News - Page 20 of 25 - Horse Racing Kills

May 25, 2021 by admincpr Leave a Comment

https://horseracingkills.com/2021/05/25/8085/

May 25, 2021 by admincpr Leave a Comment

https://horseracingkills.com/2021/05/25/8078/

New Zealand Jumps Racing

May 5, 2021 by admincpr Leave a Comment

Many New Zealanders are completely unaware that jumps racing persists in their country. From May to August approximately 23 cruel jumps events are held across New Zealand racetracks, forcing horses to negotiate obstacles whilst travelling at high speeds with a jockey on their back.

Four horses were reported to have been killed in the 2020 NZ jumps racing season. Many more were injured and have not been seen on the racetrack since – their status unknown.

Please join our 2023 Ban Jumps Racing campaign to call out this brutal animal abuse in the name of gambling profits and entertainment. Come along to our protests (listed below). Or, if you want to get more involved, you can also help behind the scenes, or plan your own protest at your local track – support provided. Simply complete our volunteer form here.

2023 Ban Jumps Racing Demonstration dates…
Trentham Racecourse, Wellington – July 15
More dates and full details coming soon!

Jumps racing is 21st century legalised animal abuse that MUST come to an end!

For more information on jumps racing and CPR’s ongoing campaign in Australia click here.

Barrier ‘Behaviour’

April 9, 2021 by admincpr 1 Comment

Horses expressions of defiance happen all day at any given racetrack. Most don’t get a mention. The barriers are a common place for such defiance. Horses don’t like confined spaces and have to be trained/coerced to go in because it goes against all their natural instincts. Some horses are rejected from racing simply because they can’t be made to go into the barriers. This is what that looks like.

Image source : Animal Reality Exposed (York Races)

In late 2019, we reported on how common this is, using Melbourne Cup Day as an example (article here). Across Australia, there were well over 50 incidents at the gates in this one day; what stewards refer to as “difficult to load”, “unable to load”, “fractious in barriers”, “became cast in barriers”, “broke through the gates”, “dislodged rider”, “leg stuck in gates”, “reared at the gates”. Below are just some examples.

Words taken directly from steward’s reports:
Worrigee Star – The mare which escaped from its attendant behind the barriers and galloped a considerable distance before jumping a perimeter fence was declared a late scratching by order of the Stewards at 12.35pm.
Highton – Trainer G Hickman was advised that a warning would be recorded against the gelding which proved reluctant to proceed to the barriers and caused a delay to the start.
Daunting Warrior – The filly was declared a late scratching by order of the Stewards at 2:28pm after it shied en route to the barriers and broke through the running rail, dislodging rider J. Grob in the process.
Daredevil – After being loaded into the barriers, became fractious, reared and became cast over its nearside barrier partition.
Lilly Pilly – After being loaded into the barriers, the filly became fractious, reared and sat down behind.
Red Hot – The filly, which was in the stall adjoining Lilly Pilly which had become fractious and was removed from its barrier, then reared and struck its head.

Animals resist their exploitation all the time. Or often, they are just downright terrified. Another recent example of this is 9-year-old gelding Stirling Estate from Western Australia who, in January 2021 refused to enter the barriers and was therefore withdrawn from the race. His race history shows that his trainers have received warnings and suspensions for Stirling Estate’s objections several times and on one occasion it was noted that he is usually loaded into the barriers with a buggy whip and had refused because one was not available.

The below image is of a filly they are trying to force into the barriers in Sydney. The witness told us “this was a top filly and she was absolutely terrified of the man with the buggy whip behind the barriers.”

As a slight side note, Stirling Estate is now deceased. His trainer claims he kicked out in the washroom bay after racing in Bunbury on February 11, just one month after receiving his fifth suspension for “refusing to load” – his injury apparently turning gangrene and requiring euthanasia.

Open and Transparent?

April 7, 2021 by admincpr 2 Comments

The racing industry will often claim to be “open and transparent” but our experience of well over a decade demonstrates the very opposite. The industry will go out of its way to keep the truth from the public, as what really goes on behind the scenes is so shocking it threatens the very existence of horse racing.

We, the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, represent a large sector of the general public who have very legitimate concerns regarding the wellbeing of racehorses, yet, our emails to industry authorities requesting an open dialogue or specific information regarding individual horses wellbeing are repeatedly ignored – Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys has even blocked all email and phone communication from us.

But, of course, it is much worse than that. Editing race replay footage when a horse is seriously injured or killed (or failing to upload the footage at all), intentionally omitting information from stewards reports, and blatantly lying to the public in media statements and in official industry reports, are all common practice in this industry that thrives on secrecy.

Below is a letter that has been sent to the Racing Victoria Equine Welfare Department four times since January this year. Not one reply has been received, not even an acknowledgement of the email, even though correspondence on other matters has occurred from the same department contact.

Due to lack of response, we have also sent this letter to the Racing Victoria and Racing Australia CEO’s who, to date, have also failed to respond.

So, we ask, for an industry who repeatedly claims to be “open and transparent,” why is our request so difficult to respond to?

***********************
Dear Racing Victoria Equine Welfare Department,

In our 2020 Deathwatch Report, we highlighted not only were the causes of horse deaths on track again often not disclosed, but also that Racing Victoria was the worst culprit of this. Our report stated:
Of the 24 horses whose cause of death is not clarified, 22 were from Victorian racetracks. Victoria reported a total of 31 deaths, meaning Victorian stewards only disclosed the cause of death in their reporting 9 times. More on this can be found from page 4 in our report here.

We believe it is in the public interest to know and understand not only how many horses are being killed on the racetrack, but also what is causing their deaths. We understand the cause of death can not always be determined on the day and therefore can not always be told in the stewards report of that particular day, however, when this is the case, subsequent reports and even necropsy reports could and should be made publicly available.

Evie Girl is one example of many which we would like more information on.

Stewards stated:
Evie Girl (NZ) Began to weaken passing the 700m and near the 500m was eased out of the race. After being pulled up, the mare collapsed and was subsequently found on arrival by the official racing veterinarian to be deceased. This incident will be referred to the Equine and Welfare Department.

Another major area of concern where transparency is entirely lacking is deaths in trackwork and training. We would very much like to see this also addressed, with all of these deaths and the causes reported on and made publicly available.

We look forward to Racing Victoria and indeed the industry across Australia being more transparent and providing the public with the information they have a right to, shall they be interested.

Regards,
Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses
**********************************

The above is a very reasonable and straight forward request, especially for an industry that is supported not only by gambling profits but also tax payer dollars and has a dedicated representative in our parliament.

Pictured: Evie Girl – killed at Caulfield on January 13 2021. She was 4 years old.

Your E-News Update: Fined For Refusing To Carry A Whip and much more…

March 26, 2021 by admincpr Leave a Comment

Dear Supporter,

It’s been a few months since our last e-news so there is much to update on. Sadly, there is never a dull moment in the horse racing industry. However, there is also never a dull moment in the public response. The growth of opposition to horse racing is showing no signs of slowing down and the industry certainly doesn’t do itself any favours there. In this newsletter:

Fined for refusing to carry a whip
NZ racehorses slaughtered in Australia
Exposing businesses who sponsor animal abuse
Horse meat exports
Bill for horses in NSW Parliament
Images of trainer mocking dead horse emerge
Trevor Sutherland disqualification overturned
Racing Victoria bungles stomach tubing case
Cliff’s Dream investigation
AJSA blatantly misleads the public
Regal Chamber – the life of a breeding mare
Studies on bone fatigue ignored
Oakbank Carnival
and more…

FINED FOR REFUSING TO CARRY A WHIP
The use of whips remains a contentious and divisive issue among the racing fraternity – a trajectory that is guaranteed to continue until they are banned.

Just weeks after Racing Victoria pulled the pin on their plans to conduct a series of whip free races, with an overall objective towards slowly phasing it out (more here), Tasmanian harness racing driver and trainer Gavin Kelly was fined $1000 for refusing to follow a direction to carry a whip. Kelly is now challenging whether such a direction is lawful. In a recent interview with the ABC, he said:

“I see what horses can do without being whipped and I don’t see that inflicting pain to generate a result is necessary if you train them to the best of their ability”.

“The industry keeps trying to just window dress the issue. They like to look like they are making changes and look like they’ve got animal welfare at heart, but I’m not a believer that they’re out there to generate meaningful change”. Listen to the full audio recording here.

We’ve seen jockeys who have beaten their horse with the whip over three times more than the allowable number receive smaller fines. The whip is just the tip of the iceberg of horse racing cruelty, and still, Kelly is being lauded by many as a hero just for refusing to carry one. The industry really does seem determined to dig its own grave.

NEW ZEALAND RACEHORSES SLAUGHTERED IN AUSTRALIA FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
It has been very interesting to watch the public response as our New Zealand campaign against horse racing cruelty takes flight. Reading some of the blatant lies and denial from industry participants and supporters feels as though we are stepping back in time to the early days of our Australian campaign – comments that would now be laughable if an Australian supporter were to make them. The New Zealand public are being informed that the treatment of racehorses in their own country is no different and, over time, they too will understand that their attempts at defending the indefensible no longer cut it.

Recently, New Zealanders were informed that many of their horses also end up at the horrific Meramist slaughterhouse in Caboolture, QLD. Read more here. The details of six thoroughbreds who were witnessed in the kill pens where shared for the first time, shocking many. As we continue to expose the NZ horse racing industry, their lies and denial will, too, become untenable. For more information on the number of horses that vanish from New Zealand thoroughbred racing each year click here.

Speaking of New Zealand, our campaign teams across the ditch recently made two important submissions. The first to the parliamentary committee in support of our petition to withdraw the $72.5 million racing industry bail out – available here. The second being a submission to the open consultation on further restricting whip use – our submission for an outright ban is available here.

Our New Zealand campaign is going from strength to strength with satellite teams expanding from three to five in the past few months, with CPR Taranaki and Tauranga now also joining our efforts. Thank you to everyone in New Zealand who is taking action against horse racing cruelty.

EXPOSING BUSINESSES WHO SPONSOR ANIMAL ABUSE
CPR’s campaign against horse racing sponsors continues, as lists exposing which companies support animal abuse are continually being developed. Companies are supplied with information on the many forms of cruelty horses endure before, during and after racing (see here) and those who sponsor a race where a horse is killed on the track are informed of the name and age of the horse, along with their picture and cause of death that their sponsorship supported.

Every month the companies who sponsored a race in which a horse was killed are also shared with the public across social media, encouraging them to take their business elsewhere. To add your name to the list of people who will not support businesses that support horse racing cruelty, click here.

EFFORTS TO BAN THE IMPORT OF HORSE MEAT INTO THE EU CONTINUE
A webinar on The Import of Horsemeat from Overseas was recently held by the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals. The Intergroup is made up of Members of the European Parliament, working together to advance animal welfare and conservation in EU policy making. We were very pleased to present on behalf of Australia’s cruel horse meat exports, alongside representatives from other countries who have investigated horse meat production for export to the EU.

The evidence provided by all the presentations is undeniable. All third countries that export horse meat to the EU are in clear breach of EU Commission regulations. The EU Commission must act immediately to ban the import of horsemeat from Australia, Canada, Argentina and Uraquay. You can watch the webinar here and sign our petition to ban EU horse meat imports from those countries here.

BILL INTRODUCED TO NSW PARLIAMENT TO LEGISLATE AGAINST RACEHORSE SLAUGHTER AND INSTRUMENTS OF CRUELTY

Last month, Animal Justice Party MLC Mark Pearson introduced an important bill: the Racehorse Legislation Amendment (Welfare and Registration) Bill 2020. If passed this bill would:ban whips, tongue ties & spurscriminalise sending ex-racehorses to knackeriesput in place a birth-to-death racehorse registration and rehoming scheme.This important amendment would see an end to the worst of the abuses inflicted on these innocent beings in NSW, whilst we work toward the day when they are no longer viewed or used as a commodity for the gambling dollar. Thank you to Mark Pearson and the Animal Justice Party NSW team for bringing this bill to the house. You can watch the reading of the bill here and show your support here.

TRAINER MOCKS HORSE IN THEIR DEATH

The entire racing world went into a frenzy recently, as photos emerged of winning Grand National trainer Gordon Elliott sitting on a horse who had recently passed of a reported heart attack.

The images went viral across the globe, sparking outrage and exposing the true feelings of those who most often report to be deeply saddened by the deaths of horses they knowingly put in harms way. To add to the scandal, just days later, a video was published of jockey Rob James laughing as he too straddles a dead horse – available here.

Since the outrage, Elliott has been suspended from training for six months. However, his horses continue to be accepted into races as his license has been transferred. Black Tears, a horse from Elliott’s stable, won the Mare’s Hurdle on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival. As our international partner from Animal Aid UK, Dene Stansall, stated “We’re disappointed that Elliott’s horses have been allowed to run because stopping horses from his stable running would have been a greater punishment. He’s allowed to go on holiday over the summer and come back refreshed, while his horses are still there all ready to go again.”

3-YEAR DISQUALIFICATION OVERTURNED
Trevor Sutherland’s 3-year disqualification has been overturned on appeal.
The NSW trainer pleaded guilty last year to sending two of his horses, 6-year-old Redfu and 4-year-old Rozzi to Irish huntsman Donnchadh Brown where they were killed and fed to his hounds. At the time, this was found to be in breach of Racing NSW LR114(5)(e) which states a horse “is not to be, directly or indirectly, sent to an abattoir, knackery or similarly disposed of”.

Mr Brown is the manager of the Sydney Fox Hunting Club, known to Sutherland (according to Brown) for feeding horses to the hounds he so cruelly uses in barbaric fox hunts. Evidence provided by a Racing NSW Welfare Officer, after speaking with Brown, claimed that Sutherland “rehomes the majority of his horses, however the ones he couldn’t find a home for, he gave to Mr Brown for pet food.” Read more here.

RACING VICTORIA BUNGLES STOMACH TUBING CASE
Within 48 hours of trainer Trevor Sutherland winning his appeal in NSW, Racing Victoria dropped all charges against trainer Richard Laming and two stablehands for alleged race day stomach tubing of Jamaican Run.

It was reported: The snap withdrawal followed an RV-led decision on Wednesday to halt proceedings midway through the five-day hearing, with Murphy citing information that could put the tribunal in “a difficult position”.

“I am making application that the matter be adjourned until tomorrow, but I will not indicate the basis of that application,” Murphy told the VRT.

“In our professional view it would be very dangerous to ignore the circumstances and it would put the tribunal ultimately, I would have thought, in a difficult position.” More here.

Since, the Victorian Racing Integrity Board has demanded Racing Victoria provide a “full and public explanation” about the failed hearing, which has just been completed. It found Racing Victoria steward witnesses were in communication, “in contravention of an order of the VRT which prevented witnesses from speaking to other witnesses or interested parties during an adjournment.” More here.

Laming also has a cobalt presentation charge, which he plans to appeal.

CLIFF’S DREAM INVESTIGATION
CPR investigators recently reviewed the death of Cliff’s Dream’s in a jumps race at Warrnambool back in 2016 and found his treatment behind the green screen required investigation. However, Racing Victoria disagreed

View the footage of his shocking treatment, with full statements from both Racing Victoria’s Equine Welfare Department and a former industry vet of 30 years, here.

AUSTRALIAN JUMPS RACING ASSOCIATION PROVIDES BLATANT MISINFORMATION

In a story which aired on ABC’s Landline in October last year, when speaking of horses used in jumps races, the host stated “A just released 2-year study shows that 95% are rehomed”.

We found this statement quite unbelievable so contacted Racing Victoria who confirmed: 1.that the media got it wrong and the report actually stated “95% of horses WHO ARE REHOMED out of jumps racing do not require a retraining period”and2. that they were aware of this inaccurate statement before the program aired.We immediately asked Racing Victoria why the program was not corrected before going to air, to which we were told they did not see it as necessary. This is a pretty big mistake for the ABC program to make, but they could almost be forgiven for the inaccuracy, given this is exactly how the findings have been twisted in the Australian Jumps Racing Association (AJRA) media kit, and other reports and posts. Learn why here.

REGAL CHAMBER – the life of a breeding mare

Regal Chamber was used by the racing industry to produce 19 foals in 20 years, spending more than 90% of her life after racing pregnant. Every year she was forcibly mated with a stallion, while at the same time having a foal at foot. Somewhere between 3-6 months of age, her foal would be taken away from her, just like she was taken away from her mother at the same age, to be trained and then raced, exploited and then discarded.

In the end, Regal Chamber was abandoned by everyone, however, she found kindness in the final 18 months of her life. Read her heartbreaking story here.

KNOWINGLY RACING HORSES TO INJURY AND DEATH
This is a graph produced by Professor Chris Whitton, head of the Equine Centre at The University of Melbourne, who works extensively with the racing industry. It highlights the cumulative effect of bone damage, placing racehorses under extreme pressure during racing. This only gets worse with every successive race until their injuries make them non-competitive or result in catastrophic breakdown.

The video ‘Avoiding Injuries and Maximising Performance in Racehorses’ by Chris Whitton, from which this graph was taken, is very informative – available here. It also gives us an insight into what really matters to the industry, and it’s got nothing to do with horse welfare and everything to do with maximising profits. They are knowingly putting the lives of the horses they claim to love at risk for financial gain every time they race. This is just normal practice and part of the industry’s business model.

Our recent article on how industry and tax payer dollars are used to fund such studies whilst ignoring their findings can be read here.

OAKBANK CARNIVAL IS NO MORE and…. Morphettville abandons jumps races
After 12 years of campaigning and demonstrating against the Easter Oakbank Jumps Carnival with Animal Liberation South Australia (ALSA), we are happy to say, the carnival is no more.

When CPR and ALSA first joined forces back in 2008, the carnival was the centrepiece of Easter celebrations in Adelaide. It attracted in excess of 120,000 people across Easter Saturday and Easter Monday. It was the place to be seen and have fun and many even camped on the surrounding grounds for the entire Easter long weekend. This year it will be just another race day on the Easter Saturday with just 2 jumps races.

Additionally, it appears that the SA Jockey Club have surreptitiously gotten rid of jumps racing at their Morphettville track, as no jumps races have been scheduled to take place there for the 2021 season and none planned for the future. This is more evidence of the racing industry trying to keep their very fragile social licence as the dark side of racing is exposed.

Here is an old news item of CPR and ALSA protesting against jumps at the Morphettville track back in 2014.

A huge thank you to ALSA and all our supporters who instead of having a break over Easter, chose to attend our demonstrations, often in the sweltering heat or bitter cold and rain. Details on this year’s Oakbank jumps protest here or email us at [email protected] Image by Tamara Kenneally Photography

THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS
Huge thanks to all the organisations and individuals across Australia and New Zealand who have taken action against horse racing so far this year. Through expanding our teams and joining forces with others, we have already run or supported protests outside the Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston, Auckland, Wellington, Taranaki and Perth Cup Days. We’ve also stood strong to protest outside (and inside) the Magic Millions, Wellington’s Student Day at the Races and Summer Race Day at Whanganui. Huge thanks to ALSA, Coast to Coast Animal Friends, Taranaki Animal Save, DxE Tasmania, Animal Liberation Tasmania and Animal Liberation Queensland for joining forces with us. And, of course to our CPR teams in Taranaki, Whanganui, Wellington and Auckland for making our NZ protests possible.

The movement against horse racing is a growing and unstoppable force.

MERCHANDISE
The CPR store is chock-full of great items to help spread the message about ending horse racing cruelty without even having to say a word. Take a look here!

Collectors Item t-shirts designed by Melbourne artist Sebastian Berto

Stickers

Caps, Beanies & Gators

Hoodies & more… Purchase here

DONATE
For 13 years CPR has been supported by the generosity of your donations, big and small. They have enabled us to break the secrecy once enjoyed by the horse racing industry wide open. If you can afford to help us continue with this important work, please consider making a one-off or monthly donation. Click here.

SOME CUTENESS OVERLOAD TO WRAP THIS UP!
The cruelty-free Adelaide Cup alternative, the Canine Cup, was a huge success again this year. The event raised $8175 for Freedom Hill Sanctuary and demonstrated to Adelaide and well beyond that you do not need to support animal abuse to have a good time. There were gorgeous fashions, delicious food and loads of entertainment.

Pre-recorded images of dogs running in the park on their own terms featured on the big screen and can be viewed here.

Brief ABC coverage of the event here.

Photos from the Canine Cup event here.

Thank you for reading and remember… speak up, always!

DONATE TO HELP
CPR relies 100% on donations to fund our investigations and campaigns. Without the generosity of our supporters we would not exist.

Thank you to all of our supporters who have donated recently. It is much appreciated and allows us to continue working toward justice for horses.
Click here to donate

New Zealand Racehorses Slaughtered in Australia for Human Consumption

March 22, 2021 by admincpr 1 Comment

Over the course of a two year investigation at the Meramist slaughterhouse in Caboolture, QLD, it was, on several occasions, possible for investigators to scan the microchips of horses in the killpens awaiting slaughter.It was not possible to scan all horses in the pens, however, of the horses that were able to be scanned, six were later identified to be of New Zealand origin.

Babinda (bred by D & I H Mackay)
sent to Australia as a 3 year old
raced 9 times
prizemoney $6,020
used to breed 4 foals for Reibycroft Stud, NSW
killed age 11

Lady Fleur (bred by W R Roper)
sent to Australia as a 1 year old
raced 4 times
prizemoney $550
killed age 5

Honeymoon Harmony (bred by Mrs D E & T V Pearce)
sent to Australia as a 1 year old
raced 0 times
killed age 3

Habitual Offender (bred by Bloodstock Resources Ltd & Rich Hill Thoroughbreds Ltd)
sent to Australia as a 3 year old
raced 28 times
prizemoney $80,019
killed age 7

Huss On Fire (bred by D G & R B McLaren Ltd)
sent to Australia as a 1 year old
raced 0 times
used to breed 6 foals (one of whom went on to win over $1 million for his owners)
killed age 11

Innovate (bred by Mrs J M Wanless)
sent to Australia as a 2 year old
raced 56 times
prizemoney $79,082
killed age 9

Due to the racing industry not tracking horses effectively during and after racing, it is not possible to know just how many New Zealand born horses sent to Australia end up being brutally killed at knackeries for pet food and slaughterhouses for human consumption, however, considering:

1. this is the fate for the majority of Australian born racehorses
2. six NZ born racehorses were identified among the limited number of evenings where scanning took place
and
3. there is also one additional slaughterhouse and approximately 30 other knackeries that kill horses operating across the country,
we have no doubt that this is the fate suffered by the majority of racehorses sent to Australia from New Zealand for breeding and racing purposes – a figure which currently sits anywhere from approximately 1,000 to 1,700, per year depending on which of the two countries fact books you are checking.

To watch the groundbreaking investigation ‘The Final Race’ to see what NZ bred horses endure in Australia click here.

To read CPR’s report on Meramist slaughterhouse click here and here.

For more information on the number of horses that vanish from New Zealand thoroughbred racing each year click here.

TABCORP’S CLAIMS OF ZERO-TOLERANCE TO ANIMAL CRUELTY

February 26, 2021 by admincpr Leave a Comment

ABC’s 7:30 program ‘The Final Race’, exposing the systemic and brutal slaughter of racehorses, aired one week prior to Tabcorp’s 2019 AGM. The companies Chairman at the time, Paula Dwyer, said the following in her address:

“This brings me to the issue of animal welfare as highlighted on the ABC last week. Although Australian racing bodies have made progress in prioritising animal welfare, the vision of horses being mistreated at a Queensland abattoir was shocking and unacceptable to us. In response, we have resolved to use our industry leadership position and our voice to play a more meaningful role with our racing industry partners to ensure animal welfare is immediately prioritised and protection mechanisms strengthened and enforced. As a participant in the industry, we require a zero tolerance approach to animal cruelty.” Full address available here.

In June the following year, the company also released a position statement on animal welfare, once again reinforcing their zero-tolerance stance to cruelty to animals in racing and in society in general. This outlined 11 requirements Tabcorp placed on the industry – available here.

The industry is systemically failing in all eleven areas outlined in the statement, yet Tabcorp of course continues to support, endorse, facilitate and profit from the industry. CPR raised this with Tabcorp in a meeting in July 2020. The statement now appears to have been removed from the Tabcorp website, intentionally or inadvertenly we cannot say.

The murky waters of Racing NSW kill ban just got murkier

February 25, 2021 by admincpr 1 Comment

Trevor Sutherland’s 3-year disqualification has been overturned on appeal.

The NSW trainer pleaded guilty last year to sending two of his horses, 6-year-old Redfu and 4-year-old Rozzi to Irish huntsman Donnchadh Brown where they were killed and fed to his hounds.

At the time, this was found to be in breach of Racing NSW LR114(5)(e) which states a horse “is not to be, directly or indirectly, sent to an abattoir, knackery or similarly disposed of”.

Mr Brown is the manager of the Sydney Fox Hunting Club, known to Sutherland (according to Brown) for feeding horses to the hounds he so cruelly uses in barbaric fox hunts.

Evidence provided by a Racing NSW Welfare Officer, after speaking with Brown, claimed that Sutherland “rehomes the majority of his horses, however the ones he couldn’t find a home for, he gave to Mr Brown for pet food.”

When Sutherland was questioned as to whether he knew the horses would be fed to Brown’s dogs he said:

“I thought he was taking them to jump. He’s always said, “if you’ve got anything that can jump, I’ll take it and try it for jumping and, as I said, both of them were big, tall, rangy horses and he could jump with them.”

During the course of his interview, however, Sutherland was confronted with a text that he had sent to Mr Brown
TS: “If you need some hound food probly got 2 maybe 3 down the back paddock.”
DB: “Super, when do you want them gone?”
TS: “When ever suits talk to a bloke Tommo about I’ve got running with them probley get him as well.”

*Hangin’ With Willy had won almost $200,000 in prize money for Sutherland*

According to a stable foreman, when Sutherland gave two further horses to Brown, Hangin’ With Willy and Witchblade, Brown stated those horses would be given “every opportunity” in his “business”. They were also killed. It is important to note, these horses were given to Brown several months after Rozzi and Redfu had already been killed. Did Sutherland not think to ask how they were going? If he was aware they had been killed why did he give Brown two further horses? According to the appeal transcripts, this line of questioning never occurred and the fact that Hangin’ With Willy and Witchblade were also killed does not appear to have been considered by the panel at all, for reasons we are unaware.

In addition to all of the above, Sutherland was also found guilty last year for lodging a false stable return which claimed that another horse, Bless You Toby was spelling, when he was actually aware the 3-year-old gelding was “found to be deceased” the week prior.

Even with all of this evidence, making it crystal clear to our mind that Sutherland was knowingly sending his horses to be shot and fed to Brown’s poor dogs, or at best, knowing this was their outcome if they didn’t work out as horses helping in Brown’s disgustingly cruel fox hunts, his suspension was overturned and he is now able to return as an official Racing NSW industry participant – the appeals panel finding even though the horses being killed was a risk that he knew could eventuate, this was not his “primary intent” for them.

Apparently Racing NSW’s local rule 114, which they claim is designed to prevent horses being killed when no longer wanted, does not capture circumstances of intent if it is decided it was not the “primary intent” of the person sending them to be killed.

Read the full appeal transcript here.

AJRA provides blatant misinformation to media

February 22, 2021 by admincpr Leave a Comment

The 2021 jumps season trials commenced last week in Victoria, so what better time to highlight how the jumps fraternity is twisting research results to mislead both the media and the general public.

In a story which aired on ABC’s Landline in October last year, when speaking of horses used in jumps races, the host stated “A just released 2-year study shows that 95% are rehomed”.

We found this statement quite unbelievable so contacted Racing Victoria who confirmed:
1. that the media got it wrong and the report (available here) actually stated “95% of horses WHO ARE REHOMED out of jumps racing do not require a retraining period”

Taken from the AJRA ‘Life After Jumps Racing’ 2020 Report

2. that they were aware of this inaccurate statement before the program aired.

We immediately asked Racing Victoria why the program was not corrected before going to air, to which we were told, they did not see it as necessary.
This is a pretty large mistake for the ABC program to make. So, we took a look at the industry’s own reporting of their findings, to realise the ABC could almost be forgiven for the inaccuracy, given this is exactly how the findings have been twisted in the Australian Jumps Racing Association (AJRA) media kit, and other reports and posts

Having said this, the ABC doing their own research rather than believing the very industry who has a vested interest in lying about these figures would be nice.

A quick read of what really is not a study, but a survey of the very people who profit from jumps racing, shows it does not cover how many horses were taken out of jumps racing over the two year period, how many were injured and subsequently killed both on and away from the racetrack, nor does it even give a figure of the number of horses who were successfully rehomed over the period and still survive today.

What is stated is that the AJRA will release an “even more demonstrative report at the end of 2021”. Well, that wouldn’t be hard. But will it actually include what people really want to know, or will it just be another promotional piece attempt to sell jumps racing back to a general public and even racing industry participants themselves who have long turned their backs on the barbaric business?

The Death of Cliff’s Dream

February 17, 2021 by admincpr 8 Comments

Cliff’s Dream fell in a jumps race in 2016 at the Warrnambool Racetrack in Victoria. CPR investigators recently reviewed the fall and found his subsequent treatment to be of great concern. We reached out to Racing Victoria and also to a former racing industry veterinarian for answers.

Watch the video below….

Below are both parties statements in full.

Racing Victoria Statement: 8 December 2020

The horse was standing on 3 legs and had its left front limb held off the ground. This is normal practice for a horse with an injured limb to prevent further injury to the limb, any additional injuries or making the pre-existing injury worse.
This horse was particularly uncooperative – which is unusual in most situations when dealing with an injured horse but makes the above more difficult.
The horse was not forced to the ground at any stage during the video.
The horse never had any pressure exerted on its forelimbs during the video.
The video has been captured before any sedation and pain relief administered to Cliff’s Dream had time to take effect.

Jennifer Hughes
General Manager – Equine Welfare
Racing Victoria

Dr Peter Kerkenezov BM statement: 2 January 2021

After viewing an email reply to Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses
from Ms Jennifer Hughes, General Manager – Animal Welfare, Racing
Victoria, dated 8th December 2020, and the video record as per the link:
https://youtu.be/ZtYWZZHa0os, I make the following observations:

The horse in the video is believed to be ‘Cliff’s Dream’. The horse has
acquired a left forelimb injury and is being handled by several men at
the racetrack. It is unknown what drugs have been administered to
induce chemical restraint to this horse however the horse does seem to
be in a state of calm, enough to go down on the front legs and with
the head close or touching the ground.
The horse appears heavily sedated and being forced to the ground on
three occasions by male attendants. Despite being sedated the horse
rears twice and this is not considered an unusual response for any
conscious horse in this situation when being forced to do something he
doesn’t want to do. The attendants appear to be trying to rotate the
horse’s head to the left in-order to roll the horse on his right side. It is not
deemed normal practice to attempt this course of action in a sedated,
conscious horse.
At least one handler appears to be applying his body weight to the
head and neck of ‘Cliff’s Dream’ before a green screen is pulled
across to block the video recorder’s view.
To conclude, if this horse had acquired a catastrophic injury requiring
euthanasia then what was the purpose to manhandle this horse to the
ground in the manner exhibited in this video recording? In this type of setting, horses requiring euthanasia are normally catheterised and administered the necessary drugs, at the correct dose rate, by intravenous injection while standing. An injected horse should smoothly drop safely to the ground, unconscious without pain and suffering. Death quickly follows. Any deviation from this normal practice, as demonstrated in this video, requires explanation.
If it was deemed the drugs administered had not taken effect then why was the horse being prematurely handled in the stressful manner observed?

Dr Peter Kerkenezov BM
Equine Veterinary Surgeon
02nd January 2021

An article published at the time also reveals the industry edited the race replay footage to hide the fall and death of Cliff’s Dream. Something we have found to be an increasingly common occurrence as scutiny and oppostition towards horse racing increases.

Regal Chamber – the life of a breeding mare

February 16, 2021 by admincpr 2 Comments

Regal Chamber was a mare born into the racing industry in 1994. According to the Australian Stud Book, she raced nine times, winning two of her races. The best result for her owners was a 3rd in the 1997 Golden Slipper.

She was raced only another three times before being used as a breeding mare at the age of four years old. She had not even reached maturity.

Regal Chamber produced 19 foals in 20 years, spending more than 90% of her life after racing pregnant. Every year she was forcibly mated with a stallion while at the same time having a foal at foot. Somewhere between 3-6 months of age, her foal would be taken away from her, just like she was taken away from her mother at the same age, to be trained and then raced, exploited and then discarded.

Regal Chamber is an example of what the racing industry values in a horse. She even got a considerable write up in the Winning Post. She was valued firstly for her ability on the racetrack, but more importantly, for her ability to produce progeny year after year, some of whom were very lucrative for the industry in racing and/or breeding, overall resulting in millions of dollars in prizemoney and horse sales.

The Winning Post article 29.1.21 about Regal Chamber celebrates her success as a breeding machine but fails to recognise her as a gentle loving horse who was exploited and discarded by the racing industry even after earning millions of dollars for her owner

She was a money making machine.

After her 19^th foal was born, and at 24 years of age, she was ‘retired’ from breeding, though a much more accurate description would be she was ‘discarded’. The owners from the stud where Regal Chamber came from had four such mares needing to be re-homed. If it wasn’t for Dianna White from Lakeside Animal Sanctuary Inc. (LASI) who received these horses in poor condition, they would have been killed.

Regal Chamber lived to a considerable age for a horse but especially for a racehorse. The reason why is because she was of financial benefit to her owners.

In the 18 months that she spent at LASI, her new foster mother, Dianna White, loved and cared for her like a best friend. Regal Chamber came to her with all sorts of problems including a partial prolapsed uterus, blood infection, kidney and liver failure, chronic diarrhoea resulting in weight loss, fractured teeth with infected abysses and other health issues. In her time at LASI, her veterinary costs and health care totalled in excess of $40,000. Her previous owners paid her a surrender fee of just $1000.

Diana contacted Racing Qld for assistance, however, they said because she was a NSW racehorse she was out of their jurisdiction and they couldn’t help.

Being a NSW breeding mare, Diana then contacted Racing NSW for assistance, however, at that time, said they couldn’t help because she was now in Qld.

In the end, Regal Chamber was abandoned by everyone except Diana, who gave her the best 18 months of her life, even if she was struggling with her health. On January 12, 2021, Diana had to make the traumatising decision to relieve her. Regal Chamber was euthanised with her heartbroken carer by her side.

This is as much a tribute to all the animal rescue groups like LASI as it is to Regal Chamber, who, despite being exploited for the majority of her life, found the love and care she deserved through Diana White. Without these organisations, many thousands more horses and other animals would end up at the knackery or slaughterhouse.

CPR is now lobbying the industry to fund rescue organisations like Lakeside Animal Sanctuary Incorporated who desperately need support. Though it should never be their responsibility, so long as the racing industry breeds horses only to later discard of them, those cleaning up their mess at the very least deserve support. They are only there to serve the horse and try to give back to them what they always deserved- a decent life.

Learn more about LASI here