Horse’s Death at Parx Race Track Sparks PETA Legal Complaint

District Attorney Called On to Investigate After Horse Falls and Is Euthanized When Forced to Run on Frozen Track

For Immediate Release:
January 30, 2018

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

This morning, PETA sent a letter to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub calling on his office to investigate a recent act of suspected aggravated cruelty to animals at Parx Casino and Racing. Earlier this month, a horse had to be euthanized after falling when Thoroughbreds were forced to race on a frozen track.

As PETA notes in its letter, Parx officials allowed racing on January 2, even though temperatures were below freezing and the track condition was officially recorded as “frozen,” creating a hard surface with no traction, which is a known risk to horses. A jockey was reportedly sprawled on the ground after the horse he was riding, a 7-year-old gelding named Lust for Money, fell. The horse had to be euthanized—and only then did track officials cancel the day’s races. PETA believes that this incident violates Pennsylvania’s cruelty-to-animals statute, which prohibits knowingly or intentionally ill-treating, overloading, beating, or otherwise abusing an animal.

“Parx officials knowingly and indefensibly forced horses to run on a treacherous frozen track that was as hard as concrete, and a horse suffered and lost his life as a result,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “Pennsylvania’s anti-cruelty law exists to protect animals like him, and so PETA is calling on the district attorney’s office to file all appropriate charges against those who made the decision that led to his death.”

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.” For more information, please visit PETA.org.