Training murder of a four-year-old mare at Hawthorne: “Exsanguination secondary to major trauma to the head, neck and thorax. The laceration extends through the skin and underlying muscles, exposing the trachea.” – Mistakes in horse racing

Through a FOIA request to the Illinois Racing Board, I confirmed the following killings at that state’s tracks last year (this is part 2; part 1 here – A total of 20 murders).

Road Blue, July 12, Fairmount R
“Catastrophic collapse during race: acute, open, comminuted cannon fracture – pieces of bone missing.” Also: “bilateral cartilage erosion.” Road Blue was four years old.

Harryk, July 31, Fairmount T (August 3)
“lame after training. Horse lay down in the stable and suffered the fracture when it got up.” Harryk was three years old and came from his first race almost a year earlier.

Lil Kell, August 13, Illinois State Fair R
“Horse jumped over the tracks during the post parade and then fell into the tunnel. The horse’s skull was cracked during the fall and it died almost immediately.” (See our post on when it happened.)

It Hurts So Much, August 31, Hawthorne R
“Catastrophic fetlock failure due to racing: severe, acute rupture of multiple ligaments [multiple] fractures.” They added: “When the horse tried to walk [after pulling up]the leg is sunk all the way to the MCIII.” Hurts was six years old. By the way, the card said ‘taken a bad step’. In another instance, Hurts came out of a race just eleven days earlier; he finished last, 17 lengths back.

Therdgoesonforever, September 6, Fairmount R
“Catastrophic Elongation Fracture: Numerous Comminuted Fractures.” Also: “severe cartilage loss indicative of previous osteoarthritis.” “Previous osteoarthritis” – Therd was three years old.

Rumbrandt, September 24, Hawthorne T
“Hemorrhage secondary to major trauma to the head, neck and thorax.” In other words, this poor girl, only four, bled to death. More details: “There is a 43 cm long serrated tear running down the right side of the neck and across the chest area… the tear extends through the skin and underlying muscle, exposing the trachea. Most of the right jugular vein and right carotid artery are absent or unidentifiable. The first three ribs show comminuted fractures, as does the cranial margin of the right scapula.” Also: “multifocal to coalescing peptic ulcers.” What more can I say?

Tizwow, September 26, Fairmount T
“Catastrophic breakdown during training: [multiple] complete ball fractures.” Also: “joint chondrosis [both] front bullets.” Tizwow was five years old.

Ragnow, September 28, Fairmount S
“[10-day sickness]: severe pleurisy and effusion.” More detail: “The chest cavity is filled with a large amount of red, cloudy, watery fluid. Visceral and parietal pleura, especially on the right side of the lungs, pericardial sac, rib cage and diaphragm, are covered with a thick carpet of yellow to red, dull, friable material with extensive adhesion. The lungs are collapsed, red and rubbery on palpation.” What a terrible way to act. Ragnow was three.

Hidden Spin, October 5, Hawthorne R
“crippled up: [multiple] complete fractures and obvious pulmonary hemorrhage.” Regarding the latter, the report states: “The pulmonary hemorrhages are consistent with exercise-associated fatal pulmonary hemorrhage. Although the animal did not die from this lesion, it was quite severe and would likely have led to significant clinical signs over time.” Murderers. Hidden was four years old.

Grand Hideaway, November 11, Hawthorne S
“LH laminitis: the coffin bone is clearly rotated and no longer parallel to the hoof wall, almost penetrating the hoof sole.” Then, in the other hind leg: “Changes within the RH include chronic, dense fibrosis, with numerous small pockets of mixed inflammation. This is consistent with long-standing inflammation. Although no penetrating wound was seen (probably due to the chronicity of the lesion), this is considered the most likely cause of this cellulitis.” In other words, this poor eight-year-old boy probably suffered for a very long time.

Red Rizzler, December 1, Hawthorne S
“Severe, chronic tenosynovitis, resulting in inflammation in both the deep digital flexor and the superficial digital flexor and adjacent connective tissue.” Also: “bilateral osteoarthritis with chronic cartilage loss and erosion.” Also: “stomach ulcers.” “Bilateral osteoarthritis” – Red River was four years old.

Since January 1, 2014, when Horseracing Wrongs began the unprecedented work of reporting murders in the American horse racing industry, 324 (that we know of) horses have died on Illinois tracks. That is 324 beautiful, intelligent, sensitive beings sacrificed for nothing more than $2 bets and frivolous entertainment. Aren’t we better than this, America?

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