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A ruling handed down yesterday from the Prairie Meadows Board of Stewards:

“Jockey Daniel Ruiz Amaya was duly notified on September 24 for an alleged violation of excessive whipping of his horse ‘Sassalitical’ during the running of the 4th race. Amaya did not appear for his hearing on September 25. The Board finds Amaya’s use of the whip excessive and in violation of 491 IAC 10.5(2)(J)(4). Therefore, the Board hereby suspends Amaya from riding races for three race days.”

All fairly mundane, but then this:

“The Board notes this is Amaya’s fourth offense for whipping during the 2021 Prairie Meadows race meet.”

This wretch is found guilty of animal abuse – for what else to call “excessive whipping”? – four times at one track just since May, and is only suspended, and for but three days at that. The lie of “Racing Cares” exposed, again.

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There were two steeplechase events held in the U.S. Saturday, at Genesee in New York and Middleburg in Virginia. Combined, 57 horses started 10 races. Out of those 57, only 43 finished their races – a 25% failure (meaning could not complete the course) rate. Among those 14 “DNFs,” at least 6 fell. (Another horse “hit a wing,” which I presume to mean hit a hurdle.) Here is the sequence for one of those fallen, Rocket Star Red at Genesee. A witness said that, either through sheer exhaustion, or, more likely, injury, the 9-year-old Rocket never even tried to get up.



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Parx again. Prior to the 8th yesterday, “Jokemeister and That’s Right were both injured in the starting gate and ordered scratched…on the advice of the track veterinarian.” Both are just two years old – babies. For Jokemeister, this was his very first time being forced into a “starting gate”; for That’s Right, his third. Animal abuse, pure and simple.

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In the 6th at Parx yesterday, there were four entrants. One, Heroic Officer, “returned lame and was vanned off.” Two of the other three, Aussie Mist and Zensational Dixie, were “claimed” (bought), with ownership set to change at the race’s conclusion. One problem, though: Those claims, plus that of Heroic (yes, she too was sold), were voided by the track vet for undisclosed injuries. So, that’s 3/4 of the “field” returning (probably racing) injured.

Two years ago, Parx (along with Gulfstream) led the nation in kills with 59. This year, through just the first six months – 33 kills. In the past four-plus years, 212 horses (that we know about) have perished at Parx. This is about as bad as it gets, folks. And all of it, the abuse, the killing, is subsidized by the good taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

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