Claim: Horseracing Wrongs tries to portray themselves as a mainstream group saying they are simply a “non-profit committed to eradicating horseracing in the United States.”
Fact: Horseracing Wrongs is a radical animal rights group that says, “We hold that no animal should be bred, domesticated, and used for human purposes. The evil, as we see it, begins and ends with animal property.”
horseracing wrongs is a radical animal rights group
Horseracing Wrongs is a radical animal rights group that says “We hold that no animal should be bred, domesticated, and used for human purposes. The evil, as we see it, begins and ends with animal property.” If Horseracing Wrongs were to have their way, the 85 million families that own pets shouldn’t have them, America’s 305 million laying hens shouldn’t supply eggs, and Conan, the military service dog who helped U.S. special forces take down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi shouldn’t be helping in the fight against terrorism. What’s worse than this dim future of a world without domesticated animals is the way Horseracing Wrongs suggests we implement their agenda. In a February 1, 2014 blog post for the Albany Times Union, Battuello shares his perspective on pet ownership, “Adopt, don’t buy. The ultimate solution, however, is sterilize to extinction. A petless society is compassionate. A petless society is rational. A petless society is progress.” Sterilize to Extinction. This message is a far cry from other animal wellness groups advocating for animal rights; rights which of course would be nonexistent if these animals were to be extinct. In fact, arguing for the extinction of millions of animals makes PETA look mainstream. Horseracing Wrongs is radical. They are uncompromising. They do not represent the best interest of our equine athletes. |
Claim: Horseracing Wrongs estimates that 2,000 horses die while racing or training on American racetracks annually.
Fact: Horseracing Wrongs publishes a list of fatalities, then admits that they made up the 2,000 number, saying their tally of 1,000 “could easily and reasonably be doubled.”
HOrseracing wrongs made up numbers
Breakdowns are an industry wide problem. The days where individuals can say, “It’s just part of horse racing,” are long behind us. We believe that any fatality in horse racing is unacceptable. With that being said, we choose to focus on progress and a continued effort to make horse racing safe for our equine athletes. Let’s take California for example; over the last 13 years, horse fatalities have decreased by 60% thanks to meaningful reforms implemented by the California Horse Racing Board. These reforms could be echoed at the national level with the passage of the Horseracing Integrity Act, which currently has bipartisan support of more than of the House of Representatives. Patrick Battuello and Horseracing Wrongs claim that their tally of roughly 1,000 fatalities per year could, “easily and reasonably be doubled,” to be over 2,000. While fatalities in our industry are a problem that we are actively trying to solve, an estimation of 2,000 fatalities a year is grossly overstated and has zero evidence to support it. More can and should be done to make horse racing safer, but inflating fatality numbers on a whim is simply not the solution. |
Claim: When asked about the economic impact of closing down the racetrack in Saratoga, Patrick Battuello of Horseracing Wrongs said, “Money should not matter in questions of morality.”
Fact: The equine industry is a vital part of the U.S. economy with an economic impact of $120 billion and supports 1.74 million jobs.
horseracing wrongs’ MORAL HYPOCRISY
The equine industry has a significant economic impact on a national, statewide and local scale, equating to more than $120 billion in our communities. The industry provides jobs for 1.7 million American’s across the country. That’s 1.7 million American homes that rely on the equine industry to support their families, send their kids to school, and put food on the table.
In “questions of morality,” money does matter in terms of job creation and the ability to earn a living to support their families.
For example, Battuello is the owner of Little Anthony’s, an Italian-American pizzeria proudly serving crispy chicken, buffalo wings, chicken tenders, meatballs, and cheesesteaks. Battuello fiercely advocates for the end of all animal domestication, including those used for food consumption. That alone is all fine and good; people are entitled to their own lifestyles. However, Battuello doesn’t practice what he preaches. He is indifferent to the economic wellbeing of the millions of people employed by the horse racing industry, but feels content collecting a paycheck from his pizzeria.