I don’t know the fate of the horse, only what the chart said. Doesn’t sound good. Do you think Mr. Gill would demonstrate benevolence and try to save the horse, providing the breakdown wasn’t catastrophic? Just wondering.
DD and SIL had one in there and I’ve taken to advising her to tell the jock to keep an eye out for the Gill horses so they don’t get caught in a pile-up. Tongue firmly implanted in cheek, of course, for good reason.
My opinion of Mike Gill isn’t high enough to think that he would try to lay a 10 year old gelding up after it broke down in a cheap claiming race… but I could be wrong.
Melodeeman won over $258k… granted, not all for Gill, but it just makes me sad that an old campaigner like him may not get the retirement he so rightly earned.
Ouch! Poor dude: fine thanks that is!
If the Penn National chart caller reported the news for CNN from Haiti he would have described the earthquake as “A Little rubble filled the streets and caused a minor disruption in everyone’s lives.”
What I’m saying is I’ve seen horses snap legs and the person that does the charts at Penn says “Pulled up on turn”. So, the fact that the chart says “Broke Down” more than likely means the horse is dead. Hopefully I’m wrong.
:sigh: I was afraid of that.
How sad.
or at least a dignified end…
I would make book the horse goes out on the weekly one way Truck…
[QUOTE=judybigredpony;4636117]
I would make book the horse goes out on the weekly one way Truck…[/QUOTE]
If he’s not dead already, I’m sure you’re probably right.
No as big of an asshat as he may be, that does not happen anymore. Too many people were successfully prosecuted for violating pennsylvania’s fit for sale law.
This is what jockey David Cora posted on his Facebook page this morning:
“I hope the accident at penn stop, so tired to see gill horses break down.”
Has anyone written or called Penn about the Gill breakdowns? Based on their actions or lack there of, they don’t seem too concerned about it. Still no scratches in the post parade, still no race day exams in barn 5. “Business as Usual.” As I’ve said before, there will be a complete catastrophe at some point where a jockey is killed, perhaps that is sadly what it would take for Penn to remove this zit from their backside.
Given Cora’s post and the fact that there are about 10-12 riders who will not ride his horses and hate riding in races with Gill’s horses could the jockey colony go on strike or boycott races Gill has horses in? Has anything like this ever taken place?
In response to Cora’s post, trainer Elisha Rathman wrote that 87 Gill horses broke down last year. Don’t know where she got that number, but if true, that is absolutely shameful.
Dick, having jockeys come together to refuse to ride Gill horses would be a good idea, however there’s always one or two who need the money so badly that they’ll hop aboard no matter what.
This thread makes me increasingly grateful that I found a SOUND Gill horse to adopt when I did. :no:
[QUOTE=Little Hound;4636778]
In response to Cora’s post, trainer Elisha Rathman wrote that 87 Gill horses broke down last year. Don’t know where she got that number, but if true, that is absolutely shameful.
Dick, having jockeys come together to refuse to ride Gill horses would be a good idea, however there’s always one or two who need the money so badly that they’ll hop aboard no matter what.[/QUOTE]
It’s a high number, but if you consider the number of horses the man has spread all over and his disregard for their health and comfort… 87 doesn’t seem out of the question :sigh:
[QUOTE=Little Hound;4636778]
In response to Cora’s post, trainer Elisha Rathman wrote that 87 Gill horses broke down last year. Don’t know where she got that number, but if true, that is absolutely shameful.
Dick, having jockeys come together to refuse to ride Gill horses would be a good idea, however there’s always one or two who need the money so badly that they’ll hop aboard no matter what.[/QUOTE]
I’m not saying boycott Gill’s horses in terms of riding them, I’m talking about rider’s refusing to ride any race a Gill horse is entered - in other words, no horses could compete against Gill and the track would be forced to do something.
In terms of the number, that is 7 per month. A very real possibility if you count the Philly Park and Suffolk horses. My guesstimate on the number of breakdowns at Penn in 2009 would be 6-8 with many more being put down after getting carted off.
I’ve wondered, too, why, at this juncture of time with Gill horses breaking down on a regular and predictable basis, jocks don’t boycott. I was just speaking about this very thing with my DD who had a horse in the same race the other night. In fact, her horse was right next to the one who snapped its leg.
It’s no longer a matter of IF something catastrophic is going to happen (although it is certainly catastrophic for the horse each and every time), but WHEN. Furthermore, I think that, if management has not already been sufficiently mortified by the sheer number of breakdowns out of that barn, it’s encumbent on the horsemen to demand that changes are made, and soon.
Mr. Gill’s decided lack of concern (and, boy is that putting it mildly) does not affect just one horse and/or one rider: his nerved/blocked horses jeopardize EVERY horse and EVERY rider in the race. What jock would want to place their horse anywhere near Gill’s horse? It may even affect the way a race is run and it’s eventual outcome. Doesn’t seem implausible to me.
If the Penn Jockeys would go on strike it would be short lived and I think it would work rather effectively, but perhaps I am wrong.
Wasn’t he “blackballed” before by others in the industry years ago? I thought I read once, that people were not allowing him into their barns and things like that at one time. Maybe that will end up happening again.
One of his grooms said he has about 60 horses at Elk Creek Ranch right now down from over 100 a couple of months ago. Hopfully he’s getting out again. I wonder where the 40 horses have gone.
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