The chart notes for No Bien Ni Mal’s two most recent races:
Churchill, Sep 17: “battled through the stretch run to prevail at the wire then was transported off by the equine ambulance and also bled.”
Keeneland, Oct 24: “floated out to the six path entering the lane, weakened thereafter and was found to have bled.”
“Bled,” of course, means that this poor boy, just five, suffered pulmonary hemorrhage in back-to-back races. After the first bleed, the stewards report, No Bien “was placed on the See State Vet List.” Apparently, the State Vet saw and said get him back out there. No surprise, though, given No Bien’s pedigree and success. In fact, in “winning” that Sep 17 race, No Bien brought his exploiters over 50 grand, and the Keeneland race was a $350K Grade 3 (No Bien finished 7th, worth over $3K).
Also: Driver Brandon Cruse has appeared on our site several times (just this year) for animal abuse: here, here, here, here. That last ruling came with this: “This is Mr. Cruse’s 8th whipping violation in 2026 and 11th in the last calendar year. Future violations will result in more severe penalties.” For that “violation,” he was suspended 30 days.
With the above as background, this from last week: “Brandon Cruse is indefinitely suspended for financial irresponsibility. Cruse has failed to take care of his obligation to Harrington Raceway [and] is denied access to all facilities governed by the Delaware Racing Commission until he has satisfied this obligation.”
The moral of the story: Excessive beating of your horses is (mostly) fine, but we have zero tolerance for not paying your bills.
Yup, another case of ‘Follow the money’.
No price should ever be placed on a living being not a horse, not any animal, and not a human being. People were once bought and sold as property through the horrific institution of slavery, and that history reminds us of the importance of recognizing the dignity and worth of every life. A living being’s true value cannot be measured in dollars, prize money, or a sale price. Lives are not commodities, and worth is not a price tag. No horse should be reduced to a dollar amount, a prize, or a possession. Horses are living beings, not objects to be bought, sold, or valued for their winnings. Their lives are priceless.
This post clearly illustrates what so many of us have learned a long time ago. It’s all about the money. To hell with the horse and Animal Welfare!
Just look at the pictures of horses (on social media) used up by the racing industry and dumped into a livestock auction and the killbuyer is putting the horses up for “rescue” and/or resale. It’s all about the money. To hell with the horse and Animal Welfare!