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…
For some who’ve long been immersed in the horseracing culture, objectivity has all but vanished. As the Suffolk Downs era draws to an end, Ray Paulick offers this: “It took the sweat and hard work of more than 4,000 workers…
In promoting its product – exploiting horses for gambling – Saratoga Race Course cynically targets young families, hoping, of course, to lure and condition the next generation of “fans” (bettors). Toward that end, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) offered…
Forced – by media reports – to respond to 12 dead horses in Saratoga, NYRA issued the following statement Friday: “Although New York State has made significant progress in reducing injuries and preventing the inappropriate use of medication in racehorses,…
Horseracing, we are told, is a proud sporting fraternity, an extended family, if you will, comprised of both people – breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys, etc. – and the equine “athletes” themselves. So when the House of Saratoga lost yet another…
Trainer Eric Guillot’s reaction to his fortunes at Saratoga Saturday serves as the perfect microcosm for horseracing. That day, Mr. Guillot had two horses running: One, Moreno, won the Grade 1 Whitney, taking home $800,000 for his connections, probably 10%…
After six years – 64 races – of gross exploitation and abuse, 9-year-old Coaltown Legend (original post here) has finally been retired, owing in large part to exposure from advocate Deborah Jones. On July 28th, Susan Salk, she with the…
Now that the heat has dissipated, Steve Asmussen has re-hired Scott Blasi. His first day back was yesterday at Saratoga. For those unfamiliar (or those with short memories), this is Scott Blasi (and Asmussen’s operation): Direct quotes from Blasi: “Fuck…
Yesterday at Del Mar, two more horses were killed, bringing the “Where the Turf Meets the Surf” track’s two-day death toll to four. 5-year-old Lil Swiss Echo (trainer Vladimir Cerin) broke down in the 5th. (DRF’s Jay Privman: “Lil Swiss…
All week, I’ve been attempting – with several (unanswered) calls and voice messages – to secure kill confirmations on horses at Charles Town, Mountaineer, and Parx. As we know, transparency isn’t a hallmark of the racing industry. When a star…
In Monday’s Paulick Report, apologist Ray Paulick relays Malcolm Gladwell’s contention that performance-enhancing drugs and reconstructive surgeries for athletes should be seen in the same light. Gladwell, according to Paulick, “thinks human athletes should be permitted to use any type…
3-year-old Graded Stakes winner and 2014 Kentucky Derby entrant Intense Holiday is dead (Thursday) from post-operative laminitis. Apparently, the colt fractured his right foreleg while training for the Belmont on May 25th and underwent surgery two days later. Although he…
