Magna Tracks Adopt Formal Policy: No Transport to Slaughter or Auction From Our Racetracks

(received via press release)

Magna Entertainment Corporation ("MEC") announced today that it has recently formally adopted a company-wide policy promoting the humane treatment of racehorses. Under the policy, any trainer or owner stabling at an MEC facility who directly or indirectly participates in the transport of a horse from an MEC facility to either a slaughterhouse or an auction house engaged in selling horses for slaughter will be prohibited from having stalls at any MEC facility. The policy also applies to any actions related to the transport of a horse from an MEC facility where the ultimate intended result is the horse's slaughter.

Ron Charles, Chief Operating Officer of MEC and President of Santa Anita Park, commented: "Consistent with the long-standing vision of Frank Stronach and management at our racetracks, the policy signifies the Company's strong intent to deal only with those trainers and owners who have the welfare of racehorses as their primary concern."

Frank Stronach, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MEC commented, "The goal of the policy is to forewarn industry participants who participate in the slaughter of racehorses that they are not welcome at any of our facilities across the country. I hope other racetrack owners formally adopt similar policies".

MEC is North America's largest owner and operator of horse racetracks. Among the tracks owned in the USA by MEC are Golden Gate and Santa Anita in California, Gulfstream in Florida, Laurel Park and Pimlico in Maryland, Lone Star Park in Texas, The Meadows in Pennsylvania, Portland Meadows in Oregon, Remington Park in Oklahoma, and Thistledown in Ohio.

Retired Racehorses Are Stars of the Show in Britain; Special Awards, Competitions Abound

While there is much talk of the need to find homes for retired racehorses in the United States, many potential owners must ask, "and then what?" Perhaps a look across the pond at the British organization Retraining of Racehorses would open some eyes.

Consider what's going on this weekend. More than 180 of the world's top eventing horses, many of them in contention for national team berths to the Olympics in Hong Kong next month, are competing in the three-star The St. James's Place Barbury International Horse Trials ("Barbury"). You'll find Gina Miles, Amy Tryon, Clark Montgomery and Karen O'Connor on the entry list there, all short-listed USA riders who hope to make The List.

Also on the program at Barbury is today's second running of The Retrained Racehorse Event Championship sponsored by RoR and the National Trainers Federation (NTF). The special event will pay out £5,500 (roughly US$11,000) in prize money (with roughly $3000 to the winner), and has attracted some big-name international entries including horses ridden and trained by international riders Andrew Nicholson, William Fox-Pitt, Kristina Cook and Clayton Fredericks.

The class is run at Open Intermediate Level with the cross country run over the CIC** course and the horses - which can be raced or unraced - must carry a Weatherbys passport. (All British horses are required to have "passports" with identification and health records detailed; Wetherbys is the UK's Thoroughbred breeding registration administrator.) The top 10 horses have been invited to continue with show jumping tomorrow.

A showcase parade of available racehorses that have been identified to have some potential for eventing will follow the Thoroughbred class tonight.

A similar class for ex-racehorses in showjumping was held at the Hickstead Derby, for show horses at the Royal Windsor Show, and also there is a series of awards for ex-racehorses who are now polo ponies, endurance horses, etc.

In addition to rewarding exemplary ex-racehorses and encouraging the public to retrain and rehome ex-flat racers and jump racers, ROR also educates new owners about caring for ex-racehorses and gives seminars.

On the admin side, the new organization has established a registry of ex-racehorses in Great Britain who are eligible for its programs and benefits.

The work done by Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) was recently recognized by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), which awarded ROR the BEVA Equine Welfare Award for 2008.

The award, sponsored by the British animal charity Blue Cross, will be presented at the BEVA congress in Liverpool in September.

HBO's "Real Sports" Investigates Racehorses Sold for Slaughter Issues Tonight

"Real Sports" host Bryant Gumbel headlines HBO's sports newsmagazine format show at 10 p.m. EDT. On the schedule: an investigative segment on the fate of US racehorses in the hands of the slaughter-for-meat industry.

HBO has not disclosed many details about tonight's segment but the press release tells us that the segment is called "Hidden Horses" and describes it this way: "Few casual horse racing fans are aware that many former racing horses are slaughtered for profit. When a thoroughbred race horse reaches the end of its career or is simply no longer profitable on the track, it is often taken directly to auction and sold for meat. Because horse slaughter is no longer practiced in this country, these thoroughbreds are now being shipped by 'killer buyers' to slaughterhouses abroad, which are frequently less regulated and less humane than former U.S. slaughterhouses."

I'll be watching, how about you?