WSJ: Activists pushing for re-evaluation of breeze show practices
 

Not So Fast: Critics Decry Horse-Auction Exercise
By DIONNE SEARCEY

Running 2-Year-Olds at Top Speeds Puts Animals at Risk, Some Say; Industry Puts Issue on the Agenda for Review

Auction houses that trade some of the world's most valuable race horses face increasing pressure to change a key practice that animal rights activists and some trainers say is harmful to the animals. Critics say running young horses at top speeds—a common practice at auctions where race horses are shown to potential buyers—can put the animals at risk of serious injury. Above, a filly is shown at a Fasig-Tipton auction in Boynton Beach, Fla., in May.

Running 2-year-old horses in so-called breezes—short distances at top speeds, a common exercise at events where owners and agents show off young horses to potential buyers—can put the animals at risk of injury because their muscles and bones may not be developed enough to handle the intense stress, critics say. Amid the growing concern, the North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee, which is a collection of thoroughbred industry organizations, has placed the issue on its Sept. 16 meeting agenda.

This son of Trippi would agree:

http://www.obssales.com/juncatalog/2011/356.wmv


$3,500 for a horse who couldn't outrun The_Fat_Man on a Schwinn bike.

Name is Jiguchon. No sign of him. No starts and no workouts..

Believe it or not, I've seen a few of them who would make that horse look like Caller One or Big Drama by comparison...and did so while running a lot less greenly.

Maybe next year, I'll do a list of the 100 slowest and most hopeless 2yo's.

If you're buying anything out of the June OBS, you know, to actually race it, you'd better have a fat wallet for the vet and/or very little sense.

http://www.obssales.com/OBSPAGES/STAKES.HTM

2011 has been a banner year thus far with 2 graded winning graduates (Giant Ryan and May Day Rose). You have to go back to Behndatthebar in 2008 (Lexington Stakes winner) to find the next one.

They don't call it the "Broken Bones" sale for nothing.

Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...#ixzz1YACed3gh

Groan. PETA is a known domestic terrorist organization that couldn't give a damn about animals.

What killed me is the remark that PETA's concerned with the same thing that our people are concerned with. No, no they're not. They want horse racing to stop. Period. There should've been a statement put out that 2yo in training sales with the breeze shows are already being evaluated by the industry (which they were to a degree because we've had discussions about it) and that PETA's request is redundant and unnecessary. Giving them a meeting is ludicrous. If you think they're right, take credit for the idea, then ignore them.