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
Another 2-Year-Old Killed at Santa Anita; Dead 3-Year-Old at Los Alamitos
Single Vision, says the CHRB, was killed training at Santa Anita yesterday – the second such kill (Scam Alert) at this hallowed track within the past week. He was but two (like SA) and coming off his debut earlier in the month at Del Mar. Chief exploiter: Doug O’Neill. The CHRB also says Jess Ronnie…
Two More Confirmed Killed, Including 2-Year-Old in Her Very First Race
I have confirmed that Found My Ball is indeed dead after being “taken off by the ambulance” in the 7th at Canterbury Jul 30. He was eight. Those mostly responsible for his death: Reddam Racing, Kirk Sutherland, Jose Silva, and Manuel Americano. Also dead: Sho Jyn after being “escorted off in an ambulance” in the…
2-Year-Old Killed at Santa Anita; Two Dead at Finger Lakes
Scam Alert, says the CHRB, was killed training at Santa Anita Saturday. Details will have to wait till our FOIA. He was two years old and had already been raced four times, twice at SA, twice at Del Mar. Trainer, Felix Rondan. The NYS Gaming Commission has just disclosed two deaths at Finger Lakes. D’ont…
A Kill on Belmont's Second Day
Well, it didn’t take long for what is now (based on the past five years’ data) the deadliest track in America to cart a dead “athlete” off the playing field. The “new and improved” Belmont Park, coming off all that pomp and circumstance of Opening Day Friday, hosted a kill yesterday, Day 2. Heat Missile,…
Everyday Cruelty
Rivers Run Fast Going Down After Wire at Thistledown
95 Degrees Leads to Two Heatstrokes at Kentucky Downs
Over the course of just 7 days (Aug 29-Sep 9) at Kentucky Downs, 25 horses were scratched by the regulatory vet – i.e., their exploiters had every intention of racing them – for being “injured” or “unsound,” another 11 by private vets for being “injured” or “ill,” and 1 horse who was “claimed” (bought) was…
Luke Plano Leaves Multiple Welts on Two Horses on Same Day
These rulings speak for themselves: Running Aces, Sep 3: “The Marshal was sent for post-race testing and it was noted by the State Vet that welts appeared on the right rear of [horse]. Driver Luke Plano is hereby fined $500 and issued a 3-day suspension.” They added: “This is Plano’s first offense of this nature…
Witness to Maine Death We Just Reported: "Horse was dragged the entire length of Rt. 32…eight miles at least. Blood trail and flesh all over the road."
Saturday, I posted the following: Windsor Fair (Maine), Aug 31: “Stanley Whittemore was the trainer of Vogue Blue Chip. While transporting [horse] to the track, an unfortunate accident occurred involving the trailer prior to entering the fairgrounds. After entering the grounds, Vogue Blue Chip was euthanized by the attending vet. Mr. Whittemore’s actions warranted an…
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…