From KARE11 (Minneapolis) Tuesday: Rusty Shaw was rounding the corner for home on Saturday when Canterbury Park officials say the horse he was riding, Classy Star, suffered a leg injury and sent both of them to the ground. “I wasn’t…
On December 10, Sage Valley dropped dead of an “apparent cardiac arrest” in a race at Aqueduct. At five, he was only just reaching the tail-end of puberty. Turns out, there was a drug “violation,” which may or may not…
The jockey who mercilessly beat American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby has been fined in California for similar abuse. According to Blood-Horse, Victor Espinoza “was fined $300 by the Santa Anita Park stewards May 8 for ‘causing a break in…
It was yet another afternoon of good, clean family entertainment at Parx yesterday (from the Equibase charts): In the 6th, Magic Soul “…weakened…returned bleeding…” In the 8th, San Gregoria “was pulled up in apparent distress just before the wire.” In…
There is plenty wrong with this video: First, the abject suffering of the horse, 7-year-old Itzhoweeroll: lame, almost all the way around; malnourished, in part due to his teeth being “a mess”; beaten up – cuts, scrapes, ulcers; and criminally…
The following article comes from Joy Aten, prominent equine advocate and regular contributor to our “Shedrow Secrets” section: Like others who acknowledge the exploitation and abuse of horses in the racing industry, I tire of hearing about all of the…
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…
From Blood-Horse: “The KHRC License Review Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved [Scott] Blasi’s request to be licensed as an assistant trainer in Kentucky. The license approval came less than two weeks after a KHRC investigation found no wrongdoing in the…
5-year-old Ludo Bagman is dead after breaking down (sesamoids) in the 1st yesterday at Aqueduct. In three years covering 24 races, the gelding endured five different trainers: Richard Dutrow, Rudy Rodriguez, Jeremiah Englehart, Naipaul Chatterpaul, and finally, David Jacobson. For…
Originally reported as a mere “van-off” Friday at Aqueduct, 9-year-old Cherokee Artist is in fact dead from a broken leg. For trainer/owner David Jacobson, this makes six dead horses in NY since August of last year. For NY 2014, 113…
Rulings from the Indiana Horse Racing Commission: For abuses committed against QuarterHorses: 5/31/14, Aron Hunt, “Whip-excessive” – $200 fine, no suspension 6/13/14, Christian Esqueda, “Whip-indiscriminate” – $250 fine, no suspension 7/11/14, Julian Serrano, “Whip-excessive” – $200 fine, no suspension For…
In its most recently released rulings, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has cited the following harness drivers: Norman Robbins, “Indiscriminate Use of Whip” – $50 fine, 5-day suspension Chris Page, “Indiscriminate Use of Whip” – $500 fine, no suspension Daniel…
