Nicole on the Mess That is U.S. Racing – and Why We Must Never Let Up

This morning, a guest post from our indomitable executive director, Nicole…

“‘Horseracing News’ this week is as much about us as it is about them”
by Nicole Arciello

The Horseracing Industry found a way to elevate itself to the top of news cycle this week with misleading and at times nonsensical headlines like:

“Horse racing’s Triple Crown May Be Dead.”

“Governor Moore Doubles Down on Preakness Deal Amid Uncertainty Over Race.”

“Preakness, Pimlico left out of new race series by Churchill Downs, Belmont”

But, I ask, would this be happening if not for the efforts of animal rights activists?

The answer is yes, and no. Yes, horseracing is already in decline. The heavy taxpayer subsidization proves it. But we shouldn’t underestimate our collective impact on speeding up the process of its end.

What the heck (is really) going on?

To quickly summarize the events of this past week: Churchill Downs Inc.(CDI) was butthurt over the state of Maryland swooping in to purchase the rights to the Preakness – right out from under them. So, in quick retaliation, CDI and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) put together a new six-race “championship series,” issuing a press release that blatantly left out Maryland, Pimlico and the Preakness. You see, the first two races in the new series will be the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, respectively, then back to Churchill, then 4th and 5th at Saratoga (where NYRA probably wishes they could keep the Belmont Stakes forever because they know the Belmont rebuild is going to flop, hard), then back to the final race in Churchill.

Then, yes, there is “Moore” (I couldn’t resist the pun). Maryland Governor Wes Moore had to move quickly as he was quite blindsided (and still reeling from not being invited to the Governor’s party at the Derby this year). I mean, he had to do something. After all, he spent $85 million (“Moore” taxpayer money) on purchasing the Preakness – add this to the $95 million MD horseracing receives in taxpayer handouts annually, plus the nearly $600 million in public money that is currently tied up in the rebuilding of Pimlico and a new training facility.

Moore moved the Preakness out 8 days. To Memorial Day weekend. On a Sunday. Let the infighting resume! I wonder who told him that NYRA has been a diaper-baby about moving the Belmont Stakes out all these years, but this gets way too much into the weeds about horseracing and I’ve probably gone too far anyway.

So back to us activists!

Jason Lloyd’s commentary in the NYT’s “The Athletic” Saturday, “New Thoroughbred series might be path to revitalizing Triple Crown, saving horse racing,” was the closest thing to the truth that I’ve seen all week in the news.

Mr. Lloyd opens with this: “This isn’t about six races. It’s about survival. If it feels like the Thoroughbred Championship Series – a six-race competition announced jointly this week by Churchill Downs and the New York Racing Association – is a Hail Mary attempt to save horse racing from national extinction, well, it just might be true.”

Here is where we activists need to pay attention:

“Given the financial woes, coupled with the animal rights groups that continue to dent the sport’s economics, it’s fair to wonder what form horse racing will take in another 25 years. Activists have not directly led to the demise of horse racing, but they have certainly accelerated the process by highlighting the sport’s doping scandals [see this] and amplifying images of animal mistreatment [see this] to a generation more sensitive to animal suffering for entertainment purposes.”

If you needed a reminder about how effective animal advocacy is, it’s great to see it in The New York Times. We are changing the narrative by exposing the truth; we are changing how people see horseracing.

Let’s take a trip back in time.

When Patrick and I started to build Horseracing Wrongs in 2013, I wondered why more animal rights activists weren’t aware of horseracing. Many thoughts came to mind. Most people are not regularly exposed to horseracing. While racing exists in about 37 states, most of these states do not have a Saratoga or Del Mar (read: a hyped-up social scene connected to racing). Most states have “cheap tracks” with “old men with their cigars and racing forms” languishing about. There are no fancy hats and mint juleps at Mountaineer or Finger Lakes.

Maybe the only thing horseracing that animal activists really knew was the Kentucky Derby, and even then, the horses were “worth millions of dollars” and they were always being “bathed and brushed,” so maybe they thought the horses were all right?

Now, I’m not throwing shade here. I went to Saratoga Race Course as a child and as a young adult. It wasn’t until I went vegetarian, without even dipping my foot into animal rights activism, that I had a second thought – and stopped going to the track. I thought, “This involves animals. I’m no longer eating animals. I probably shouldn’t go there.” (Note: I have been vegan since 2009.)

And even animal rights groups would, it seemed, just do an obligatory “Boycott the Derby” or something like that on their social media feeds that first week of May each year. Which further explains why it was mostly left out of the animal rights world.

That’s where education comes in, right? At Horseracing Wrongs, we researched (through public records), and talked to experts. We educated ourselves, then each other (fellow activists) and then everyone else.

Now back to today.

Here we are with 51 tracks closing since 2000, new track proposals being shut down in multiple states, with one that concluded with an activist-led ban on horseracing (and dogracing) in the City of Leominster, MA!

There are activists protesting at tracks in New York, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, New Jersey, California, Florida, Delaware, Pennsylvania. People are taking action on the Horseracing Wrongs Action Group on Facebook. We have allies in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Norway. Heck, we even helped an organization start up in India!

And we keep the fight for the horses in the news, too. Just this year HW has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, NBC Louisville, Harpers and many more.

We are making progress and we have to keep going. Now more than ever.

Look, I get it, maybe it’s not happening fast enough for a lot of us. I think that we have to remember that this fight is still young. It’s only been 13 years since we – a dedicated organization working to end horseracing – have been out there. But even in this short time a lot of progress has been, and is being, made. Progress happens not just because of the existence of HW; it’s because of all of you – the activists make it possible.

One of my favorite memories was in 2018 when a group of us in Horseracing Wrongs shirts traveled to New York City to take part in the Animal Rights March. When a couple of us unrolled the big red and white “Horseracing Kills Horses” banner, we were stunned to see people come out of nowhere with cameras, taking photos and video of us and our banner. I knew that day that after suffering in silence and dying unnoticed for over 150 years, the horses used for racing were finally represented. They would now have a consistent, dedicated voice right alongside all other exploited animals. People would be thinking of them, caring about them and fighting for them. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Remember the Who: The Horses

The horses are “who” we need to be thinking about when we feel like we aren’t making progress, or the progress isn’t coming fast enough. They are scared, lonely, suffering mental and physical anguish, and dying painful, horrific deaths – all for gambling and entertainment. We can’t give up on them. We mustn’t.

So let this news involving horseracing be a motivation. This isn’t about giving them more “good press.” It’s actually the opposite. The industry is showing its hand. They are forced to find that “Hail Mary attempt to save horse racing from national extinction,” and air their dirty laundry along the way, too.

When I volunteered as an assistant basketball coach years ago, I told my students: Watch the hips, not the ball. The industry is jerking the ball in all directions, but their hips are remaining in place. They can’t find a clear pass.

So, stop watching the ball. Stop thinking this industry is too big to fail. Giving up isn’t the answer. Re-energizing, recommitting ourselves is.

As activists, we know there are people who just don’t care about animals at all. There are just some who only care about their selfish lives. But do those people even matter? Nope. It’s the rest of the American public that we are focused on – and have been educating and reaching for the past 13 years.

These are the same people that racing is hoping to lure in. But they are too late. What kind of carrot could they possibly dangle in front of these people? Like I said to an apologist recently in a comment on social media: “It’s too late, people know about the cruelty. They know horses are dying. You can’t put that toothpaste back in the tube.”

Look, Mr. Lloyd can’t even find a way to prove the title of his commentary. He illustrates it again in his last lines: “Can it save the industry? That’s a tougher ask. There are a lot of empty pews to fill.”

Activists, we still have a lot of work to do. We need to keep the momentum going. We need to continue to educate. Continue to protest. Continue to reach out to our elected officials. The horses can’t wait. We can’t rest until they can.

For many reasons, Patrick and I are fans of Ulysses S. Grant. I appreciate Grant most for not caring what the enemy was up to. He cared only about keeping up the pressure and moving forward.

Here is one of my favorite Grant quotes:

“Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what Lee is going to do. Some of you always seem to think he is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what we are going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do.”

Look, they will probably get some sort of resolution to this. They will try the 6-race series. They might even straighten out the Triple Crown. But what do we care? This is about the horses and the horses only. I don’t much care what “racing” will do today or any other day. The mission is to free the horses from suffering. And we are making progress – loads of it. After all, we have the truth on our side.

Ways to get involved:

Join the Horseracing Wrongs Action Group on Facebook.

Take the Pledge to Boycott Horseracing.