Racehorse collapses, dies after 4th-place finish at Los Alamitos

HEY SOCAL | by City News Service Inc. Another horse has died [was killed] in a racing accident at Los Alamitos Race Course, State horse racing officials have confirmed. Smokin Hot Fire was a 2-year-old gelding with five career races [emphasis added] and collapsed after crossing the finish line in fourth place at the end of…

Doomed Mongolian Groom's vet cited again

It is amazing how horse racing keeps on going. Always, always the same repeat offenders. https://twitter.com/sidgustafson/status/1242055782000144384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw It is time, well past time, for horse racing "American style" to go. They — not people like us who care about these horses — have brought them here. Many more racehorse doping arrests will be made. What we…

Horse Racing 2019 Year in Review

JANUARY With 10 horses suffering catastrophic injuries in January 2019 at celebrated Santa Anita Park in California, horse racing got off to an unusually bad start. Over the course of the year, horse deaths became the prevailing national horse racing story, culminating with the death of Mongolian Groom in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on November…

Horse Racing Wrongs: Open Letter to Bob Costas; Eight Belles

OPEN LETTER Introduction The following letter was sent to Bob Costas, host of NBC's Kentucky Derby coverage. To date, no reply. The sentiments expressed, of course, are applicable to all at that network, but most especially to Jon Miller, president of sports programming. Since my letter was mailed, an article in Sports Business Journal quotes Miller as…

Litany of Death: Racehorses killed at Pennsylvania racetracks in 2015

Patrick Battuello tracks the deaths of racehorses at racetracks across America at http://horseracingwrongs.com/. I get notifications in my inbox and am continually shocked at the atrocities that happen on a regular, dare I say, daily basis. As you sit here reading this, no doubt racehorses are being cruelly handled, punched, bullied and abused with a…

Despite a Triple Crown all that glitters is not gold in American horse racing (Part 3)

by JANE ALLIN Part 3 of 3 THE OTHER END OF THE RABBIT HOLE Claiming Races This brings us to the claiming races. From available information, probably over 70% of races taking place in North America are claiming races. One a horse wins — or breaks his maiden — that number rises. Claiming races have…

Eighth horse dies at Del Mar

Death continues to haunt U.S. horse racing. JEFF NAHILL writing for the North County Times reports: DEL MAR, Calif. -- Bandolim, a 3-year-old colt, became the eighth thoroughbred to die at the current Del Mar meet. According to track officials, Bandolim suffered fractured sesamoids to his left hind leg after finishing second in Saturday's fifth…