How did Valid Connection fare in the 2nd at Mountaineer last night? Well, here is what the box score says: “Valid Connection rallied into upper stretch, [took] a bad step nearing the wire, suffered a catastrophic injury and was euthanized on track.” And that’s that – just another young (four) athlete dying in the arena.
A couple of postscripts: Valid’s loving guardian, Jabdiel Castillo, had him “For Sale” (cheap: $3,200) moments before he died. Worse still, because Valid crossed the wire before he succumbed, Castillo walked away with $700.
This is horseracing.
The majority of people in the “horse business” prioritize the numbers in dollar amounts in a ledger, the profit/loss and the net worth statement, over the well-being and humane treatment of horses. For this reason, the claiming races offer a way for their owners to be involved in this so-called sport.
Even though it is disgusting as well as depressing and the horses suffer miserably even just in their stalls 23 hours a day and no matter how disgusting or inhumane the claiming races are, these lower tier horses would be sold into the slaughter pipeline sooner rather than later. It is an ugly alternative no matter what. It is the sickening reality of the “horse business” in any country.
We have always hated the claiming game! Always. Even back when we 1st started in 1977. We feel if a horse dies before or after the finish line any of those $$ should be given to horse rescues re-homing & treating those racehorses that have run.
That is the part people outside racing never see. A horse can die at the finish line and still be recorded as a paycheck. The fact that Valid Connection was reportedly listed for sale immediately before the race makes it even more transactional and grim. How can horseracing truly claim to prioritize animal welfare when fatal injuries remain an accepted risk and normalized? This is horseracing, and it’s morally bankrupt.