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
"Where the Turf Meets the Surf" – and Where Horses Die: 2nd Kill in 2 Days at Del Mar
For the second day in a row at one of America’s crown-jewels tracks, Del Mar, a dead horse. Can You Dream, says the chart, “sustained an injury, eventually fell, and was transported off via ambulance.” The track later confirmed the 3-year-old was “humanely euthanized.” The complicit: breeder Hanson’s River Ranch, owner Jaime Roberto Renella, trainer…
Cornucopian Killed at Del Mar
Cornucopian broke down at Del Mar yesterday and is dead. I won’t spend any time on the obscene attention this particular kill is receiving – expensive horse, Grade 1 race, Del Mar, Baffert, and all that. Suffice to say, this poor boy is no more or no less worthy of our love and sympathy than…
5 More Oaklawn Victims Identified; At Least 18 On-Track Kills There in 4 Months
Back in May, I wrote this about Oaklawn: “In terms of money, history and all that, Oaklawn Park in Arkansas is one of the top tracks in America. It is also, at least in the first three months of 2026, one of the deadliest. “According to HISA’s Q1 ‘report,’ 14 horses were killed on-track: 5…
Lewis the Robber Killed at Penn; Video of Sergeant Sinatra Going Down at Parx
The chart note for Lewis the Robber in the 2nd race at Penn last night: “Lewis the Robber faltered leaving the far turn, lost his rider while sustaining a catastrophic injury then was euthanized on the course.” And that’s that. Dead, at three. His final exploiters: Wagon Wheel Farm (also the breeder), Erin McClellan, and…
Everyday Cruelty
Miscellaneous Cruelty
From the stewards at Delaware Park… Jul 18: “Exercise Rider Julio Hernandez failed a random drug test for methamphetamine, suspended 30 days, fined $250.” An exercise rider and meth – a fine combination. Same day: “Ready and Able bled [pulmonary hemorrhage] pulling up.” The Equibase chart said nothing of this. One race later that same…
Video of 2-Year-Old Collapsing at Delta; Industry Celebrates Irad Ortiz (Yes, That Irad Ortiz)
Lewis the Robber Killed at Penn; Video of Sergeant Sinatra Going Down at Parx
The chart note for Lewis the Robber in the 2nd race at Penn last night: “Lewis the Robber faltered leaving the far turn, lost his rider while sustaining a catastrophic injury then was euthanized on the course.” And that’s that. Dead, at three. His final exploiters: Wagon Wheel Farm (also the breeder), Erin McClellan, and…
Oondiri Confirmed Killed at Horseshoe
According to the chart for the 5th at Horseshoe Jul 15, Oondiri “gave way in early stretch, then was transported home in the equine ambulance.” “Home,” here, means the pathologist’s table. From the stewards: “euthanized in the barn area.” Oondiri was five. Her final exploiters (among others): Donald Todd, Thomas Upton, Amir Mendoza. Oh, and…
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
HW on Northeast Public Radio, in The New Yorker
This week, Northeast Public Radio afforded us a half-hour interview – here. The gracious host, David Guistina, has had me on several times over the years. It’s a wonderful forum with a fantastic reach (parts of 7 northeastern states). Also, our work was cited (and I was quoted) in a recent New Yorker article -…
Media Coverage: "Saratoga library buckles under pressure, silences horse racing critic"
Coverage of the Saratoga Library’s craven cancellation of our talk. This comes from Times Union columnist Chris Churchill, the most widely read writer in the whole of New York’s Capital Region. Off this, we have already secured two more interviews. We fight on… “Saratoga library buckles under pressure, silences horse racing critic” (If you hit…
Intimidated by the Abusers, Cowardly Saratoga Library Pulls My Talk
In May, I reached out to the Saratoga Springs Public Library about possibly sponsoring an HW talk. The key word is sponsoring, for another local library had offered to “rent” a room to us, but with no library involvement. There was no point in that, as filling a room with our supporters is the definition…
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…