The following horses were injured in U.S. races last week and had to be removed from the track by “equine ambulance.” While fates remain unknown at this time, please know we will eventually get kill confirmations on many if not most via our FOIA reporting.
Crystal Bandit at Turf
The Kid Pataky at Horseshoe (also fell – video here)
Merlin the Red at Will Rogers (also fell)
Mister Kelly at Horseshoe
Clapping at Charles Town
Fanci Fancy at Sunray
Bella Coco at Tampa Bay
Utsira at Fonner
Could Be a Cougar at Laurel
Dixie at Oaklawn (also fell)
Celebrity Girl at Sunray (also fell)
And then there were these victims, not reported as ambulanced, but…
Emm Ess Eh “bled” at Mahoning
Tobin Lee “trampled a fallen foe [the dying High Go], DNF” at Keeneland
Sapphire Beach “bled” at Keeneland
Lightup Lightup “fell, DNF” at Blue Ridge
Deputy A. P. “crashed into wing, DNF” at Blue Ridge
Include It “hit rail, fell, DNF” at Monkton
Jd Dashing Damsel “bled” at Remington
Scottie Jo “fell over rival [Celebrity Girl], DNF” at Sunray
There was also this note for the 5th at Fonner Friday: “The beginning of the race was delayed approximately 20 minutes due to unruly horses at the gate resulting in three separate scratches.” “Unruly horses” – vile.
For any new confirmed kills from last week, see our running annual list.
S. J. Kennedy, regarding your comment praising the skill level of an outrider capable of grabbing a racehorse by the ear at a gallop sounded like you were advocating *for* horseracing rather than *against* it which created confusion in my mind, therefore I had to ask. Thank you for sharing your voice and I welcome your comments.
For the edification of Ms. Diamond, I was referencing how experienced the personnel of yesteryear were trained to save lives. That outrider saved a Jock’s life and definitely the life of the horse because the bridle broke and the jock was holding on to his mount’s mane to survive. Secondly, where was your voice about horses dying on vans without fire extinguishers when their was that horrendous fire on a state thruway in Kentucky and horses lost their lives because the crew didn’t know how to get to the horses without extinguishers. Thirdly, the emphasis on the posting was horse racing is nothing more than Equine Murder Inc. Hope this clarifies my posting for you. I suggest that instead of finding reasons to critique free expression you focus on the the horrors imposed on horses and start doing proactive service in solving the problem rather than being an adversary to people who serve their community with intelligence and dedication.
Edit: *… certainly changes things. What a difference fifty or sixty years makes for me in learning the hardcore reality of this ruthless industry.
Raymond, well said. Being naive in childhood is one thing. But being naive in adulthood is quite another thing. This sharing of the facts from the industry’s own reports certainly chang
Who is the worst – the greedy owner or the ruthless trainer, – or the public punter who puts money on the horses knowing only too well the horses chances of survival in a race? Take a child to the races and they are hooked. They won’t hear the truth about racing and it’s awful staff. They simply assume all stable staff are kind horse lovers, just like the staff who run greyhound racing love their dogs as well.
Are you kidding me that “the best ever catch” by an outrider of a racehorse was by the ear??? Was that your brand of sarcasm or are you serious? I have to ask because grabbing the ears of a horse is very cruel manhandling of a horse.
I understand that there are lots of people who claim to be horsemen or cowboys who are very skilled at manhandling horses and making it look cool to people who enjoy the use of force against horses as entertainment.
There are jockeys who are very skilled at whipping the hell out of horses. That’s one of the reasons some of them are hired by trainers who just want to get purse money regardless of how much pain and suffering the very skilled whipping and shocking causes the horses.
The first Saturday in May will be a circus of skilled doping, whipping, and shocking of racehorses in Kentucky. This will be a Grade One circus of horrors.
3 horses acting up at the gate resulting in 3 scratches and a 20 minute delay? Where are inept these monkey crews coming from??? Are these assistant starters former employees of the Barnum and Bailey School of Cruelty experts? This is not incompetence this is criminal abuse of hopped up horses, improperly schooled but okayed to race so that races could be filled, too many riders using the buzzers and horses are leery of getting hurt once the gate springs open? The fatalities are regularly occurring n the paddock, in the stall, at the gate, dying on the walk back to the barn from training sessions, etc. etc. etc. And, lets not overlook no fire extinguishers on vans, no defibrillators at the stable or on the vans either.
And, some of the outriders these days are the total picture of mediocrity. In the past years one actually received massive media acclaim despite the fact that three attempts were made before the outrider managed to grab the reins….just didn’t have the saddle skills to handle the situation.
In the days of the 1960s days people were hired for their talent and expertise on a horse…nowadays it must be a requisite that cooperative attitude is more important than ability to do the job with expertise, dexterity and intelligence.
Best ever catch of a horse occurred at Cranwood Racetrack in Ohio in the 60s. The outrider did a superlative catch….caught the horse by the ear! Now that is a catch that should have received public acclaim and notice, but then experts don’t need to be lauded they just do their jobs with humility and talent. And, what is even more disgraceful is that all the ones who claim their famous ones loved horses and who occupy honored places in the Hall of Fame at Saratoga are keeping their mouths shut on the criminal abuse and deaths of horses. Horse Racing is not a sport—it is in reality cold blooded murder of horses done with impunity and with the consent of apathetic humanity. Rename the sport for what it is – Equine Murder, Inc.