Yesterday in Ohio, “The Sport of Kings” was a five-horse $2,500 claiming race worth $3,000. And now we learn that one of the five, 6-year-old Caverna, never made it out of the arena alive – catastrophic condylar fracture, gone. The…
On racing’s egregious meter, steeplechasing is practically unsurpassed. These are the kinds of races you watch with an expectation of horses falling – and breaking. This past Saturday saw the 118th running of the Maryland Hunt Cup, a 4-mile race…
5-year-old Cuban Devil died in the 5th race at Atlantic City last night. His last six starts prior to Sunday – all under trainer/owner Bryant Taylor: 12/30/13, claiming race at Parx, 10th of 11 01/12/14, claiming race at Parx, last…
The following racehorses were casualties on American tracks last week: Monday Bojax, Turf, race 2, vanned off Tuesday Bubba Blitz, Beulah, race 7, “in apparent distress” Wednesday Successful Review, Evangeline, race 3, vanned off Genuine Windi Dash, Turf, race 2,…
I was able to confirm that 4-year-old Marcelino Springs, who was reported as broke down/vanned off yesterday at Golden Gate (race 8), is dead. The complicit connections: jockey Catalino Martinez, trainer Doug Utley, owner John Battle, breeder Russell Drake. To…
Just before midnight this past Monday, Standardbred Southwind Tabor died after breaking a fetlock in the 12th race at Yonkers. He was driven by Brian Sears and trained by Michael Sorentino. NY’s 2014 Death Toll: 26.
Facts, as the great John Adams once said, are stubborn things; J.R. Anderson’s new book, The Fancy Hat Veneer, is teeming with stubborn things, none of which are good for the industry at the heart of her probe – horseracing.…
Abuse arrives in various forms: On January 10th at Turfway in Kentucky, trainer David Hunt (for Wanda Ward) took his 6-year-old mare Pass Me a Drink into battle, battle, in this case, being a horserace worth $7,500. Four days later…
This comment from Joy Aten, one of our “Shedrow Secrets” contributors, was so poignant that I felt it needed to stand as a post. “Believe it or not, I am by nature not someone who likes to argue…in fact, I…
From Wayne County, NY comes word of an animal cruelty seizure involving, among others, 16 horses in various debased conditions. Wayne County Investigator Tom Littlefield (WHAM): “Faced with that [bad hay and moldy corn] the horses have nothing left to…
The following racehorses were casualties on American tracks last week: Monday Smokin Armadillo, Will Rogers, race 8, “collapsed after the race,” vanned off Tuesday Shes a Silvertrain, Charles Town, race 2, bled Here Comes Drz, Charles Town, race 6, confirmed…
I was able to confirm that 5-year-old Here Comes Drz was euthanized after breaking down Tuesday at Charles Town. Here is the career claimer’s recent history: On September 14th of last year, Here Comes Drz is sold by Our Sugar…
