Derby Owners Should ‘Pony Up’ for Thoroughbred Aftercare

PETA Calls On Horse Owners to Follow Audible’s Example and Donate $15,000 to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance

For Immediate Release:
May 1, 2018

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

In order to spare Thoroughbreds formerly used for racing slaughter, PETA has asked all owners of horses slated to run in the Kentucky Derby to donate $15,000 each to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), which finds homes for horses who are no longer used by the racing industry.

PETA’s request was inspired by audiobook company Audible, which donated $15,000 to the TAA in honor of Audible, a Thoroughbred running in the Derby. In its letters to the owners, PETA points out that before 2012, when the TAA was founded, 10,000 Thoroughbreds were transported to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico every year. Well-known horses—including 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand, who was slaughtered in Japan—have been killed for human consumption.

“U.S. Thoroughbreds have a better chance now, but some are still being trucked to slaughterhouses when they stop winning or are too injured to run—so adequate funds are crucial,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “If all the owners of the horses running in the 2018 Kentucky Derby pledged $15,000, it would make a world of difference to retired Thoroughbreds who could still have years of life ahead.”

The TAA was formed at PETA’s urging. Recently, PETA proposed implementing betting-terminal technology that now allows bettors on AmTote betting machines to donate a portion of their winnings to the TAA.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.