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Testimony on Belmont Park Proposal
Ahead of an Economic Development hearing in the NYS Legislature today, I submitted the following written testimony on the Belmont Park proposal: To call the proposed $455 million loan to the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to rebuild Belmont Park…
Damar Hamlin Injury Shows Again That Horseracing Is Not Football (Or Any Other Sport)
Let’s start with this in regard to the cardiac arrest suffered by the Bills’ Damar Hamlin during an NFL game Monday: I wish nothing but the best for him, full return to health and resumption of his career. That said,…
California, Vote No to Subsidizing Horseracing; Vote No on Prop 26
The following op-ed was sent out to several California papers… This November, Californians will have an opportunity to vote on whether to allow sports betting, and if so, what form it will take. Proposition 26 would permit betting only at…
A Correction on My Girl Lexi
This afternoon, the NYS Gaming Commission retracted its notice of My Girl Lexi’s death at Saratoga Sunday. Apparently, My Girl is still alive. Accordingly, I have deleted the post and removed My Girl from our killed list.
Death on Game Day Alone Gives the Lie to Horseracing-As-Sport
An update on a previous post: Horseracing-as-sport is an obscenity of the highest order. There are, of course, many reasons why, but perhaps the three most obvious are these: First, the athletes in question are utterly unaware of their status…
Chattel, Defined
“They’re like our children.” “We see them as members of the family.” “They’re treated better than you and I.” “When one dies, we grieve.” Vulgar lies, all. The racehorse, in truth, is but an asset, a resource to be mined,…
Sentience
When I was writing the animal-rights blog for the Albany Times Union several years back, I often focused on animal cognition and ethology. My goal was simple: By illustrating the depth of their intelligence and the richness of their social/emotional…
On Preakness Day, Let Us Remember the Sacrificial Lambs of Maryland Racing
A reminder on Preakness Day. Horses killed in Maryland last year: I’mthekatsmeow, Jan 13, Pimlico T “This horse had been in training at Pimlico. She developed swelling…from the ankle up to at least the knee. No treatment helping…hair sloughing off.…
An Expert Weighs In on Rich Strike and the Systemic Barbarism of Horseracing
This morning, I present a guest post from Melanie Sue Bowles. Melanie is the founder of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary, one of the nation’s oldest and most successful privately-run organizations for horses. Melanie has also authored three nonfiction books on…
2021 FOIA Recap…
Arizona: request filled Arkansas: request filled California: request filled Colorado: request filled Delaware: request filled – but with missing data Florida: request filled Idaho: request filled Illinois: request filled Indiana: request filled Iowa: request filled Kentucky: request filled Louisiana: request…
The Abuse and Killing Is Baked-In
From state necropsy reports: Arizona “Proximal sesamoid fractures may carry an occurrence rate as high as 41.5% in racing Thoroughbreds. Approximately 80% of all forelimb proximal sesamoid fractures are biaxial (both the lateral and medial sesamoid bones are fractured). Racing…