Today’s Taranaki Cup Day was abandoned by New Plymouth Raceway owing to safety concerns, but not until two horses slipped on the wet terrain in the first and only race. Three year old mare Madame Sass slipped and dislodged her jockey who was urging her on as they entered the home straight in second position.  

The Steward’s Report stated, “LEBANESE TRADER (L Innes) – Slipped and became unbalanced near the 800 metres. MADAM SASS (B Grylls) – Slipped near the 400 metres dislodging rider B Grylls. B Grylls was attended to by paramedics, was unhurt and cleared to ride. Subsequently the meeting was abandoned due to the unsafe nature of the track.”

There is no mention of vet assessments for either of the affected animals.

Anti-horseracing campaigner Elin Arbez saw officials inspecting the track prior to the event.  “It was bucketing down, but because the Taranaki Cup is a biggie in the racing calendar, I think they decided to get as many races done as they could before it became too dangerous.  But they never should have allowed it to go ahead in the first place,” said Arbez.    

“The same thing happened last time it was raining on race day, at Christmas at the Races on 2nd December. They let the event go ahead, only abandoning it when a horse slipped,” Arbez adds.

Fellow anti-horseracing campaigner Summer Aitken of Taranaki Animal Save said, “There were a number of two year olds scheduled to race, and it’s so much stress on their young bodies.  Not only do they have to carry a rider and gallop but they have to watch their footing and the likelihood of slipping is high.  The ground was hard so it was bound to be a slippery mess.  If they cared about their horses they wouldn’t have let any of them run today.  The conditions were so unsafe.”

Horseracing is a lucrative industry, financed by betting.   This focus on money and the financial investments of owners, trainers and TAB punters is clearly at the detriment of horses, who are at constant risk of injury or death.  Studies have shown that while they are being flogged to win money for their owners, horses are bleeding deep in their lungs, having heart attacks, and breaking bones.  More than ninety percent of all racehorses are affected by equine gastric ulcers.  

Arbez and Aitken say that the government’s approval of Winston Peters’ initiative 18 months ago to prop up a dying industry to the tune of $72.5 million was, “sheer madness.”  

“It’s simply failing to read the signs,” states Arbez, “Horseracing, like greyhound racing, is a sunset industry. The younger generation are more concerned about animal rights than their parents and grandparents were, and no longer see a need to support horseracing and put innocent beings’ welfare at risk.”

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