Update: PETA investigators have released the following undercover video, showing horses as they were forced to run so fast that they suffered broken bones, burst aortas, and other potentially fatal injuries. This video footage will be used to push thoroughbred auction companies to institute PETA’s proposed reforms. PETA has documented yet another example of how … Read more »
In a landmark move for thoroughbreds’ safety, the American Graded Stakes Committee announced that it is banning performance-enhancing drugs for 2-year-olds on race days. Graded stakes races are significant for two reasons: They offer large purses, and their results are used in determining which horses will qualify to run in the Kentucky Derby. Since most … Read more »
informatique/cc by 2.0 After receiving whistleblower reports that at least two horses have died from heat stress at Fairmount Park Racetrack in Collinsville, Ill., PETA called on racetracks in the U.S. and Canada to suspend racing until the intense heat wave breaks. Six tracks—including New York’s Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack, Monmouth Park in New … Read more »
Eight Belles did it for New York Times sports columnist William C. Rhoden. After watching the filly break both front legs just after crossing the finish line in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, Rhoden never covered another horse race. “From Eight Belles to Barbaro to thousands of horses in between, racing is a brutal game that … Read more »
Horse races aren’t just dangerous for horses—they can hurt people too. Seven people, including a 2-year-old girl, were taken to the hospital after a terrified horse leaped over an 8-foot fence and into a crowd of spectators at the Grand Annual Steeple race in Warrnambool, Australia. Banna Strand’s rider fell off in a dangerous pile-up during … Read more »
On the eve of the Kentucky Derby, Secretariat star James Cromwell has written to The Jockey Club urging it to adopt PETA’s proposed Thoroughbred 360 Lifecycle Retirement Fund. The plan would require owners and breeders to pay a $360 retirement fee for each new foal they register. The money generated from the fees would be put into a … Read more »
It’s Friday afternoon, and we’re betting that you’re getting a rumbling in your tummy thinking about dinner out, popcorn at the movies, or a pretzel at the mall. Well, to tide you over, have a hearty, heaping helping of Internet Soup: Oscar cohost James Franco catches a cat nap. This thirsty cow doesn’t waste any … Read more »
paul kehrer/cc by 2.0 Anyone who’s ever watched a racehorse being flogged down the home stretch can see the obvious: It’s animal abuse. Jockeys routinely strike thoroughbreds 15 to 20 times before they cross the finish line. Now, thanks to a new study from the University of Sydney, we know that whipping doesn’t even make … Read more »
Pottok / CC by 3.0 Earlier this week, we asked you to urge the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to terminate harness racer Christopher Lefebvre’s license to race in the state because of his deplorable track record—he has a criminal conviction for cruelty to animals in Maine, among other charges. Thanks to all of … Read more »
Saratoga Race Course has been denied. Well, at least it would have been if freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) had had his way. Chaffetz is fed up with all the “fluff” bills that Congress votes on every week—bills like those honoring National Pollinator Week, National Dairy Month, and National Train Day, just to name a … Read more »
Paolo Camera / CC by 2.0 Here’s some good news: The thoroughbred racing rag The Blood-Horse reports that the TV ratings for last weekend’s Belmont Stakes (the last “jewel” in the Triple Crown) were the lowest ever in the 50 years that ratings have been tracked. Apparently, Saturday-evening TV viewers have better things to do … Read more »
Eventer / CC by 3.0 Yes! Ernie Paragallo, the jerk thoroughbred breeder who starved more than 175 horses on his farm in New York’s Hudson Valley, has been sentenced to up to two years in prison and fined $30,000. In addition, he must pay restitution to humane groups that cared for the horses after they … Read more »
While billboard companies in Louisville may want to keep Kentucky Derby fans in the dark about the racing industry’s appalling abuses, which lead to breakdown and death, The Onion makes them front-page news. In making their predictions for the upcoming Kentucky Derby, The Onion‘s “Steam Room” commentators reveal just how shockingly* far “horse beaters” (their … Read more »
Can Kentucky Derby fans handle the truth? Outdoor advertisers in Louisville don’t seem to think so. We sent the ad below to every billboard and bus ad company in town with the intention of running it during next week’s Derby, but they all turned us down flat. We wanted racegoers—and everyone—to know that … Read more »
In the latest installment of “Yeah, What PETA Said,” the Jockey Club has released the findings of a study that concluded that horses used for racing are dying on U.S. and Canadian tracks at twice the rate—at least—of any other country, probably for the very reasons that PETA has stated (over and over again): drugs … Read more »
