Does it look like any of the horse people in the area are planning to show up at this guy’s hearing or arraignment or whatever happens next?
From what my daughter has heard, meth head. Claimed when he turned himself in that he was high and hearing voices. If he was a former employee, word would have spread through the local community right quick.
As for security, I don’t know. I remember the one time I was there, my DH had to show his ID to get in the gate. I don’t know how he managed to get through, unless he crawled under a fence somewhere. Tioga isn’t a wide open space like Vernon Downs.
My daughter said the local horsemen want to put him in a pine box and light it on fire.
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Be surprised.
A perp may get a kick out of killing animals; the method used was fire.
Edited: Fcuk meth. I hate meth, meth dealers, and cooks with every fibre of my being. Meth is the most awful, awful drug.
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In Tribute To Tioga Downs | Standardbred Canada
The article has loving tributes to each of the horses lost.
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That is a classy group of heartbroken racehorse owners. It sounds like a nice tribute. Those poor horses.
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Meth is horrible, but it was a horrible person that did this. The meth was no excuse.
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Do you have a gift link?
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It’s the track my daughter has been at since early summer with our racehorses. She loves it there, she’s been there pretty much every summer for the past 10 years, except the last couple because of covid and not enough horses to go with.
They’ve even made her non-horsey, though learning quick boyfriend very welcome. Many of the horses that were lost in the fire were racing at Vernon since Tioga was closed for the season and being used by the horsemen left as a training centre. At least one of the horses lost was supposed to be in racing against our mare on Friday night.
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Thanks
The “Mr. Clarke” in the article is the trainer that my DH knows. His nickname is Sparky. They had come home late the night before from the Harrisburg PA sale, where they’d bought a yearling filly. They decided to take their time getting to the barn that morning, since they’d had a long day and a late night…
That part was extra sad. If they had gotten stuck in traffic or whatever and been delayed a few hours, the filly might still be alive. And the part where she did not even have a name yet… 
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I guess he’s kicking himself for not going at the usual time. They likely could have kicked the guy out of the barn because they were usually there a lot earlier.
ETA: A fair number of yearlings go through the STB sales without a registered name yet, so the new owners can name them.
That’s awful that he’s blaming himself when the person who should be kicked at great length is the arsonist.
I believe the thoroughbreds are the same, but it’s just sad to me that the filly will never be remembered by name.
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I too have close ties to STB racing and to Tioga as my retired gelding raced there for many summers and one of my closest friends stables and races there ever summer when they are open for racing. What I have been told is that during the off season, the place is basically a training center so the security on the backside is much less stringent. I also heard that this guy was running from security at the casino and climbed the fence.
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At 6:00 in the morning?
Yes at 6 am. He admitted that he was high.
