Mike Repole says what we advocates already know: mistakes in horse racing

Last week, prominent owner Mike Repole announced he would file a lawsuit against some of US Racing’s yet-identified power brokers. Apparently Repole has never been a fan of the “old boys club,” and decries the inability of individuals like himself to have more input into important decisions. Obviously I don’t care if animal exploiters fight it out with other animal exploiters. What struck me, however, was this Repole quote in the Thoroughbred Daily News:

“We have an industry that cannot even provide a solution to what should be a simple and moral aftercare problem. … We are concerned about the approximately 200 horses that die on the track every year. [note: this is a categorically false number; see our annual lists]and so am I. But what about the 2,000 who don’t have aftercare homes or are shipped to Mexico to be slaughtered, or go to Puerto Rico or somewhere else? What about the horses that end up in kill pens? I think because the optics are not that important when it comes to breaking down horses, it is not a major issue for the industry.”

Yes folks, they still slaughter used racehorses, and yes folks, the industry still shrugs. And by the way, when Repole says 2,000, he is only talking about thoroughbreds.

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