Through a FOIA request to the Colorado Dept. of Revenue, I have confirmed the following kills at Arapahoe Park in 2025. Note: Arapahoe had only 30 racedays last year.
Awestruck Bobbie, Sep 17, Arapahoe S
“Impaction/colic – dead on arrival [presumably the vet’s].” They add: “There was hemorrhage observed in the adrenal cortex; this is often observed in horses in septic/endotoxemia shock.” Awestruck was three and being prepped for his debut.
Jba Shesadynasty, Oct 12, Arapahoe S
“Severe, regionally-extensive pleuropneumonia – dead on arrival [presumably the vet’s].” Jba was but two and had been raced just eight days prior.
Indian Gambler, Oct 30, Arapahoe S
“Colic.” Indian was seven.
More Than Easy, Nov 10, Arapahoe S
“Chronic and ongoing lameness.” Also, listed as “incidental”: “parasitic organisms [roundworms].” Also: “chronic lymphoplasmacytic and eosinophilic colitis.” More Than Easy was five and had been raced 26 times, most recently Sep 13. That poor boy.
Heartbreaking says it all, Elizabeth.
The regulars here have heard me say before if you can’t afford children or animals then DON’T HAVE THEM. How can someone not drop a few dollars and give up a nightly Coors to give a dependent creature preventative medicine to keep them comfortable. It disgusts me.
Right, Elizabeth. The abuse and the neglect is so ongoing that it makes me wonder if there’s a regulatory vet in Colorado.
Or, do the morally depraved human beings who are considered the Arapahoe racetrack “management” just get a dog and cat veterinarian to sign off on anything and everything that is horrendously wrong as though the “rules” of proper care were being followed??? Or, do they just pay a moral degenerate with a college degree in “veterinary medicine” under the table to pass every horse no matter what condition the four-legged gambling chip is in???
A regulatory veterinarian worth a grain of salt would have done something to put a stop to the heinous neglect of proper routine health checks. These horses were deprived of routine health care as if the daily routine abuse of horses exploited for this “sport of sociopathic greed” for morally bankrupt human beings wasn’t sadistic enough!
This carnage at Arapahoe racetrack makes me think of the unregulated racetracks. It is heinous cruelty to horses to make them suffer this much and for the entire life of each horse.
These sadistic people belong in prison.
The level of utter incompetence and stupidity on display from the racing industry when it comes to even the basic care of horses is infuriating. None of these people should be let within 100 miles of a living sentient creature that will have to live in pain and die in agony because of them.
More Than Easy was his name and yet nothing about his life sounded easy. “Chronic and ongoing lameness” isn’t a bad day or a minor setback. It means he was living in sustained pain for a long time. Add to that roundworms and chronic inflammatory colitis and you’re looking at a horse whose body was under constant assault. He wasn’t just sore. He was suffering. Five years old. Twenty-six races. His last one less than two months before this report.
He was still being asked to run while his body was clearly failing him. More Than Easy deserved rest, relief, and care not to be pushed until there was nothing left to give. It’s devastating to think how much he must have endured in silence. That was heartbreaking to read.
These horses suffered from severe neglect as well as severe abuse from what would be considered “licensed trainers” in Colorado, which is all the more reason that exploiting horses for racing and gambling should be banned.