Britain’s Animal Aid maintains a running list of Thoroughbreds killed on British tracks. It does so because, out of self-preservation, the racing people won’t. Sure, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) generously tells us “about 2 in every thousand runners are…
The Daily Racing Form (11/14/13) reports that 6-year-old Turallure, two years removed from winning the Woodbine Mile, was killed today “shortly after breaking down in a routine gallop at Keeneland…” Trainer Charlie LoPresti: “This is just awful for all of…
The News 4 I-Team (Washington) reports (11/13/13) that the Charles Town racetrack in West Virginia – one of the nation’s busiest, running, basically, year-round – has recorded 54 2013 deaths (46 in-competition) through 9/4, and 144 over the past two…
In yesterday’s 9th race at Parx, 3-year-old The Man Himself “broke down in the opening quarter mile and was humanely euthanized.” Had he lived, the colt, who was claimed prior to the race, would have been laboring under a 4th…
Yesterday, a 5-year-old stallion named Parcel, who last raced in March 2012, fractured a leg while “breezing” at Aqueduct. He was killed. Also on Sunday, at Zia Park in New Mexico, a pair of 2-year-olds making their debuts were vanned…
At least 3 racehorses died yesterday on American tracks: 3-year-old Sixes Slinky Secret fell in a $3,500 claiming race at Evangeline Downs (he had been claimed, by the way). 4-year-old She’s a Listener broke her cannon bone during the 2nd…
Miss McKeown, a 3-year-old filly making her 5th career start, broke down and died yesterday in the 9th race at Aqueduct. The kill occurred on-track. This single death, in a $20,000 claiming race a world away from sunny Santa Anita,…
2-year-old Secret Compass broke down during the running of the Breeders’ Cup $2 million Juvenile Fillies Saturday afternoon, suffering, in the words of the on-call vet (The Washington Post, 11/2/13), “the worst type of injury we get,” a lateral condylar…
5-year-old Centralinteligence (shown below), a Seattle Slew progeny, was vanned off after the $1 million Dirt Mile Grade 1 at Santa Anita. The video, which can be viewed here, shows no ambulance, of course; it’s all smiles and jubilation in…
Because NY is the only state to publicly disclose its breakdowns as they happen, we have to draw inferences on the rest of the nation’s “vanned off.” But consider this: Today, the Gaming Commission announced the death of a 3rd…
Running in his very first race, 2-year-old Mr Rabbits broke down and died yesterday afternoon at Finger Lakes, trainer James Acquilano’s 2nd dead horse in 3 days (Magestick Tomahawk on Saturday). The kill allowed Mr. Acquilano to hit his annual…
Two of the horses listed on this weekend’s ambulance report are confirmed dead. Again, thanks to NYS’s unique database, we know that Magestick Tomahawk and Irish Lady, both of whom fell at Finger Lakes (where else?), never made it out…
