“The left tibia is shattered…numerous fragments.”

By Patrick Battuello | August 24, 2021

Through a FOIA request to the Maryland Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks thus far this year. (Because the details, including vet testimony, are so powerful – and damning – I will post in multiple installments so as to give each death its proper due.)

Holly Blame, Mar 29, Laurel S
“The horse developed an infection in his left front foot…treated for six months, with several medications. The horse started to bleed…and then developed laminitis. Euthanized due to the severity of laminitis with 10 degrees of rotation.”

Dr. Daniel (commission vet): “My concern with this situation is that this is the second horse from this trainer’s barn that has had to be euthanized under the same circumstances. I have suggested to his treating veterinarians that [Jose] Corrales and his help may need educating on proper foot care.”

Imagine that: a professional racehorse trainer “may need educating on proper foot care.”

Scoreswhenhewants, Mar 30, Laurel T
“When the horse reached the quarter pole, [he] broke down: complete, comminuted fracture, [numerous] fragments; extensive muscle damage and hemorrhage. Degenerative joint disease [all four limbs].”

Scores had just turned five. He also, by the way, had had prior surgery – in same limb that broke down – with three metal pins inserted.

Dreamingofsavannah, Apr 3, Laurel T
“Filly was toward the end of her breeze when she broke down. The left tibia is shattered…numerous fragments. There is acute hemorrhage in both [italics added] hind limbs. The acute traumatic damage to the RH fetlock joint and surrounding tendons is very interesting; we wonder if that damage might have occurred a step or two prior to the catastrophic step(s) that resulted in the tibial fracture.”

Also: “There is chronic degenerative joint disease in both left and right radiocarpal joints and in all four fetlock joints.” And: “Chronic ulcers in squamous mucosa [stomach] and acute stress ulcers in glandular mucosa.”

Dreaming was just three years old and had yet to be raced (i.e., all that “chronic joint disease” was strictly the result of training).

“Due to economics or lack of concern, Norma Jean was not adequately managed for pain.”

By Patrick Battuello | August 23, 2021

I’mthekatsmeow, Jan 13, Pimlico T
“This horse had been in training at Pimlico. She developed swelling…from the ankle up to at least the knee. No treatment helping…hair sloughing off. The owner has decided to put the mare down before she may founder.”

RF leg: “severe, chronic, active degenerative joint disease”
LF leg: “fractured bone; chronic degenerative joint disease; acute cartilage necrosis”
both hind fetlocks: “moderate chronic degenerative joint disease”
stomach: “chronic ulcers”
adrenal glands: “acute cortical hemorrhages”

Re-read that, and now consider that I’mthekatsmeow was only four years old.

Norma Jean, Feb 20, Laurel T (euthanized Feb 25)
“On February 20, the horse breezed…and returned to her barn. At that point, they noticed that the horse appeared lame. On Thursday the 25th, the horse was found down in the stall. Dr. Lockard determined [she] had suffered an open, comminuted tibia fracture. After consultation, [she] was euthanized.”

Dr. Daniel (commission vet): “I walked past the stall of Norma Jean and noticed that she was down in sternal recumbency on her left side. She did appear to be painful and kept looking back at her hind quarters, much like a horse with colic would. It was shortly after this that Norma Jean was euthanized and the diagnosis of a tibia fracture was made. I believe that she got down during the night and when she tried to get back up, her tibia…shattered completely. I wish that we had known about this lameness prior to this day. I also am concerned that, due to economics or lack of concern, Norma Jean was not adequately managed for pain on the morning of the 25th.”

“Due to economics or lack of concern, Norma Jean was not adequately managed for pain.” Bastards. Norma Jean was just two years old, a baby.

Gravity’s Rainbow, Mar 7, Laurel R
“Filly broke down around the 3/4 pole, shattering her left cannon bone. There is a compound fracture and the distal limb is dangling from strips of skin and tendon. The open wound and exposed surfaces are coated with sand. The cannon bone is shattered into three major fragments and multiple (>20) small fragments. [Both] front fetlocks [had] chronic cartilage erosion.”

Dr. Daniel (commission vet): “She had her shins/cannon bones pinfired, so most likely had bucked shins earlier in her career.”

Dr. Dilodovico (commission vet): “Old shins, but nothing significant.”

“Chronic cartilage erosion,” “old shins” – Gravity’s Rainbow had just turned three, an equine pubescent. But that’s horseracing: start ’em early, grind ’em up, spit ’em out.

“[Trainer] discovered that the horse’s right foot had fallen off.”

By Patrick Battuello | March 4, 2021

Through a FOIA request to the Maryland Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills at that state’s tracks in 2020. It should be noted that in the wake of Santa Anita, Maryland began releasing much more detail. Because these details, including vet testimony, are so powerful (and damning), I will post in multiple installments so as to give each death its proper due.

As always, please consider contacting Maryland politicians and media. Nothing as entrenched as horseracing will change without unrelenting pressure. The message need not be long; in fact, shorter is better – e.g., “Horseracing is animal cruelty, no different than dogracing, which has been banned on moral grounds in 41 states.” Then, copy and paste this list (and the other Maryland reports). Thank you.

Governor Hogan: contact form; twitter; instagram
Senate Majority Leader King: nancy.king@senate.state.md.us; 410-841-3686
House Speaker Jones: adrienne.jones@house.state.md.us; 410-841-3800
Senate members
House members

The Baltimore Sun: newstips@baltimoresun.com; 410-332-6100
ABC Baltimore: newsroom@wmar.com; 410-435-TIPS
CBS Baltimore: 410-578-7568
NBC Baltimore: newstips@wbaltv.com; 800-677-WBAL
Fox Baltimore: news@foxbaltimore.com; 410-467-5595

In Arrears, Jan 7, Laurel S – “progressively lame right foot – [multiple] fractures”; also: “severe degenerative changes both front fetlocks”

Little Bit Country, Jan 16, Laurel T – “flipped, recumbent, unable to move hind limbs”

Dr. Sorum (private vet): “I found the horse down…and [he] appeared in shock. [H]e didn’t have movement to his hind legs. He was also dribbling urine.”

Louise, Jan 19, Laurel S – “RH abscessed and rotated”

Dr. Lockard (private vet): “[T]here was concern the tip of the coffin bone was going to come through the sole.”

City Traveler, Feb 27, Laurel S – “abscess, laminitis” (last raced Jan 20)

Special Power, Jun 6, Laurel R – “flipped, recumbent, head trauma”

Dr. Walsh (commission vet): “The horse was nervous and slightly difficult to work with [during pre-race] exam.”

Aljohn, Jun 9, Laurel S – “horse was being treated for an infected right foot for approximately 10 days; several medications…did not correct the problem; on June 9, [the trainer] discovered that the horse’s right foot had fallen off” (two years old)

again: “discovered that the horse’s right foot had fallen off”

Top Czar, Jun 9, Laurel S – “pleuropneumonia, trouble breathing; horse had previous tie-back surgery for partially paralyzed throat”

Miners Quest, Jul 14, Laurel S – “acute laminitis, rotation of the foot” (nine years old, had been raced 72 times, most recently in June)

Lucerito, Oct 7, Laurel S – “severe arthritis, chronic degenerative joint disease [all four] fetlocks” (was only three years old)

Noble Way, Nov 24, Laurel S – “traumatic brain injury: horse reared up [coming out of] throat surgery, struck head and face on walls of stall”

Dr. Stokes (private vet): “The horse…began to thrash around the stall and hit the walls multiple times.”

“Basically, bad claim of a cheap horse.” – More Maryland Madness

By Patrick Battuello | March 2, 2021

Lotto, Mar 21, Pimlico S – “chronic respiratory disease; chronic left hock, developed laryngeal paralysis”; also: “[previous surgery] – shin had two screws” (four years old)

Unbridled Outlaw, Mar 23, Pimlico S – “severe degenerative joint disease; suspensory tear” (Unbridled changed hands – was sold – in his final race, Feb 14)

Dr. Daniel (commission vet): “The horse had significant degenerative joint disease in both ankles that was being managed by the previous connections. New connections chose NOT to manage this horse and euthanize him.”

Dr. Meittinis (private vet): “Basically, bad claim of a cheap horse.”

Gotaheadache, Apr 22, Laurel T – “returned to barn in distress, collapsed and died”

Dr. Daniel (commission vet): “She had very large volumes of blood in both thoracic and abdominal cavities.”

Federal Walk, May 5, Laurel S – “colic, twisted intestine”

Long March, Sep 7, Pimlico T – “flipped over and struck his [head] on the starting gate – trauma was so severe that Long March was immediately euthanized on the track” (Long March was being prepped for his debut when he died)

Bullets Child, Sep 20, Laurel T (euthanized Sep 21) – “fractures to [both] knees”

Dr. Lockard (private vet): “The horse ran the week before I injected the right knee. He came back with heat in both knees. We took radiographs and then injected the right knee.” (not sure when this was)

When asked if horse had any history of chronic injury, trainer Damon Dilodovico said, “Knees always an issue.” And: “The last time the horse had a race, noticed a stiffness in the knees.” In his last race, August 14 at Laurel, Bullets finished dead last, almost 37 lengths back. In addition, Bullets was “scratched” for “lameness” just eight days before that August 14 race. Three days after being scratched, he was back training. Then this: The Commission noted that Bullets had surgery on both knees in Jun 2019.

Tiz Mine, Sep 26, Pimlico T – “comminuted pastern fracture”

Built Like an Ox, Nov 8, Laurel T – “catastrophic [shoulder] fractures with attendant hemorrhage”; also: “chronic gastric ulcers suggest chronic pain/stress, and the degenerative joint disease in fetlock, elbow, and middle carpal joint may have all contributed to this filly’s stress” (three years old)

Dr. Feelgood, Nov 19, Laurel T – “[multiple] devastating fractures, bone protruding through skin, copious amount of blood”; also: “chronic degenerative arthritis in all limb joints; extensive scar tissue around tendons; previous surgery RF ankle” (five years old)

Just Ribbing You, Nov 28, Laurel T – “compound fracture left tibia with the sharp end of a bone fragment protruding through the ruptured skin”; also: “chronic degenerative joint disease affecting most joints; history of bowed tendons; previous surgery RH ankle” (four years old; hadn’t yet been raced because of those tendons)