A Training Kill at Belmont; A Drowning – Yes, Drowning – Kill at Miami Valley

The NYS Gaming Commission has reported that Miss Marilyn “sustained a leg injury necessitating euthanasia on the track” while training at Belmont Saturday. She was two years old. As usual, the Commission attached its perfunctory public assuagement statement: “An investigation was initiated.” (For those who may be new to this, these “investigations” – if they even happen – yield nothing of value. I mean really, what can they say, an equine child snapped her leg in the throes of exploitation? It is what it is.)

Meanwhile: In the 12th race at Miami Valley (harness) Monday, 5-year-old He’s a Perfect Ten died after he, as the track put it, “became spooked and ran into a pond…where it drowned.” First, let’s get this out of the way: Horseracing is whollyresponsible for this animal’s death. He was enslaved by the racing industry. He was exploited by the racing industry. He was killed by the racing industry.

Second, notice both in the statement and in this video clip the repeated use of the word “it” when referring to an intelligent, sensitive being. Yes, “it” tells you all you need to know about how these people view their horses. Indeed, the man interviewed, a harness owner, took it a notch lower, saying, “It’s a sad thing for the people that owned the horse and the man that trained it, or drove it…it’s really tragic.” Tragic, because an asset was lost.

And finally, this from the Fox reporter as he was wrapping up the story: “Can you imagine how horrifying this must have been to have these horses bearing down on you when you are thrown from the cart.” Nothing about how horrifying it must have been for He’s a Perfect Ten as he was flailing for his life in a pond. Vile, simply vile.  - Patrick Battuello, Horseracing Wrongs