Here are Valid Connection’s final moments on this Earth. While the breakdown itself is garden-variety, I call your attention to the beating Valid received from jockey Michael Pagan immediately before it – three crisp, heavy whacks. Pagan should be in…
Despite our best efforts (thanks to all who took the action), Big Hearted Factor was indeed put to the whip last night at Miles City – two days after his most recent race, his fourth race this month (that would…
For anyone with even a modicum of compassion, cockfighting is abhorrent (if unfamiliar, here’s an overview). In fact, animal fighting of any kind is so generally reviled it is banned both federally and in every U.S. state and, importantly, in…
The NYS Gaming Commission says 5-year-old Renaldo N was killed in the 7th race at Yonkers Monday. The dead horse’s exploiters: Shane Tritton, Lauren Tritton. In the weekly harness rulings, this for driver Justin Vincent at Shenandoah Downs May 2:…
A recent ruling (January) posted by the Texas Racing Commission. It fell under the heading, “Inhumane Treatment.” “On April 3, 2025, Yasmine Medina sent the horse ‘Oppenheimer’ with a groom to Retama Park for an official workout. The horse got…
Lasix is clearly one of U.S. Racing’s more controversial subjects. Some in the industry see it as but a performance-enhancer: A diuretic, Lasix helps shed water weight prior to a race – lighter equals faster – and as a system…
In a recent LTE to the Thoroughbred Daily News, founding board member of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and still active horseman Reiley McDonald further exposed the sham that is racing “aftercare.” Here is some of what the Kentucky-based McDonald had…
A video – here – has surfaced that appears to show jockeys (and brothers) Irad and Jose Ortiz collecting cash at a cockfight in Puerto Rico. Not that it matters, but it is unclear when the video was taken. (The…
The below report from NBC Chicago focuses on Hawthorne Race Course’s ongoing financial problems (e.g., bounced checks) and, relatedly, its failure to build a racino years after one was first approved by the state. Obviously, the racing people are growing…
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…
