I have been close to handlers, trainers, owners, and many others in the thoroughbred industry. I have seen those who treat their animals with care and respect. The people who get little or no attention for their efforts to see these animals cared for as something more than money on the hoof. Too often, however, they are the little guys and gals who never sniff a whiff of places like Churchill Downs. Many of whom get out of the business because they simply cannot bear mute witness to the tragic way these animals are sometimes treated.
But I also have seen and know the other side of this industry. The horses that are shot up with enough drugs to keep them happy and running if there were bear traps snapped onto each leg. The fetid and filthy stalls they are given to call home. The crack of a more than one whip for those who can't make the grade on track. The execution and dumping of bodies either into a landfill hole or chopped up to be sold for animal food, fertilizer, and sometimes even winding up as additives for your dinner table.
These are wonderful creatures who will indeed run their heart out for an owner or trainer. They live to please as so many other animals do. We humanize them by noting how they love to play for a crowd and have their picture taken. We grieve for them when they fall victim to disease. We make pilgrimages to their grave sites in order to mourn their passing.
But only for a very, very select few. Barbaro's death was tragic, but what followed bordered on the ludicrous. He was painted by the media as a symbol of what it meant to be a true champion. To this day there are those who will tell you under hushed breath it was all a wonderfully choreographed media campaign by the thoroughbred industry, desperate to use his death as a way to show people the caring side of their sport and bring them back to the betting windows once again.
Does anyone remember the tale of Ferdinand? Winner of the 1986 Kentucky Derby. Winner of the 1987 Breeders Cup. A failure at stud, which meant he was no longer of any monetary value to his owners. Sold to a group in Japan, we learned in 2002 that Ferdinand was executed there and sent to a slaughterhouse.
No longer a money maker. Couldn't turn out future champions for owners to line their pockets with. Good for nothing save for the butcher block.
These animals are used for nothing more than making money by some who reside in a dark and wretched corner of society, knowing full well they can buy them, race them, abuse them, and kill them without a second thought. Those used as speed horses to make the more talented colts with a higher investment tag run even faster, and can be disposed of with a minimal dollar loss. The colts and fillies bought for short prices but fail to make good on the owners dollar. Then taken away and sold for a profit to other countries where horse flesh is a delicacy. The colt standing to stud who fails to sire possible winners and has a battery attached to his genitals until dropping dead. Don't waste the cost of a bullet on that nag.
I have personally seen each and every one of these scenarios take place. I made a mistake by not saying something then. I won't make the same mistake twice.
The time has come to bid an overdue farewell to horse racing in this country. It serves no purpose than to create an easy and disposable way for the wealthy to play with their money. For gamblers to have something else when the blackjack tables are closed. The beauty and pageantry of the sport are often mere facades to keep one from seeing what really goes on in some of the more unscrupulous barns and paddocks across the country. The sport, in it's current form, properly continues to lose fans, interest, and credibility.
And would lose many more if people only wanted to know the truth.
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