A long article about the gore at American tracks and the inadequate oversight to lessen it…
As if we didn’t already have enough bad press… This article is so full of BS… I’d like to know where these statistics are coming from for one thing, because to my knowledge, there are NOT 24 fatal breakdowns every day.
Anyone else like how Archarcharch's injury in the Derby was dramatized to be "and in the Kentucky Derby this year one horse broke down and fractured a leg"... Forgot to mention that the horse finished the race on his own power, walked back to the barn, was given beyond EXCELLENT care, then retired and rehabbed at an outstanding stud farm.
Is this writer smoking pot?
“The question on everyone’s mind, why did Martin get on a cheap claimer that hadn’t won in three races the day before the richest race of the meet?” This right here shows how little the writer knows about the sport. You ride anything you can.
Don’t even get me started on the “drug” issue that the author so brazenly wrote about. How did he/she get hired? How can someone get away with a half-ass research job and such a biased opinion?
And the comment page… I couldn’t get past the first two comments before I had to leave… Where does this hatred for racing come from? If you understand what you are talking about and know these horses… It’s the most amazing sport there is IMO.
It was from The New York Times. 'nuff said
Hard to feel sorry for an industry that has proactively done so little except to beg for slots money. Their bad publicity is mostly self inflicted.
I’m surprised that the breakdown rate at QH tracks is nearly one-third higher than at TB venues. For some reason, I always assumed QH racing had fewer breakdowns, but maybe it’s not publicized as much.
So much in that article is false it truly is difficult to comment other than in general terms. The racing industry does more for Sport Horses than any other sector. They are scrutinized intensely and are constantly searching for ways to improve the sport to make it safer. They are very interested in wanting the horses to be useful for more than racing and have been developing ways to make that happen.
Do some research on this forum and you will see a more truthful picture of the sport of horseracing.
Joe Drape and the Times and about 2 weeks behind. They usually start their assault on racing in early March as the triple crown trail heats up.
There is so much in there that is off base as to make one wonder. However, as is said about many topics, if you repeat it over and over, it soaks in as truth.
The piece demonstrates such a lack of knowledge of racing as to be imbicilic. Drape has the resources of the NYT and chooses not to use them but instead writes a typical hack article with a clear agenda.
It should be noted that they used all injuries or signs of injury(eased but trotted off) for their statistics. Horses that had minor healable injuries were included.
Here is a site for info on actual injuries at tracks.
http://www.jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp
[QUOTE=Introspect;6215656]
Hard to feel sorry for an industry that has proactively done so little except to beg for slots money. Their bad publicity is mostly self inflicted.[/QUOTE]
You can’t be serious… What other industry has an aftercare program for its horses? What other industry has an alliance that helps injured riders? What other industry provides money/food/shelter for its blue collar workers (grooms, hot walkers, etc.)? What other industry has a scholarship program for the children of its blue collar workers? What other industry stimulates a fraction of the money and support for equine research (in all areas, medicine, footing, etc.)? What other industry has such rigid drug rules and penalties? What other industry is held as ACCOUNTABLE as the horse racing industry?
What in he!!fire has this industry done to deserve to be pillaged and burned by uneducated extremists?
[QUOTE=lifesabreeze;6215939]
It should be noted that they used all injuries or signs of injury(eased but trotted off) for their statistics. Horses that had minor healable injuries were included.
Here is a site for info on actual injuries at tracks.
http://www.jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp[/QUOTE]
Incorrect. And please, the JC is compromised and has no interest in openly displaying horse injury figures.
How The Times Analyzed Data on Horse Injuries
To assess how often horses break down or get injured, The Times purchased official data covering more than 150,000 race results from 2009 through 2011. The data are compiled by trained “chart callers,” and used to compile result charts that bettors use to evaluate horses. The Times searched the data for terms indicating that a horse encountered a physical problem: broke down, vanned off, injured, lame, euthanized, died, collapsed, bleeding or went wrong.
Although the chart callers can be stylistically different, they are taught to use standard industry terms and their descriptions constitute the official record.The Times approached the analysis conservatively, ignoring a number of terms – taken up, pulled up and eased, for example – that are often indicative of injury, but also can indicate that a jockey has stopped urging a horse on because it has fallen far behind. Some terms may have been overlooked because they were misspelled or abbreviated in the charts.
The analysis focused solely on thoroughbred and quarter horse races, and included only tracks at which 5,000 or more horses ran during the three-year period. This covered 94 percent of the thoroughbred and quarter horses that raced during that time.
I enjoy a good horse race but to deny there are problems in the industry with drugging/running sore horses, etc, is to bury your head in the sand. Just look at the “Business as usual thread” and you’ll see the lack of enforcement/teeth in their regs.
[QUOTE=CiegoStar;6216079]
Incorrect. And please, the JC is compromised and has no interest in openly displaying horse injury figures.
How The Times Analyzed Data on Horse Injuries
To assess how often horses break down or get injured, The Times purchased official data covering more than 150,000 race results from 2009 through 2011. The data are compiled by trained “chart callers,” and used to compile result charts that bettors use to evaluate horses. The Times searched the data for terms indicating that a horse encountered a physical problem: broke down, vanned off, injured, lame, euthanized, died, collapsed, bleeding or went wrong.
Although the chart callers can be stylistically different, they are taught to use standard industry terms and their descriptions constitute the official record.The Times approached the analysis conservatively, ignoring a number of terms – taken up, pulled up and eased, for example – that are often indicative of injury, but also can indicate that a jockey has stopped urging a horse on because it has fallen far behind. Some terms may have been overlooked because they were misspelled or abbreviated in the charts.
The analysis focused solely on thoroughbred and quarter horse races, and included only tracks at which 5,000 or more horses ran during the three-year period. This covered 94 percent of the thoroughbred and quarter horses that raced during that time.[/QUOTE]
sorry,what I wrote was correct. You obviously know very little about horseracing and charts. Having rode and trained thousands of horses,I can tell you that the charts can be quite inaccurate.
All I can add is that I loved the sport at one time. Not any more.
NUFF SAID
Until you actually make a living in racing, and for a period of years, you only have an opinion…not the reality. The media can interpret any statistics they find…and some writer who has no real experience or attachment to our business somehow finds it necessary to write a negative article, not unlike opinions of our candidates running for presidency.
Then again—I think a lot of negative press is from some guy who bets a few bucks at the windows and loses :winkgrin:
It still amazes me that people on a Sport Horse forum feel the need to point fingers at racing. I will refrain from pointing back at the other disciplines on here. At least racing is continuously finding ways to makes their sport safer and to find other uses for their horses that cannot compete in their sport.
But then again,I have noticed more non-competitive type of horse people on here in the last few years. It is an interesting forum and attracts pet people too.
I know so many at the track who only want what is best for the horses.
However, in my opinion, the trainers, owners, and others who continue to race in whatever spot they can put a horse in - whether it be run back too soon, or dropped well down in class, simply to bring home any check so they do not have to send out a cash call, are the kinds who are ruining the sport, and the horses who run their hearts out for them.
What you will also find at the track are solid horsemen and horsewomen, who will always make the right decision for the horse, but in recent years have trailed off success wise - as they are overrun by those posting the “big numbers”.
But what does the Hall of Fame do? Oh, that’s right, put the guys up with “the big numbers”. Because that is an objective statistic that is easy to elect. When the most important criteria that should be considered - as in other sports - is the sportsmanship involved. You won’t find that mentioned in this Hall of Fame’s standards, however.
And if most owners, trainers, and partnerships would set criteria below which they will not run their horses, and retire them with some plan made ahead of time when they drop to a certain level, there might be some grace remaining in this sport. But while everybody can get in on the cheap, just so they can brag to their friends about owning a piece of a racehorse, the pattern will continue.
I still love this sport, and wish somehow it could recover to some semblance of its previous glory. Great horses, and good trainers and owners still help keep the hope alive. We need to back them, not just anybody.
Stat that lump fatal and clear breakdowns and horses “eased” in races are by definition meaningless. Horses “ease” from races where they are clearly outclassed while suffering no harm or injury. Horse “ease” because of assorted (undocumented) equipment failures or failure to handle footing. It is the equivalent to an event rider pulling up on the cross country because their horse isn’t traveling well. In the last few weeks I’ve seen horses return off “eased” performances to hit the board several times.
For a vet involved in racing to draw an analogy between human and equine physiology indicates his own bias. Uh, the issue is that when a horse breaks it’s leg it has a far greater set of complications (humans don’t founder) to deal with. Yes, humans do break themselves up in sports. Olympians and weekend warriors alike break bones and suffer consequences. The difference, unmentioned by the vet is that equine physiology means that healing a broken limb on a horse is far more challenging. Rather than educate the writer and this vet choose to pontificate.
[QUOTE=Angelico;6215999]
You can’t be serious… What other industry has an aftercare program for its horses? What other industry has an alliance that helps injured riders? What other industry provides money/food/shelter for its blue collar workers (grooms, hot walkers, etc.)? What other industry has a scholarship program for the children of its blue collar workers? What other industry stimulates a fraction of the money and support for equine research (in all areas, medicine, footing, etc.)? What other industry has such rigid drug rules and penalties? What other industry is held as ACCOUNTABLE as the horse racing industry?
What in he!!fire has this industry done to deserve to be pillaged and burned by uneducated extremists?[/QUOTE]
You are very naive.
Do you really think the Jockey Club, the NTRA, TOBA, or the Grayson Jockey Club care what goes on with horses at some bush racino on any arbitrary weeknight?
Rigid drug rules and penalties? Please give an example of a cheat who got caught and punished severely. Severely enough that the penalty deterred other cheats. The most prestigeous circuit in the country can’t get rid of Dutrow. Even Biancone with the cobra venom is back training. Time on the beach? Just transfer your stable to your buddy’s name and take a vacation.
Aftercare? Yes, for the ones that can be saved and placed into adoption programs. How about the trainers who tap and block every joint every race until the horse can’t function any further? Have you ever seen a trainer walk his horses over to the rendering pit on the backside of a racino track and have their vet put them down on the spot? Horses that were savable months before, but they’re run into the ground for a few more checks in lieu of a dignified retirement and guaranteed placement. Dealing with an adoption program is too much of pain to them. Happens more than you think- no accountability, no checks and balances. If the public only knew. There are a lot of great people on the backside that love horses, but they share space with others who view their horses no different than cattle or sheep.
Reasearch? Tell me what the Grayson-Jockey club has contributed…and furthermore, regarding the industry, what has been implemented in the real world due to their research. Lasix studies? Beakdowns due to pre-existing injuries? What have they done to effect a race at Chares Town?
Go back and read the Business as Usual thread that details the level of industry commitment there is from the same folks who own the ZIA Park detailed in the NYT article.
Please elaborate on how the racing industry has been held accountable. Do you mean the awesomely successful accreditation program after they got dragged in front of congress and slapped around? Pure political window dressing. If the industry could unscrew itself, it wouldn’t be front page fodder tomorrow morning.
If racetracks ran funeral parlors, no one would die.
You should refrain from calling anyone naive when you are so out of touch with what is going on in racing now.
and yes,they all care very much.
Everyone I encounter in racing is working hard to get rid of the bad apples. I stayed away from racing for a while because of the head in the sand attitude. I am very proud to step back into the industry. They are tackling the issues head on now.
I actually didn’t find much wrong with that article. Sadly it is all true. I love horse racing but I am not fond of a large segment of the people in it. The bad people seem to outnumber the good anymore and treating horses like replaceable cogs is common even in some people who I know really do love horses. But they seem to be able to put some of them in a different catagory mentally. Not saying they don’t care when the horse dies but it is quickly replaced. And until the people in horse racing decide they are not going to put up with the cheaters like the ones so rampant in NM then there will be lots of cheaters. And the horses are the ones that pay.
As for Archarcharch he DID break a leg and it DID end his career and if he had not been such a nice horse his options may have been very limited. Luckily he was worth money as a stallion prospect.
I gave up following QH racing eons ago when even “I” with limited (no internet then) access could tell they were going through horses at an alarming rate. And it is worse now!
I’m sorry but in my opinion a horse that needs all those drugs to run shouldn’t be anywhere near a track.
