I have always held a special disdain for racing fans who, doubling as journalists, are gifted tremendous forums for spewing their deceptions, and thus are extremely influential in the court of public opinion. Exhibit A has always been Joe Drape…
A Christmas Eve article by John Cherwa in the LA Times is at its core an exercise in hand-wringing, as made clear by its title, “California horse racing is at a crossroads. Can it survive?” With Golden Gate Fields having…
As I’ve written regarding California’s missing “vanned off” horses: Much is being made of California’s lower kill numbers. One of the things the industry, led by The Stronach Group (TSG), is supposedly doing is more surgical repairs. But history says…
In a press release earlier this month, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) gushed over a risible $50,000 donation from The Stronach Group on Pegasus Day at Stronach-owned Gulfstream Park. Risible not only because the day featured two million-dollar-plus races, but,…
Ahead of an Economic Development hearing in the NYS Legislature today, I submitted the following written testimony on the Belmont Park proposal: To call the proposed $455 million loan to the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to rebuild Belmont Park…
In an effort to secure a nearly-half-billion-dollar bond package from the state to rebuild Belmont Park – a debt that would be repaid with already-existing subsidies – the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has launched a new PR campaign, complete…
The horseracing industry distracts, dissembles, and deceives because it has to – the facts and the truth are squarely on our side. One of their go-tos, especially here in New York, is their supposed safety rate. Last week, I did…
As previously relayed, a bicameral bill has been introduced in New York that would strip that state’s racing industry of most of its quarter-billion-dollar annual subsidy. And now the war (of words) is on. Because the racing people can’t rationally…
Today, we launched our latest petition on change.org; the goal: end the subsidies that are keeping Pennsylvania horseracing alive and killing horses. Please sign here. End the Subsidized Abuse and Killing of Horses in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania’s horseracing industry receives almost…
Last year, ahead of Belmont’s Opening Day, the New York Racing Association issued a statement that began: The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced a number of safety initiatives…for the upcoming 25-day spring/summer meet at Belmont Park. ……
The joy in the BloodHorse headline last week was practically palpable: “Equine Injury Database: Another Record Year for Safety.” All of racing, not just at BloodHorse, is celebrating. Here, they’re saying, is proof positive that reform is working; horseracing is…
We and our work were featured in a recent Journal News (USA Today Network) piece on the killing at Belmont (53 dead horses last year) and beyond. (The article is on the paper’s subscription-only page, but here is a pdf:…
