A recent HISA ruling on trainer Zvi Kriple. (I have made slight edits in the interest of brevity and clarity, including substituting Kriple for “covered person” and Royal Honey for “covered horse.”) “Zvi Kriple was the responsible person for Royal…
Of all the daft, desperate arguments offered by the racing industry in defense of their massive, tax-payer-funded subsidization, nothing quite matches the “preservation of open spaces.” I recently found this from the “Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association”: “Pennsylvania is home to…
Horseracing’s finest (all emphases mine): Northfield Park, Aug 9: “Russell Thomas falsified his 2025 license application by failing to list his prior arrest record. Mr. Thomas waived his right to a hearing and is hereby fined $500.” But: “The penalty…
According to a new lawsuit brought by racehorse owners Bill and Roberta Fekkes, this happened to Heart On the Run at Grants Pass on Sep 3, 2023: “As Hearts [sic] broke from her stall when the bell rang and the…
From the this-should-make-you-sick department: As I previously relayed, the weather in the Saratoga region Wednesday was oppressive – temps 90 degrees and up. That, of course, didn’t stop the exploiters – or oppressors, if you like – as all nine…
Some recent rulings from harness world… Among the many violations for “excessive or indiscriminate use of the whip,” were these: Barry County Fair (Michigan), Jul 12: “While driving Super Girl Power, Mr. David Lake caused visible injury to the stifle…
In Jul 2022, I wrote the following on trainer Juan C. Vazquez: Back in Nov [2021], I reported on the death of Ekhtibaar: “found DOA [inside] van at Belmont…cause of death unknown.” Ekhtibaar was being shipped from Parx. His trainer:…
We anti-racing activists are forever being lectured (by the other side) on the supposed primacy of the “equine athlete” in their beloved “sport.” The horses, they say, are loved, even pampered – “just like members of [their] families.” In fact,…
It is no secret that I hold the likes of Ray Paulick in contempt. Because they are seen as respectable journalists, and because they are often critical of the racing industry, Paulick, Joe Drape of The NY Times, and others…
While the following harness rulings do not directly involve horse abuse, I thought they’d provide some insights into the quality of people working in the horseracing industry (and, thus, around the horses). First, this from Michigan (regarding an incident in…
At the “International Jockey Concussion, Safety and Wellness Conference” last week, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Jockeys’ Guild announced a partnership with an “athlete-specific” company to provide jockeys with mental health care. Said HISA CEO Lisa…
The following ruling from Delaware came down last Friday and was published this week: “Owner/trainer Ney Pessanha appeared at a hearing before the Board of Stewards on September 17 in the matter of improper or inhumane treatment of horses in…
