Heat Missile was the betting favorite when she ran in a sprint race at Belmont Park on Saturday, September 19. It was only the second day of racing at the newly rebuilt track. During the race, she broke both sesamoid bones in her left front leg and dislocated her fetlock joint. Workers set up screens so fans in the grandstand couldn't watch, and a veterinarian put her down right there on the track. Once her body was removed, the races and the opening weekend celebrations went on.

The new Belmont Park cost $550 million, and $455 million of it came from a loan backed by New York taxpayers. The animal rights group PETA is now demanding that the public see the terms of how the New York Racing Association (NYRA) will pay that money back.

On the same day at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, a two-year-old horse named Lutkenhaus suffered a fatal leg injury and fell, setting off a crash with five other young horses. Lutkenhaus was put down, and three jockeys went to the hospital. That makes at least two horses killed at Triple Crown tracks in a single day.

Horses can't choose to risk their lives on a racetrack. Screens can hide a death from the crowd, but they shouldn't hide it from the public. New Yorkers helped pay for this track, and they deserve to know what really happens on it.

Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York State Gaming Commission and NYRA have the power to act. They should require stronger safety measures to prevent breakdowns at Belmont Park, publicly report every racehorse death and serious injury, and release the full terms of the taxpayer-funded loan.

Sign the petition to demand safety and transparency at Belmont Park before another horse dies on a track taxpayers helped build.