PETA statement re: Thoroughbred deaths at Preakness races

For Immediate Release:
May 21, 2016

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice Present Kathy Guillermo regarding today’s deaths of two horses at the Preakness races:

“PETA is calling on the owners of Pramedya and Homeboykris to immediately release veterinary records and a complete list of medications that the horses were administered in the two weeks before the Preakness races. Studies—and our own investigations—have shown that most breakdowns and deaths occur because horses have pre-existing injuries that are masked by the excessive use of legal medications. We want to know if that is what happened in the cases of Pramedya and Homeboykris. We have been advocating for no medications to be administered to horses in the two weeks before a race so that if a horse is sore or ill, the track veterinarian will be able to detect it. In today’s racing drug culture, at least three horses are dying every day on U.S. tracks. The foolish use of muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs, and other medications must end now.”

For more information, please visit PETA.org.