A 4-year-old horse died after it raced Sunday at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack, according to an animal rights group.
The Kill Racing Not Horses organization said that the California Authority of Racing Fairs confirmed that a racehorse, a gelding named Toppers Wager, died on the track “without euthanization” after a collision with another horse.
“Toppers Wager came up on #1 Goodbye Kai and clipped heels,” Larry Swartzlander, Executive Director of the CA Authority of Racing Fairs, was cited as saying. “I spoke to the State Veterinarian around 8:30 (p.m.) and he stated that the Toppers Wager most likely fractured his neck and passed on the track before the attending vet could do anything.”
A jockey was reportedly injured following the collision.
Kill Racing Not Horses said Toppers Wager’s death is the 44th horse fatality reported on California horse racing tracks in 2024. It is also reportedly the fourth horse death in this year’s Alameda County Fair Horse Races at the Pleasanton Racetrack.
“No legitimate sport would tolerate the deaths of 44 of its athletes in 26 weeks of competition in just 1 state (California), much less 4 deaths of its athletes in 4 weeks of competition in just 1 venue (Pleasanton Racetrack/Alameda County Fair Horse Races),” the group said.
They shoot horses, don’t they?
Jane Fonda was the star of that 1969 film, and was nominated (but did not win) an Oscar for Best Actress. Gig Young did win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
If not for the sport of horse racing, would these costly animals even be alive?
No and there wouldn’t be 35,000 bred each year to try to win the derby. No more racing unless it is done responsibly as in Australia and the UK. Race horses in the US are trained and raced way too young!
In other words, they were to “kill racing, not horses” it would actually drastically reduce the population of race horses.
It should not be a total loss.
https://tinyurl.com/4hjrrpfm
Golden Gate Fields, Bay Meadows, and when I lived in Southern California, Santa Anita. I used to love going to the track two or three times a year. My view now is that horse racing is inherently cruel, evidenced by the annual number of horse deaths. I’m not going back, nor will I watch any of the Triple Crown races on television. Time for this “sport” to fade away.
My whole thing is, was it a good horse or did it have racist thoughts? Make you wonder
A tragic accident.
At least Topper died quickly…. no details on the jockey’s condition?
Horse Racing Is CRUEL, Inhuman, and is Pure Evil Exploitation of these majestic beautiful animals. I absolutely hate horse racing, and I’ve been saying it should be cancelled for like the last 10 years. I’m so tired of this barbaric no sense. END HORSE RACING!!!!!!! ITS BULLSH**!!!!!!