I could not help but write about Monzante, a grade 1 winner who was euthanized after being sent to his barn following to the injury at the claiming race at Evangeline Downs in the morning of July 20. The controversy starts when in an article I read that he was declared “salvageable” by the veterinarians, but still euthanized by trainer Jackie Thacker. Louisiana Racing Commission is investigating the situation at hand. Thacker, who was charged with 6 animal cruelty charges in 1990, claims that the charges were dropped when the investigators found that the horses shipped to him were previously in poor conditions.
During the race, Jockey Carlos Lozada had pulled him off the run at the eighth pole, where state vet had braced the horse’s injured leg and directed him to head back to the barn. The question arises here, when the state vet had declared him salvageable, why then did Thacker along with personal vet decide to euthanize him?
On being asked, Thacker said to Daily Racing Form; “I didn’t want to see him suffer anymore.”
Charles Gardiner, the LSRC executive director said today to bloodhorse "This horse was examined and jogged the morning of the race and was pronounced sound, because he had a history of being on the vets' list before, he was brought behind the gate, and palpated and examined and jogged again. In consultation with the rider, it was verified that the rider thought the horse felt good and was enthusiastic about his chances to compete.”
With such a strong verdict it was surprising to see jockey Lozada pull back Monzante from the race! While Jackie Thacker seems to be avoiding calls from officials, I hope that the regulatory board will take strict action against the guilty solving the doubt about Monzante’s state.
 |
| Monzante one of the greatest! |
No comments:
Post a Comment