Earlier this week, we asked you to urge the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to terminate harness racer Christopher Lefebvre’s license to race in the state because of his deplorable track record—he has a criminal conviction for cruelty to animals in Maine, among other charges. Thanks to all of you who responded to our action … Read more »
Saratoga Race Course has been denied. Well, at least it would have been if freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) had had his way. Chaffetz is fed up with all the “fluff” bills that Congress votes on every week—bills like those honoring National Pollinator Week, National Dairy Month, and National Train Day, just to name a … Read more »
While billboard companies in Louisville may want to keep Kentucky Derby fans in the dark about the racing industry’s appalling abuses, which lead to breakdown and death, The Onion makes them front-page news. In making their predictions for the upcoming Kentucky Derby, The Onion‘s “Steam Room” commentators reveal just how shockingly* far “horse beaters” (their … Read more »
Can Kentucky Derby fans handle the truth? Outdoor advertisers in Louisville don’t seem to think so. We sent the ad below to every billboard and bus ad company in town with the intention of running it during next week’s Derby, but they all turned us down flat. We wanted racegoers—and everyone—to know that … Read more »
textually / CC In a landmark move, the jockeys at the Penn National Race Course voted last week to refuse to ride in any races in which horses owned by Michael Gill would be running. Jockeys only get paid when they win, place, or show in races, so giving up a job is a … Read more »
What’s more important to the racing industry: horses or money? If you thought horses, we’ve found two recent news stories that will change your mind. Consider this: Thanks to a lawsuit involving the co-owners of former Kentucky Derby favorite I Want Revenge, it’s become even clearer how often horses used in the racing industry … Read more »
Here is a story that answers the question, “What’s wrong with supporting ‘free-range’ farms?” PETA caseworkers recently worked on a case in New Mexico involving a mother cow who suffered for days after she became stuck in the mud around a watering hole. The cow was part of a small cattle herd living on … Read more »
Most of you probably remember the tragedy at the 2008 Kentucky Derby, in which a young filly, Eight Belles, was whipped mercilessly in the final stretch, only to break both her front ankles after she crossed the finish line. At that time, we called for the racing industry to eliminate, at a minimum, some of … Read more »
In PETA’s new ad, Joel Gibb of Canadian indie band The Hidden Cameras announced that “Canada’s Club Scene Sucks.” and he’s not talking about JELL-O shots. Today, Joel and the band teamed up with PETA for a public unveiling of the ad in front of Queen’s Park in Toronto. The Hidden Cameras performed … Read more »
tottman / CC Bodies may not be buried at Churchill Downs, but with so many horses having drawn their last breath there after having been run to death, it might as well be a cemetery. And for two days it will be, because PETA has erected 265 headstones outside the racetrack this week. Why 265, … Read more »
We were pretty disappointed when we heard that Mattel was planning to release a “Kentucky Derby Barbie.” Barbie has a long history as an animal defender (she’s been fur-free for years)—why would she get all, ahem, “dolled” up for an event that centers around animal abuse? Then it occurred to us that Barbie could very … Read more »
If you aim a wind-up toy at a brick wall, logic would tell you that the toy is going to continue slamming into the wall unless the wall is removed, right? Well, as long as the horse-racing industry exists, tragedy is going to follow. Case in point: Two more horses at the Aqueduct Race Track … Read more »
turner / CC It’s official: Just weeks before he was to race in the Breeders’ Cup, Big Brown has officially been retired from horse racing because of a serious foot injury. The 3-year-old horse, who earlier this year won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and who outran Eight Belles before she collapsed and had … Read more »
textually / CC As if we didn’t already have enough reasons to protest the horseracing industry, the Associated Press reports that nearly 20 racehorses crammed inside a double-decker trailer meant for moving cattle sustained numerous injuries following the four-day transport from the U.S. to Puerto Rico. Apparently, it didn’t occur to the people handling these … Read more »
On behalf of thoroughbreds everywhere, a congressional hearing was held today to discuss horseracing—just weeks after PETA and tens of thousands of our members and supporters called for it. You can get a pretty cool play-by-play of the meeting here, but basically, the primary message was that the drugs are the problem—not just steroids but … Read more »
