Hello horse lovers and welcome.
An article entitled, “A sport that lost track of its main asset,” by Raj Tawney and published by Newsday caught our imagination. It is beautifully written and states the obvious, unless you work in or gamble on horse racing.
We excerpt it below. 
. . . . organized racing didn’t begin until after the Civil War in 1868, when The American Stud Book was founded, followed by the formation of The Jockey Club in New York in 1894.
By the turn of the century, more than 300 racetracks existed in the United States as the focus became less about prestige and more about legalized gambling. All but a few annual races, including the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, held on to sporting traditions. Horses were now treated as commodities instead of elite athletes. If and when they no longer produced results, they were sent to “the glue factory.”
Horse racing may have historical origins but the sport has lost sight of its most important contributor: the horse itself. If this precious animal is treated only as a disposable product — a means to a dividend — how is this “sport” any different from the meat industry?
By the way, in the same article, PETA is quoted that “the Thoroughbred-racing industry sends an estimated 10,000 horses to slaughter annually.” Add to that the ones they kill on the racetrack, and you see what a chillingly deadly industry it is.
Why would anyone with half a heart or an ounce of integrity want to “save” horseracing? Or gamble on it?
That last quote by the article’s writer is a showstopper — how is this “sport” any different from the meat industry?
Answers anyone?
Tuesday's Horse 