Facts, as the great John Adams once declared, are stubborn things.
And facts are what we present here. We firmly believe that if those coming to this site do so with an open mind, a fresh lens, they will see horseracing not for how it has been sold – as sport, “The Sport of Kings” – but rather as the cruel and deadly (gambling) industry that it is.
Everyday Obituaries
An "Opening Day" Kill at Mahoning
Today is Opening Day at Mahoning, and nothing says Opening Day like a kill. In the 2nd – yes, 2nd – race, this for Tuned to the Moon: “pressed the early pace before taking a bad step at the 3/16 pole and was injured, being euthanized on track.” Clunky grammar aside, the chartwriter tells us…
Safer Racing, Brought to You by HISA: Six Horses Killed Between Parx and Horseshoe This Week
Yesterday, I reported that a third horse has been confirmed killed racing at Parx Tuesday. Having been doing this a long time, I can’t recall ever reporting more than two racing kills at one track on the same day. (It’s possible it’s happened before, but, alas, I’d have to go through 13 years and 13,000…
First Money Confirmed Dead – That Makes It Three Kills at Parx Tuesday
As we previously reported, two horses – Keeping It Country and Awesome Cause – were killed racing at Parx Tuesday. In that post, I noted that in KIC’s race, First Money was an “injured/vanned off” – wording that more often than not translates to dead. And indeed he is. So, that makes it three horses…
"High-Strung" Ewing Dies ("Cracked His Skull Open") in Ocala
Ewing was raced at Colonial Aug 8. That, apparently, was his final race as his owners then shipped him down to Florida for “reschooling” and “reeducating” – whatever that means. Today, the TDN reports that Ewing “passed away Tuesday at trainer Mark Casse’s farm in Ocala, the result of a freak accident.” (Yes, yet another…
Everyday Cruelty
A Kill at Parx Monday, and Some Harness Rulings
According to the chart for the 8th at Parx Monday, Grahmalamadingdong “suffered injury to left front leg at 16th pole then was subsequently vanned off.” That combination – injury/vanned off – usually ends in death, and that’s exactly what happened here. Grahmalamadingdong was five; this was his 41st time under the whip. The responsible: Maria…
94 Degrees and Another Heatstroke at Churchill – Plus 49 Other Injured or Sick Horses Over Just 7 Days
Over the course of just 7 days (Sep 19-27) at Churchill, 22 horses were scratched by the regulatory vet – i.e., their exploiters had every intention of racing them – for being “injured” or “unsound,” another 12 by private vets for being “injured” or “ill,” and 6 horses who were “claimed” (bought) prior to races…
Yesterday: "Euthanized on Track" at Mountaineer; "Multi-Horse Spill" at Horseshoe
The full chart note for Cold Plunge at Mountaineer last night: “Cold Plunge was injured after the wire and euthanized on track.” And that’s that. This poor boy was five; ’twas his 26th time under the whip. The responsible: breeder Head of Plains, owner Gage Pinkerton, trainer John Brown, jockey Kyle Gilbert. Pinkerton, by the…
7 Days at Churchill: A Heatstroke and 53 Other Injured or Sick Horses
Over the course of just 7 days (Sep 10-18) at Churchill, 15 horses were scratched by the regulatory vet – i.e., their exploiters had every intention of racing them – for being “injured” or “unsound,” another 24 by private vets for being “injured” or “ill,” and 9 horses who were “claimed” (bought) prior to races…
Recommended
The GoFundMe for the Trainers of the 17 Horses Who Were Burned Alive Is Abhorrent
Every time these mass-killing barn fires occur – here, here, here, here – what makes me most sick (besides the obvious, of course) is the rhetoric that immediately flows from industry exploiters and fans alike. Case in point, this from ex-trainer Amy Dowd: “Oh, Robyn’s [one of the two affected trainers] phenomenal, takes great care…
Pro-Racing Journalist: "One fact you can't escape is that horses will die in racing, despite all efforts."
I have always held a special disdain for racing fans who, doubling as journalists, are gifted tremendous forums for spewing their deceptions, and thus are extremely influential in the court of public opinion. Exhibit A has always been Joe Drape of The New York Times. A close second for a long time was the LA…
CHRB Says They've "Done All the Work on the Animal Welfare Piece"; 83 Dead Horses This Year Says Otherwise
A Christmas Eve article by John Cherwa in the LA Times is at its core an exercise in hand-wringing, as made clear by its title, “California horse racing is at a crossroads. Can it survive?” With Golden Gate Fields having begun its final-ever meet, which will leave the whole of Northern California without a single…
Vet: "I feel that Rockinhippiechick suffered tremendously in her final moments." And The Stronach Group Is to Blame.
As I’ve written regarding California’s missing “vanned off” horses: Much is being made of California’s lower kill numbers. One of the things the industry, led by The Stronach Group (TSG), is supposedly doing is more surgical repairs. But history says that the equine post-surgery survival rate is very low (think Barbaro). Problem is, the injured…
Racing’s Corporate Welfare
TDN Article: "Record purses while the handle declines is not a sign of a healthy industry. It is the signature of a subsidized one."
At the risk of stating the obvious, horseracing is at its core a gambling business. For decades, the proverbial $2 bet funded this industry. As competition – lotteries, casinos, sports betting – began to arise at the end of the 20th Century and into the 21st, the wagering on racing was no longer enough to…
Could Maryland Lose the Preakness?
The Yonkers Times recently published an article on how to bet the Belmont Stakes; the article had nary a word on the treatment of the horses. So, I wrote this LTE in response. Also: Friday, Kentucky Sports Radio ran a piece on the mess that is Maryland Racing. From poor decisions, to cost overruns, to…
Prominent Owner: "The industry is thriving in Kentucky and surviving in other places solely because of subsidies."
While New York has the most tracks, I think it fair to call Kentucky the heart and soul of American horseracing. From breeding to tracks like Churchill and Keeneland to the Kentucky Derby itself, KY is ground zero. In fact, the title of a Louisville Public Media piece just ahead of this year’s Derby laid…
Injured, Sick Horses at Turfway, Santa Anita; Great Boston Globe Editorial on Subsidies
Over the course of just 7 days at Turfway (Feb 5-14), 13 horses were scratched by the regulatory vet – i.e., their exploiters had every intention of racing them – for being “injured” or “unsound,” another 17 by private vets for being “injured” or “ill,” and 5 horses who were “claimed” (bought) prior to races…
Giving Voice
If Recent History Holds, the New Belmont Will Be the Deadliest Racetrack in America
Earlier in the month, the Long Island Herald ran a piece on Belmont’s grand reopening today. In response, I submitted the following LTE. (Note: At the time of writing, 82 horses had perished during the rebuild. With the two reported this week, it is now 84.) Lost in your Sep 4 article on the reopening…
A New Poem: "The Terror. The Horror."
Back in June, I excerpted from a new book of poetry by Kaaviya Elangkumarabahu. Kaaviya followed that up with a poem on Completeness, and today I present yet another on the horrific fire that killed 17 horses at Saratoga Harness. Thank you, Kaaviya. “The Terror. The Horror.” by Kaaviya Elangkumarabahu As I lay, Settle in…
Elegy for a One-Year-Old
Back in June, I excerpted from a new book of poetry by Kaaviya Elangkumarabahu. The book is wonderful, and, as I wrote then, all the more impressive for Kaaviya’s age: 12! Today, I present a new poem by Kaaviya on one of the deceased from Arizona. Completeness, you might remember, died at Turf when she…
Nicole on the Mess That is U.S. Racing – and Why We Must Never Let Up
This morning, a guest post from our indomitable executive director, Nicole… “‘Horseracing News’ this week is as much about us as it is about them” by Nicole Arciello The Horseracing Industry found a way to elevate itself to the top of news cycle this week with misleading and at times nonsensical headlines like: “Horse racing’s…