Another horse dies

Friday’s Canberra Times reported that the horse Sampler ‘broke down’ at Canberra racecourse on Thursday August 12 (“Hawkeye Hope runs down jockey moments before win”, Aug 13, p25). It stated that the jockey had sprained his knee – didn’t even go to hospital – but gave no information on the condition of the horse. Nor was there any news online for the next few days.

I did find the race video and it seemed clear that the poor mare had broken her near foreleg. But the replay commentary also avoided the fate of the horse, the camera following the other horses to the line and beyond and not showing her suffering – just a reference to her ‘not doing too well’.

I finally tracked down the Stewards Report to find that, “following an immediate veterinary assessment of its injuries the mare was humanely euthanased.”
So we have yet another horse going through agony before being killed in support of this glorified gambling industry.

It’s pointless to ask, “how many more?” – while there’s horse racing the horses will continue to be regarded as expendable. Expensive but expendable.
And it seems the media will continue to avoid the ugly facts.