FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VANCOUVER, September 11, 2024 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is once again speaking out after two incidents within a single day at Hastings Racecourse left one horse dead and another injured.
The incidents come less than one month after another horse death at Hastings.
During the sixth race on September 6th, a 4-year-old horse named Lucky Cowboy suffered a compound fracture in his left front leg and was euthanized. The video replay has since been removed from the venue’s website, a measure that has never been taken before, according to the VHS’s anonymous source.
Earlier that night, after the end of the fifth race, another 4-year-old horse named Be Sparky was pulled up lame by the jockey. He was removed from the racetrack by trailer and transported to the trainer’s barn for further evaluation of the injury, where he remains.
B.C.’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB), which oversees horse racing in the province, has confirmed that this marks the third death of the racing season at Hastings. Previous incidents at Hastings Racecourse resulted in the deaths of Lizzie’s Rayne in May and Kiki’s Song of Life in August. Last year, eleven horses died at B.C.’s two racecourses – eight at Hastings and three at Fraser Downs.
“This is not an isolated incident; it’s a pattern of suffering. Horses like Lucky Cowboy and Be Sparky are paying the ultimate price for human entertainment, and we cannot stand by while horses continue to die,” said VHS’s Campaign Director, Emily Pickett.
This is the second year in a row that a cluster of horse deaths has occurred. Last year, four horses died in the span of three weeks between July 16 and August 7 at Hastings Racecourse.
The VHS asks those concerned about horses’ well-being to join more than 2,000 people who have taken the pledge not to attend horse races.
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SOURCE Vancouver Humane Society
For more information, contact Emily Pickett: 604-416-2903, emily@vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca
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