Animal Cruelty at Belterra: “Royal Honey fell from the stable at 3:30 a.m. and died what Dr. Renn described as a very painful death.” – Mistakes in horse racing

A recent HISA statement about trainer Zvi Kriple. (I’ve made minor changes in the interest of brevity and clarity, including replacing Kriple with “covered person” and Royal Honey with “covered horse.”)

“Zvi Kriple was the person in charge of Royal Honey, which was stabled at Belterra Park. On the afternoon of April 23, 2025, Royal Honey began showing symptoms of colic, a painful intestinal condition in horses. Without seeking veterinary attention at 12:30 PM on April 23, 2025, Kriple contacted Dr. Timothy Renn to seek veterinary attention. Dr. Renn informed Kriple that he was 160 miles away and was unable to return to the track to care for the horse. He suggested several alternative veterinarians who might be able to care for the horse in a timely manner. He further emphasized the importance of caring for the horse and that the condition, if left untreated, could lead to a very painful death. [for Royal].

Dr. Renn further testified that his next contact with Kriple was on the 24th at 8:30 p.m., when he was told by Kriple that the horse had still not been treated by a veterinarian. In his testimony, Dr. Renn quoted another trainer who was on the line saying that several trainers had volunteered to transport the horse to a nearby veterinary clinic for free, but that Kriple declined to take advantage of those offers. Kriple testified that he found the horse at 1:30 a.m. unattended on the 25th and that Royal Honey fell from the stable at 3:30 a.m. and died, which according to Dr. Renn would have been a very painful death.

“The autopsy results showed that the cause of death was a rupture of Royal Honey’s digestive tract. It is Kriple’s testimony that, despite his best and repeated efforts during the periods of April 23 and 24, he was unable to locate a single veterinarian who would come to the racetrack to treat the horse or receive the horse at a clinic where it could be seen and treated.

“Based on the applicable rules, and on the established evidence set forth above, the Panel has determined that Kriple violated the rule prohibiting ‘denial of necessary care, subsistence, shelter or veterinary care’ to a covered horse.”

And the “sanctions”? “The registration of the insured person with HISA shall be suspended for a period of two years beginning on October 28, 2025 and continuing until October 27, 2027; and the disclosure of the consequences.”

But wait, there’s more. This from the Thoroughbred Daily News: “Kriple was suspended by the California Horse Racing Board in March 2010 after being found guilty of animal cruelty charges related to the treatment of a pony in his care. According to a January 4, 2010 Los Angeles Daily News story, Kriple was convicted by a jury of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges” after prosecutors alleged he failed to euthanize a horse at the Fairplex track that was suffering from a chronic hoof condition or sufficient treatment.’

“The prosecutor in the case told the Los Angeles Daily News that Kriple had a pattern of ‘extreme negligence when it comes to the care of horses,’ and cited a 2002 case in which Kriple allegedly failed to properly care for a racehorse that suffered a broken knee at Los Alamitos.”

Forget that lousy two-year suspension, this horrible human being should be in prison, and it goes without saying that he should never again be allowed to control any domesticated (read: helpless) animal.

Related