On a Day When Another Horse “Drops Dead” at Santa Anita, Doug O’Neill and Company Celebrate With Music and Tacos
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM HorseracingWrongs.org
October 2019

Colonel 'drops dead' on the racetrack and says his $140 million career-earning trainer Richard Mandella: “It was devastating…I wish I knew the answer.”

Protesters with mock headstones with names and birth/death dates for just eight of the horses who have 'dropped dead' at Santa Anita's racetrack...

5-year-old Ky. Colonel “dropped dead” while training at Santa Anita Saturday morning, the Associated Press reports. Again, “dropped dead” – at the still-pubescent age of five. Says his $140 million career-earning trainer Richard Mandella: “It was devastating…I wish I knew the answer.” Liar. Liar.

Later in the article, this:

Earlier in the day, about 50 workers and supporters of horse racing rallied outside the track’s main entrance. They toted signs expressing their love of horses and support for the jobs and lifestyle the industry provides in California. Passing motorists honked and waved in support. Protesters have trod the same ground in recent months to criticize the deaths of 32 horses at the track since December and urge that the sport be abolished. However, none of them was among the pro-racing crowd at the rally, where a five-piece band played and trainer Doug O’Neill delivered tacos for lunch.

“Just want to be a voice of how proud we are of our horses and our jobs and our lives,” said O’Neill. “Trainers, grooms, hotwalkers, exercise riders, we’ve chose this as our career. It’s very important to keep our voice very much alive and at the forefront.” O’Neill said he expects more such rallies or as he called them “celebrations.” “There’s so many workers both frontside and backside that just feel paralyzed,” he said. “Having these kind of celebrations where we can all talk together and be with each other and really show that we are truly the backbone of the business, this is the reality, the love, the passion.”

So on one side, the $132 million Doug O’Neill leads a pack of vested – as in financially – racing people in “celebration” of an industry that abuses, maims, and kills multiple thousands of sentient animals annually, while on the other, volunteer activists give voice to those animals (yesterday memorializing the ever-increasing pile of dead horses). The contrast could not be more striking, the optics worse. So by all means, Mr. O’Neill, keep playing your music and dishing your tacos, for truth – as reported on this website – and compassion will win out. On that, I have no doubt.

Santa Anita’s 38 dead racehorses thus far this year:

Tank Team, killed racing at Santa Anita Jan 4, 2019
Unusual Angel, killed racing at Santa Anita Jan 4, 2019
Secret Street, killed training at Santa Anita Jan 8, 2019
Derby Treasure, killed racing at Santa Anita Jan 11, 2019
Henry, dead at Santa Anita January 14, 2019
Noise Mandate, killed racing at Santa Anita Jan 18, 2019
Amboseli, killed racing at Santa Anita Jan 20, 2019
Like Really Smart, killed racing at Santa Anita Jan 21, 2019
Last Promise Kept, killed racing at Santa Anita Jan 21, 2019
Ponchito, dead at Santa Anita January 22, 2019
Dancing Harbor, killed training at Santa Anita Jan 23, 2019
Spitfire, killed training at Santa Anita Jan 25, 2019
Mongolian Hunter, dead at Santa Anita January 28, 2019
Kid Cantina, killed racing at Santa Anita Feb 2, 2019
Comegowithme, killed racing at Santa Anita Feb 3, 2019
Jager Time, killed training at Santa Anita Feb 17, 2019
Unusual Rider, killed training at Santa Anita Feb 18, 2019
Hot American, killed racing at Santa Anita Feb 22, 2019
Battle of Midway, killed training at Santa Anita Feb 23, 2019
Just Forget It, killed training at Santa Anita Feb 23, 2019
Charmer John, killed training at Santa Anita Feb 24, 2019
Eskenforadrink, killed racing at Santa Anita Mar 2, 2019
Cooney, dead at Santa Anita March 4, 2019
Lets Light the Way, killed training at Santa Anita Mar 5, 2019
Princess Lili B, killed training at Santa Anita Mar 14, 2019
Arms Runner, killed racing at Santa Anita Mar 31, 2019
Rolling Shadow, dead at Santa Anita April 4, 2019
Commander Coil, killed training at Santa Anita May 17, 2019
Spectacular Music, killed racing at Santa Anita May 19, 2019
Kochees, killed racing at Santa Anita May 25, 2019
Current Times, dead at Santa Anita May 27, 2019
Derby River, killed training at Santa Anita June 5, 2019
Formal Dude, killed racing at Santa Anita June 8, 2019
Truffalino, killed racing at Santa Anita June 9, 2019
American Currency, killed training at Santa Anita June 22, 2019
Zeke, killed training at Santa Anita September 16, 2019
Emtech, killed racing at Santa Anita September 28, 2019
Ky. Colonel, killed training at Santa Anita October 5, 2019

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