I have confirmed that 4-year-old Boccaccio was euthanized on the track after breaking down in the 8th last night at Charles Town. At the time of her death, the filly was still being whipped at the maiden claiming level. This…
By practically every measure, football is the most brutal of American sports, a game of full-contact ferocity played at a warp speed by modern-day gladiators. That said, how many NFL players do you suppose died on the field this past…
I have confirmed that 5-year-old Kathy’s Limit is dead after breaking down in the 6th last night at Charles Town. In her eight most recent times under the whip, Kathy’s Limit did not once finish higher than fourth. This is…
Bigreds Thrillshow’s first race back after being inactive for almost a year (reason unknown) was also his last, as the 5-year-old was killed at Golden Gate on September 6. In a “career” that spanned 24 races, Bigred never once ascended…
Monday is one of America’s two lightest racing days, with only a handful of tracks live. Now with that as background, consider what happened yesterday: Three horses were ambulanced off at “The Downs Racetrack & Casino” (New Mexico); two at…
The following horses were casualties on American racetracks last week: “Broke Down” – racing-speak for dead; “Collapsed and Died”; “Euthanized” Dark Brahms, Columbus “Vanned Off” – carted away by ambulance, better-than-even chance dead Gar, Belterra Tirpitz, Del Mar (subsequently confirmed…
The California Horse Racing Board has disclosed the death of 3-year-old Michelle Noelle in an August 30 race at Ferndale (Humboldt County Fair) – “compound fracture of the FR sesamoids.” It was the filly’s ninth time under the whip. This…
The report card is in for Saratoga ’15, and all is rave. From the NYRA website: “The 2015 season at Saratoga Race Course was truly fabulous and is one which we won’t soon forget. Our fans enjoyed 40 days of…
At Belterra Park yesterday afternoon (Equibase): In the 3rd, Ladies Drink Free “drew off late under constant urging [whipping].” In the 5th, Agile Wonder “was under constant handling [whipping] to the wire.” In the 6th, Fayegotaway “stopped and was vanned…
The Associated Press recently ran a story on racino subsidies (our previous posts on the subject) for the racing industry, explaining how these subsidies translate to corporate welfare for an inexorably declining industry. (This decline has two root causes: competition…
Sunday afternoon at Emerald, 2-year-old Lookin for Luck, being whip-raced for the very first time, “fell” and was “vanned off” (Equibase). The track’s site, of course, has no word on the filly’s condition, just that the jockey broke his wrist.…
In an altogether fitting end to its summer meet, Del Mar lost yet another horse yesterday. After “falling” and being “vanned off” in the 3rd, 3-year-old Tirpitz was, according to Fox Sports, euthanized back in the barn. (Fox, of course,…
