PETA Calls for Suspension of Racing on Belmont Inner Track Following Two Fatalities

For Immediate Release:
September 28, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the death of a second horse, Main Thing, on Friday on the inner turf course of the new Belmont Park racetrack, along with exclusive PETA video of Heat Missile’s fatal injury:

The new Belmont Park is already earning a grisly distinction: two dead horses in just nine races on its inner turf track. Nearly half a billion taxpayer dollars spent on a lavish rebuild, and the stunning result is shattered bones and fatal injuries. The New York State Gaming Commission must suspend racing on the inner turf course immediately and investigate how a brand-new facility became a death trap almost overnight. It’s too late for Thoroughbreds Heat Missile and Main Thing, but if regulators don’t act now, more horses could die before the ink on Belmont’s grand-opening brochures is dry.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”— points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kitsfor people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram