By Nicole Arciello | Executive Director
Golden Gate Fields, after 83 years of abusing horses, ran its final race Sunday. This closure is a major victory for us activists, particularly as it occurs in California, a state often seen as a bellwether for progress in America. Golden Gate will become the third major track casualty in California since 2008, following Bay Meadows and Hollywood Park.
While we celebrate this momentous occasion, we also recognize the immense challenges ahead. The trend, not just in California but across the nation, is consolidation, with the (few) stronger tracks becoming stronger. Our work now requires even more passion, focus, and intensity to meet this challenge head-on.
In advance of Belmont Stakes, which was held at Saratoga Race Course on June 8th, Horseracing Wrongs purchased a three-page ad in the June 2nd Sunday edition of the Times Union, upstate New York’s largest newspaper.
The ad lists the 1,097 (now 1,099) horses killed at NYS tracks since January 1, 2014, with a simple yet powerful plea:
Don’t bet on, attend, or watch horseracing.
More good news and a call to action!
Over 50 activists joined us along with two mobile billboards circling Saratoga Race Course for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. The protest drew both print and television media. Thousands of people educated!
The protest and our work was featured in the Times Union, the Daily Gazette and WRGB Albany News.
We need your help.
The battle is far from over. With 75% of horseracing propped up by taxpayer subsidies, we need to continue to fight this industry head-on, in state legislatures, which will require more resources than our current budget.
Let’s savor this victory while remembering the thousands of horses who suffered at Golden Gate Fields and the horses still suffering for gambling and entertainment as you read these words. Their memory strengthens our resolve to continue this fight until all horses are liberated from horseracing.
Please consider making a donation to support our crucial work in ending horseracing cruelty and advocating for the protection of these magnificent animals.
Thank you for your unwavering support for the horses. Together, we can make a difference.
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