Seems to me his article is accurate and well written.

"Though nobody keeps official tabs, nearly 800 horses died in races last year.

That's not sport, that's slaughter."

No, but talking about meat grinding and dog food is uncalled for IMO

Yes Scavs, I dont like it any more than you do. But unfortunately this guy brought out the cold hard facts which make guys like you and me who love this sport cringe. But its real and this needs to be dealt with.

Hard & not so much fun to think about this on beautiful sunny days when beautiful places like Del Mar and Saratoga are about to kick off their very anticipated meets.

Domesticated animals exist to serve and entertain man. No other reason. In the course of serving and entertaining, bad things happen. It's not pleasant at times but the value question is whether or not it is worth it. Is it worth breeding beluga whales for the purpose of displaying them at Shedd Aquarium? Or putting penguins on display in a giant windowed freezer at Lincoln PArk Zoo ? Who's to say.

THE ARTICLE WAS BAD...IT WAS WAY TO HARSH. This guy makes me sick. I know a lot about journalism and I think that he just clashed with some major rules of it. For one thing, he acted as if EVERYONE has their horses sent off to the slaughterhouse when their horses break down on the track. That is far from the reality of the situation. He also acts like no one cares about these animals and that is also far from the truth. He didn't have to compare Barbaro to a sandwich because they are doing everything to save that horse and will not send him to the slaughterhouse if he dies. The reason that I know this is because I know how New Bolton disposes of the bodies. If they don't dispose of the body at the Center, the Jacksons will have him buried. Horses die all the time off and on the track. People need to realize that. We've had two young horses euthanized at my stable in the past year...one was from a broken bone and the other was from colic. They get hurt, they get sick, and they die...just like people. Just because they die on the track doesn't mean that they might have not died running in the pasture a year down the road.

Do we have some problems in the industry...yes. Are we trying to do something about it...yes. Should the situation at Arlington be addressed and acknowledged by the public...yes. Should it be addressed in the manner that this journalist did it...absolutely not. I hate direct attacks on horse racing. I can't stand it because most of the time people attacking it know absolutely nothing about it. Horses have been around for centuries and have been breaking down for centuries...out in the pastures, in the stall, in the trailer, on the tracks...etc. If these people don't like it then don't become a part of it. I am an animal activist too and a member of the ASPCA, but I love horse racing. While their are cases of individual cruelty in the sport, their are also cases of love and caring...like with Barbaro...I can't believe this guy compared him to a sandwich. I swear, I will always defend horse racing until my last breath on this earth.

He was directly and maliciously attacking horse racing. Something has made him super sore with the sport. He said where are the Peta members. Really and truely this will be an excellent article for me to analyze because I could completely tear it apart because of my knowledge on this subject. I think I'll do it for the fun of it and post the results of my work sometime tomorrow. He was way to harsh...way.

I will also be e-mailing him and letting him know what he did wrong, and my opinions on this dreadful article. He could have stated his point a lot better than he did. That was sick and disgusting, and most importantly, not completely true.

He doesnt make me nearly as sick as some of the criminals involved in this sport and within the slaughter houses. Hes just a writer expressing his opinion. Whether you like it or not, most if not all of this article is true.

Ok...so Barbaro is close to being a sandwich.

One thing we, as readers, need always remember is that there is a difference between say an AP story and a guy or gals opinion piece. It was the way he came across in this piece, thats all that bugs me. But hey, he has that right. Sounds like he has his facts straight too. I enjoy a piece like that cause it either does one of two things too me usually - I laugh or I get all fired up. Its good for the blood circulation and brain cells either way and gets people talking, the ones in favor, the ones against or the fence line folks. Ultimately, he is responsible mostly for his words and the paper is as well.

i'm with ya bro

an in your face article for sure--but he got what he intended to get, attention. yeah, some of what is in there is inflammatory, and may be in poor taste....but, in the end, he's right about a lot of it. it's a sickening article, about a subject most of us try to ignore, the fact that these horses we love are putting their health and life on the line for us.

everyone involved in the sport should be putting the horses wellbeing at the top of their list of priorities. problem is, there aren't too many willing to do that.

A shocking article might have been in order, but this seems over the top. Stretching the truth will only make the real facts seem less credible.

Yeah, this is an opinion piece, not a news article -- so he has the right to be as inflammatory as he wants to be. When I used to freelance, I was actually told to make my pieces a little more knee-jerk because I was reasoning with people when I should have just pushed their buttons (very annoying, and thankfully not the way all newpapers run their ships). However, the rules of journalism are pretty different for opinion pieces and for news stories...so if his writing itself was over the top, he's entirely entitled to portray it however he sees it. If he actually lied, that's different.

If you do "tear it apart," please use spell-check. Or else you will lose his attention in the first sentence as you did mine.

Didn't he use to appear on ESPN? Can't believe this is the same guy.

Ez

The article certainly works for schlock shock. Whether his statistics are correct or not, his ideas about where euthanized horse go are completely off . They are NOT sent to slaughterhouses . Only live animals are . The chemicals in the euthanasia solution prohibit the animal from being fit for consumption . Pity, because equine slaughter, if it had to be, would be far more humane than the methods used . Nor are horses used for dog food anymore . Occasionally horsemeat is used for zoo animals, but again, the animal must be alive for these purposes . Dead animals may be rendered . Renderers out in the west, often pick up sick, dead or unwanted equines and euthanize the live ones in a van . While I can see the writer's purpose and frustration with the death toll at Arlington, this article was both crass and inaccurate . The mention of Barbaro's name was close to blasphemy .

All I have to say is he did his job...... right or wrong.

Something has to be done about Arlington. There is no excuse for the number of breakdowns at the track. They should stop running on the dirt until the problem is identified and corrected.
Chicago needs more articles like this published every day. Keep the pressure on and don't let up!

Please tell me what I misspelled besides truly, which was a typo. I'm assuming that you meant grammar check. I know I used a lot of sentence fragments, but that is just because this is a message board. I am quite a good writer, and have a lot of awards to prove it.

I don't know what you have against me, but you sure like to attack me a lot, even when I am right. Instead of attacking me, why don't you tell me exactly what was wrong with his article using fallacies and everything. Don't just attack people or you won't have any respect. Come on, let's hear your opinion. Contribute something worthwhile. Or is that too hard for you to do since it requires thinking?

I agree with you. I am glad that I am not the only one who saw distorted facts and a poorly written article.

There is a major problem going on in our sport, specifically at Arlington. I dont know why what he wrote is so bad. Sure he was pretty over the top but its very eye catching and brings awareness to something that very much needs a quick fix or popularity in our sport will continue to plummet quicker than the Kansas City Royals.

It may not be fair or tactful to use Barbaro's name but hes been getting more attention than any other single story in horse racing since Butterface broke her maiden.

"Lighten up Francis"
Bill Murray, Stripes