 14, Parx R – “injured on the turn…euthanized”
Motion Potion, Oct 14, Presque Isle T – “injured, euthanized” (being prepped for first race)
Merrychill, Oct 15, Parx R – “injured, pulled up, euthanized”
Day of Days, Oct 21, Parx S – “illness, euthanized”
Tik Or Tak, Oct 21, Penn T – “injured, euthanized” (two years old)
Red Lite District, Oct 27, Presque Isle S – “illness, euthanized”
Bucks Some, Dec 1, Parx R – “injured, transported off, euthanized”
Awesome Harry, Dec 4, Penn R – “injured, transported off, euthanized” (video here)
Practical Coach, Dec 10, Parx R – “transported off in ambulance, euthanized”
Quilling, Dec 12, Penn T – “injured, euthanized”
Track of My Tears, Dec 17, Parx T – “injured, euthanized”
Omey Island, Dec 23, Parx R – “injured on the turn, pulled up, euthanized”
Patronus Star N, Dec 26, Meadows T – “injured, euthanized”
Bobby the Tank, Dec 26, Parx T – “injured, euthanized”
Since Jan 1, 2014, when Horseracing Wrongs began the unprecedented work of reporting kills in the U.S. horseracing industry, 1,027 (that we know about) horses have perished at PA tracks. That’s 1,027 beautiful, intelligent, sensitive beings sacrificed for nothing more than $2 bets and frivolous entertainment. Are we not better than this, America?
The State of Pennsylvania should redirect monies to the welfare of the citizens in the residence and take away monies from a sad sport called horseracing. There are major needs in the state that must be addressed sooner rather than later.
They consolidated the state racing commission with the Department of Agriculture in 2016 due to a 71% drop in wagering causing ” financial difficulties” and inefficiencies in “integrity”.
1028 is a staggering number and even more staggering when you remember each one was an individual, not a statistic. We cannot be comfortable with the idea that over a thousand horses died on Pennsylvania tracks in just a decade.
I live in western Pennsylvania although not originally from here. So when I realized horses in PA were considered “livestock,” I questioned it, too. The following are not my thoughts but reflect outdated PA law. Horses are legally classified as livestock under multiple sections of PA state law, not as companion or recreational animals. That single categorization has major effects on which agency has authority, which cruelty statutes apply, and what level of transparency the public gets. Historically and legally, horses have been treated as agricultural working animals in PA for over two centuries, and modern statutes simply inherited that framework rather than redesigning it for modern uses like racing. Legally, horses were grouped with animals that had economic and agricultural utility. That grouping became embedded in property law, agricultural law,
veterinary regulation, and animal health and disease control. Those statutes still exist today, largely intact. When modern animal cruelty laws were drafted, lawmakers did not rewrite agricultural classifications. If Pennsylvania reclassified horses as non-livestock or a special category, law makers believed that would affect agricultural tax law, veterinary regulation, transport rules, breeding and sales law, farm liability protections, racing oversight structure, and cruelty enforcement jurisdiction. Racing is considered an agricultural/ equine industry. The law still reflects horses in 1850, not what they are today. Racing still operates inside that outdated legal architecture.
It’s interesting and disgusting that they can pick and choose which laws to abide by in Pennsylvania regarding the abuse and killing of racehorses in Pennsylvania.
Why is the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture keeping/ maintaining records over horses abused to death on racetracks?
Why is it not a “racing and gaming commission” disclosing the names of the racehorses exploited and killed at racetracks???
Agriculture is separated from racing and gaming (gambling) in other states.
It appears to be quite convenient for these people in Pennsylvania “overseeing” the exploitation of horses as gambling chips to flush the laws regarding Animal Cruelty down the toilet in Pennsylvania, BUT abide by “the law of” we can’t disclose the gruesome injuries to the horses we abuse to death through the necropsy reports…