Saturday, in Charles Town’s 4th race, 8-year-old Sir Jock broke down and died. (Although Equibase stopped at “broke down,” I confirmed his death with the West Virginia vet’s office.) It was the gelding’s 82nd outing. 82nd. Here is how he…
The following, unless otherwise noted, were “vanned off” American tracks last week. Monday: 3-year-old Hold the Ransom, Turf, race 9 Tuesday: 3-year-old Western Prince (1st start), Zia, race 8 Wednesday: 3-year-old Gal About Town (after winning), Churchill, race 8 5-year-old…
Two Roses, an unraced 3-year-old filly, snapped her right front leg while “breezing” at Belmont yesterday and was euthanized on-track. This is Belmont’s third dead horse-in-training in the past week; to date, 32 Thoroughbreds have been killed racing or training…
Power of Eleven, yet another ill-fated 2-year-old, broke down yesterday at Golden Gate Fields and was killed. The colt was ridden by Abel Cedillo, trained by Lloyd Mason, and owned and bred by Mason and Robert Jones. While “breezing” at…
Arthur Hancock III is a world-renowned Thoroughbred owner and breeder, a member of racing royalty. In an op-ed published by the Paulick Report (11/23/13), Hancock had this to say about his cherished sport: “Sadly, the federal government’s compassion shown for…
Two horses were killed after collapsing in yesterday’s 7th race at Hamilton (Victoria, Australia). 6-year-old Leconi and 4-year-old Wantara go down at the 1:12 mark… Hamilton, race 7, 11/25/13
The following, unless otherwise noted, were “vanned off” American tracks last week. Tuesday: 2-year-old As High as the Sky, Beulah, race 1 3-year-old Fatherscountrygirl, Beulah, race 5 (“broke down”) 5-year-old Master Splash, Finger Lakes, race 2 (“in distress”) 6-year-old Mam…
Dashing Nic, two, was killed after finishing 8th in last evening’s 5th race (his fourth career start) at Evangeline Downs. The gelding was ridden by David Alvarez, trained by Robert Touchet, and owned by Clark Wayne Stout. Later in the…
This site is occasionally rebuked – by the racers, of course – for almost exclusively focusing on “bad news.” To which, I ask, have they read our “about” statement? In any event, I am not at all interested in hearing…
Two Thoroughbreds broke down Thursday: 7-year-old Hammurabi in a claiming race at Golden Gate Fields and 4-year-old Cat Tail Cutie in a claiming race at Remington Park. Earlier in the week, at Monticello Raceway, Standardbred John Henry broke a leg…
Racing’s biggest problem, according to the racers themselves, is the perception of a pervasive drug culture. They fret on this for good reason: The New York Times says (10/31/13), “Nearly four in five bettors — 79 percent — factored in…
I confess to not being interested in the perils of jockeyhood. It’s not that I don’t care about injured riders, just that what they do is entirely voluntary. Jockeys choose to risk life and limb for a paycheck; the horse,…