Follows is my FOIA recap for 2016. California: request denied – “The CHRB has not changed its policy and therefore cannot provide a list of racehorses that died or were euthanized on or at California race tracks.” Kentucky: unwilling to…
Various direct quotes from those within the industry… Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director, California Horse Racing Board (New York Times, 3/24/12): “It’s hard to justify how many horses we go through. In humans you never see someone snap their…
I have completed my FOIA requests and subsequent reports for 2014. Follows is a state-by-state recap. These states would not (or said they could not) fill my request: Arkansas – After the Commission said it “would not be involved in…
It really is this simple…
Supposedly, the lowest breakdown rates in the world are roughly half the U.S. rate. (I say supposedly because there is no uniform policy for the recording and reporting of breakdowns.) Supposedly, these rates are effected by doing all the things…
Accuracy, here, is paramount. This is why a retraction is in order. The post “Juliebrowneyes and Carol Ann Make It Three Dead From Same Tampa Race” (February 12th) is only partially true: I reported that Juliebrowneyes was one of three…
From the Paulick Report: “Fasig-Tipton’s one-day November Sale took place on Monday evening, when 23 horses sold for seven figures.” 4-year-old Princess of Sylmar, a Pletcher-trained multiple graded stakes winner, topped the bill at $3.1 million. (The “broker” says that…
If horseracing is a sport, then that word must be redefined, for the competitive racing of horses resembles no other accepted sport on the planet: Where else are young pre-athletes – children – forever torn from their mothers to begin…
This is what currently appears on the NYS Gaming Commission’s website: 2014 – Equine Death Only EQUINE DEATH Training 05/18/2014 Onlyforyou Saratoga Racecourse (NYRA) Horse: Onlyforyou Incident: EQUINE DEATH Racing Type: Thoroughbred Location/Type: Saratoga Racecourse (NYRA), 1/4 pole; Training Date:…
Attempting, somewhat, to succeed where HBO’s “Luck” failed (canceled after three horses died in production), the Esquire Network has debuted a new reality show called “Horseplayers.” As the title indicates, it’s about the bettor, and as The New York Times…
“Death is delivered pink.” And so begins an ESPN The Magazine article (5/4/09) on the track veterinarian’s unenviable role as killer of the broken. Racing calls it euthanasia, of course, but that’s simply self-absolution. In any event, this is no…
Up until very recently, knowledge and appreciation of the equine mind has been noticeably lacking. Sure, we’ve learned rudimentary things about horses through the years, but only enough to breed and maintain pliability. Now, though, scientific curiosity is leading some…
