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
Three Recent Kills on Virginia Tracks
The following horses left the track in an ambulance after races in Virginia; all, I have confirmed, are indeed dead. That’s Not Funny, May 2, Great Meadow. That’s Not Funny was seven; ’twas his 23rd time under the whip. His final exploiters: Paul and Molly Willis, Neil Morris, Graham Watters. Miskellieanne, Jun 27, Colonial. Miskellieanne…
Three Kills, One Day, One State
Yesterday, says the NYS Gaming Commission, three horses were killed racing – or in the case of one, while they were attempting to race him. Starting at Finger Lakes, this for 5-year-old Seventh Race Shake prior to the 4th race: “While loading in the gate, horse reared and flipped – experienced severe head trauma, euthanized.”…
Splendid Song Confirmed Killed at Delaware
The chart note for Splendid Song in the 6th at Delaware Saturday: “no factor…eased and was transported off the track on the equine ambulance.” In fact, the track has announced, she is dead, at three. The track’s GM: “Our thoughts are with the horse’s owner, trainer, jockey and everyone connected to the horse, as well…
2-Year-Old "Collapses and Dies" at Saratoga Yesterday; 4th Kill There Already
This, according to the NY Commission, during morning training at Saratoga yesterday: “Horse was galloped on the main track this morning; the exercise rider noted she felt sluggish; rider started to pull her up and as he was doing so the horse collapsed and died.” I’d give you a name but this poor girl was…
Everyday Cruelty
Animal Cruelty, Every Day
Some noteworthy scratches at Horseshoe in June (there were plenty of others for the usual “injured/unsound/sick”): “Cloudy Star flipped in starting gate.” “Bobby’s Workout loose before loading, hit rail.” “Dame’s Rocket flipped in paddock.” Also: The claim (sale) of Mr. Sensei was voided – horse [came back] lame.” Relentless Friend suffered “epistaxis” (bleeding from nostrils).…
Video of the "Four-Horse Spill" at Saratoga
Below is video (not from NYRA, by the way, as the cowards there scrubbed it) of what the TDN called a “four-horse spill” at Saratoga Friday. Three of the four – names here – are supposedly okay, but I Love Giraffes, says trainer Chad Summers, broke her hip and may not race again. Summers (in…
The Added Animal Cruelty at Saratoga Race Course Yesterday
The following tracks canceled racing yesterday due to extreme heat: Belterra, Colonial, Delaware, Ellis, Monmouth. (Several had also canceled the day before.) Who was racing? Among others, Saratoga. When the 1st race kicked off there at 1:12, says the chart, the temp was 95. But I can tell you (because I live in the region)…
11 Days at Churchill: No Less Than 3 "Post-Race Heatstrokes" – and 66 Other Injured/Sick Horses
Over the course of just 11 days (Jun 7-21) at Churchill, 17 horses were scratched by the regulatory vet – i.e., their exploiters had every intention of racing them – for being “injured” or “unsound,” another 40 by private vets for being “injured” or “ill,” and 5 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
A Beautiful New Poetry Collection on Racehorses
This morning, I offer a couple excerpts from The Voice Of Those Who Raced: What They Would Have To Say, a new book of poetry on racehorses – or more specifically, a series that follows the life of one racehorse, told from her point of view – by Sri Lanka-based Kaaviya Elangkumarabahu. This extraordinary work…
Speaking for the Horses
Some recent shorts published on our YouTube page… https://youtube.com/shorts/lY9FOfXwvCQ https://youtube.com/shorts/PJDodddK71c https://youtube.com/shorts/pV7HryPEQUo
Witness to a Kill: "I yelled when I saw it and my husband pulled me in to shield my view from the horrific scene."
According to the chart for the 2nd at Albuquerque May 24, Jes Sinful “stumbled [at] the start, lacked room,” and finished last. The next day, I received the following email: “I witnessed [Jes Sinful’s] front right leg literally dangle as it broke somewhere (assuming) around the carpus and was able to rotate as if it…
So Long, Light Up Racing, We Hardly Knew You!
Earlier this month, word came that “Light Up Racing,” a grassroots org launched in 2024 to “drive positive change” in the horseracing industry, is shutting down for good this fall due to a lack of funding and an “alignment” problem with other racing orgs. As Nicole pointed out back when LUR debuted, it was but…