Supposedly, the lowest breakdown rates in the world are roughly half the U.S. rate. (I say supposedly because there is no uniform policy for the recording and reporting of breakdowns.) Supposedly, these rates are effected by doing all the things…
Catalyst, an Australian science show, recently ran this segment on the whip. The entire program is worth a look, but one quote in particular stands out. Australian Racing Board chief Peter McGauran: “That [not shifting from pain] would have been…
I’ve come to believe that horse-racers fall into one of three categories. In the first, surely the majority, are the grinders – those who race as career, for paycheck. Whether they were raised in the industry or came to it…
Receiving an Eclipse award last Saturday, longtime NBC/NYRA announcer Tom Durkin vomited the following: “Together, we saw some amazing performances over the decades, performances that allowed me to honestly elocute words that horse races routinely generate – words like courageous,…
I’ve recently begun filing FOIL/Right-to-Know requests with various state racing commissions in an effort to secure the names of the 2014 deceased (above and beyond the ones we already know about). As expected, results have been mixed. Two states –…
Steve Haskin recently penned an article for Blood-Horse in which he recalls a better time, a Golden Age of American racing, if you will: “Picture a deep blue sky, a slight late winter’s chill in the air, warmed by the…
From the website Horse Racing Nation: “Horses like Eltoninadress are the heart and soul of Thoroughbred racing, venerable campaigners who love to win. The 5-year-old mare won for the ninth time from 31 starts… It was only a lowly claiming…
Every once in a while (Aqueduct ’12, Saratoga and Del Mar this summer), the industry and its mouthpieces are forced to address the giant elephant in the room: their dead horses. But even when discussing hard numbers – at least…
“The only reason it’s [Aqueduct Racetrack] in business is because of the casino.” (horseplayer “Harry the Horse,” Gothamist) Writer Max Rivlin-Nadler sets the scene on Aqueduct’s Opening Day (Oct 29th): “Aqueduct, with its wooden seats, tobacco-stained walls, and cavernous feel,…
3-year-old Ashado Cat, fresh off a last place, 20-lengths-back finish on September 27th, broke down in last night’s 5th at Mountaineer. With the rarest of exceptions, the death of a racehorse is a non-story – a vague note on a…
In an Erie Times-News article on Pennsylvania racing deaths, Penn National spokesman Fred Lipkin says, “In a perfect world, we would have zero breakdowns. … And I’m sure in the National Football League and the (National Basketball Association), they would…
Pity the poor Standardbred: With practically zero mainstream coverage – you won’t see Bob Costas at Yonkers Raceway – and no chart clues to decipher, the story of his exploitation and abuse goes mostly untold. But owing to the only-one-in-the-nation…
