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According to Equibase, Fabulous Prince “flipped backwards in the gate” in the 4th at Finger Lakes yesterday – officially a “DNF” (did not finish). In fact, he suffered a fractured skull and, reports the Gaming Commission, is dead. Fabulous Prince was four years old. He is the fourth dead horse at Finger Lakes in the past six days.

This is horseracing.

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Total Fidelity, a 2-year-old being prepped for her first race, was killed at Saratoga yesterday morning. Officially (Gaming Commission): “suffered fracture to LF sesamoids during training. Euthanized.”

As I’ve previously written, NYRA’s “safer racing” is a lie. Let’s just look at sacrosanct Saratoga, the crown jewel of NY racing and one of the most celebrated tracks in the world: From 2009-2012, 51 horses died at Saratoga, 12.75 per summer. From 2013 – when the “Task Force’s” reforms and safety measures were implemented – through 2018, 87 dead, or 14.5 per. That’s an almost 15% increase. And here we are, not even a full week into the 2019 season, at five dead horses. At some point, the people walking through those turnstiles (and past our protesters handing out fact-laden leaflets) must come to a moral reckoning – no patrons/bettors, no races; no races, no kills.

Golden Julia, May 25, Saratoga T (died May 30) – “horse died from acute blood loss”
Investment Analyst, Jun 7, Saratoga T – “sustained leg injury necessitating euthanasia”
Gattino Marrone, Jul 3, Saratoga T – “fractured sesamoids – euthanized”
Fight Night, Jul 12, Saratoga R – “suffered a catastrophic fracture”
Total Fidelity, Jul 14, Saratoga T – “suffered fracture to sesamoids – euthanized”

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Three kills at Finger Lakes, courtesy of the NYS Gaming Commission…

Ransom Note, July 10, 2nd race – “pulled up, vanned off; fractured 3rd carpel, euthanized.” Ransom Note was six years old and under the whip for the 34th time.

D Emcee, July 12, training – “fractured sesamoid necessitating euthanasia.” D Emcee was three years old and had been raced 8 times.

She’sakittykat, July 12 – “laminitis.” She’sakittykat was five years old and had been raced 24 times, most recently in a claiming (the cheapest kind) at Parx in May. In other words, make no mistake, Racing gave her (painful) laminitis; Racing killed her.

This is horseracing.

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Saratoga Race Course has claimed its first racing kill of the summer – on this, its second day of business. Fight Night, a 3-year-old filly under the whip for the 5th time, “fell heavily after the wire,” says Equibase, and was euthanized on the track. Horseracing Wrongs has obtained exclusive photos of the scene:




While this, as mentioned, was the first race kill, the Saratoga ’19 Death Toll already stands at four – well on its way to meeting or (likely) exceeding its historical average of 14 dead horses per summer.

Golden Julia, May 25, Saratoga T (died May 30) – “horse died from acute blood loss”
Investment Analyst, Jun 7, Saratoga T – “sustained leg injury necessitating euthanasia”
Gattino Marrone, Jul 3, Saratoga T – “fractured sesamoids – euthanized”
Fight Night, Jul 12, Saratoga R – “suffered a catastrophic fracture”

If you weren’t already planning on it, please consider joining us for our first protest of the season, tomorrow at 10:30 on the corner of Union and East in Saratoga Springs.