From the Los Alamitos Stewards Minutes, January 1: “Jockey Santiago Mendez was in to review his ride in the eighth race from the previous Sunday evening, when he over-cropped his horse, #5 “Ivy’s Storm,” approximately a dozen times without a…
In the Equibase notes for the 4th race at Golden Gate November 19, 3-year-old Gem of a Gal was a “pulled up, vanned off.” In truth, the young filly never made it onto the ambulance alive. The CHRB reports that…
From the most recent Stewards Minutes at Golden Gate: “Jockey Irving Orozco who rode the horse Silent Bounty in the sixth race at Golden Gate Fields on November 8, 2015, is hereby fined $300 for striking his mount on the…
Monday afternoon at Parx, a 3-year-old horse named Rye Frost was raced in the 2nd. This is how Equibase described his day: “RYE FROST, wide and just off pace, began to drop back after a quarter mile, appeared to be…
From the most recent Los Alamitos Stewards Minutes: “JOCKEY G. JAIRO RANGEL IS FINED $300 FOR VIOLATION OF CHRB RULE #1688(b)(6) (USE OF RIDING CROP – MORE THAN THREE TIMES IN SUCCESSION WITHOUT GIVING THE HORSE A CHANCE TO RESPOND…
Finger Lakes yesterday afternoon (all “winners”)… race 2: Channel Boy “under the whip proved best” race 3: Sunshine Heat “under steady pressure proved best” race 5: Mail Order Bride “took the lead and under the whip outran Di Lisa to…
From Santa Anita’s most recent Stewards Minutes: October 18 – “4th Race #10 SURFCUP – pulled up, dropped rider post race, euthanized on horse ambulance.” October 23 – “Jockey ALONSO QUINONEZ is fined FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS for violation of California…
Just a Gem is a 2-year-old racehorse – on the maturation chart, the rough equivalent of a kindergartner. Her fourth ever race (three previous: 4th, 9th, 6th), last evening at Presque Isle, is described thus by Equibase: “JUST A GEM…drew…
At Belterra Park yesterday afternoon (Equibase): In the 3rd, Ladies Drink Free “drew off late under constant urging [whipping].” In the 5th, Agile Wonder “was under constant handling [whipping] to the wire.” In the 6th, Fayegotaway “stopped and was vanned…
From the most recent Del Mar Stewards Minutes: August 26 – “Exercise rider Jelani Grant received the following penalty issued in a ruling. It involved Mr. Grant hitting a morning galloper in the head twice with his hand. He said…
Most of the time, the racing industry deflects, distracts, spins, and deceives. But every once in a while, some raw truth finds its way to the surface. Witness this from Equibase’s account of 2-year-old (a child) Sky Devil’s run at…
Racing’s apologists are fond of pointing to California’s new whip (actually it’s now called a “riding crop”) rule as evidence of an industry trying – progress. But putting aside the fact that the rule’s very existence is an admission that…
