DEAD: 3 horses used at Ballinrobe Racecourse on 27/28 May

Three horses used in racing at Ballinrobe racecourse in Mayo on 27/28 May 2024 have been confirmed dead.

The three horses were identified as:

9-year-old horse Willyouwalkwithme who weakened and finished third last in the “Portwest Handicap Hurdle” race on 28 May. Four days earlier at Downpatrick racecourse, this horse finished last in a race.

6-year-old horse Romeo Magico who weakened and was “pulled up injured” in the “McHale Mayo National Handicap Chase” race on 27 May. The horse was carrying jockey Rachael Blackmore.

13-year-old horse A Great View who fell in the “McHale Mayo Handicap Hurdle” race on 27 May 2024. Another horse “fell heavily” in the same race and “had blood at both nostrils post race”.

They are among a growing list of racing-related fatalities.

Figures obtained by Paul Murphy TD show that over 1,300 horses have lost their lives at racecourses and point to point races in Ireland since 2012. Horse Racing Ireland – which has received more than €1.3 billion in government grants to-date – previously revealed the method of killing to be either lethal injection or a bullet in the head.

The death figures do not include the horses injured at racecourses, taken away and later killed elsewhere or the horses killed behind the scenes because they are not fast enough to win races.

Many more race horses are also killed in slaughterhouses. Since 2016, at least 15,658 thoroughbred horses were slaughtered at “Department-approved slaughter facilities” in Ireland. This includes 1,428 slaughtered in 2023.

How many more horses have to suffer and die before the Irish Government stops ploughing vast amounts of taxpayers’ money into this horse-killing gambling business?

ACTION ALERT

Don’t attend races or bet on racing.

Why you should say NO to horse racing – download and distribute the leaflet
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2023/08/05/new-leaflet-why-you-should-say-no-to-horse-racing

Demand an end to the government’s massive grants to horse and greyhound racing – more than €1.7 Billion (€1,736,071,127) handed over since 2001, including €95 million for 2024. Contact the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Finance Minister now.

Taoiseach Simon Harris TD
Telephone: +353 (0)1 618 3805 or +353 (0)1 889 2442
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Tanaiste Micheál Martin TD
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Michael McGrath TD
Minister for Finance
Email: michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michael.mcgrath.1614
X: http://twitter.com/mmcgrathtd

Sign and share the petitions

Irish Government: Stop giving millions of euros to horse racing
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euros-to-horse-racing

Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-racing

Irish Government grants to horse racing

2001 €47,110,330
2002 €54,452,651
2003 €51,348,800
2004 €53,531,200
2005 €54,680,000
2006 €56,047,000
2007 €58,539,000
2008 €61,028,800
2009 €54,502,000
2010 €47,411,200
2011 €45,830,000
2012 €45,032,000
2013 €44,016,000
2014 €43,376,000
2015 €54,400,000
2016 €59,200,000
2017 €64,000,000
2018 €64,000,000
2019 €67,200,000
2020 €67,200,000
2021 €76,800,000
2022 €70,400,000
2023 €72,800,000
2024 €76,000,000

TOTAL: €1,388,904,981
(€1.38 Billion)

Irish Government grants to greyhound racing

2001 €11,777,583
2002 €13,613,163
2003 €12,837,200
2004 €13,382,800
2005 €13,670,000
2006 €14,012,000
2007 €14,572,000
2008 €15,257,000
2009 €13,625,600
2010 €11,852,800
2011 €11,460,000
2012 €11,258,000
2013 €11,004,000
2014 €10,844,000
2015 €13,600,000
2016 €14,800,000
2017 €16,000,000
2018 €16,000,000
2019 €16,800,000
2020 €16,800,000
2021 €19,200,000
2022 €17,600,000
2023 €18,200,000
2024 €19,000,000
TOTAL: €347,166,146 (€347.1 million)

Source: Department of Agriculture

Watch the BBC Panorama documentary “The Dark Side of Horse Racing”

Find out more about race horse deaths at
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/08/19/horses-confirmed-dead-following-races-at-irish-racecourses/

Visit Animal Aid’s Horse Death Watch websites
https://www.horsedeathwatch.com/

Home

Horse deaths at Irish racecourses

2023: 111 deaths
2022: 107 deaths
2021: 113 deaths
2020: 65 deaths
2019: 102 deaths
2018: 111 deaths
2017: 88 deaths
2016: 83 deaths
2015: 89 deaths
2014: 99 deaths
2013: 121 deaths
2012: 82 deaths

Thoroughbred horses slaughtered in Ireland

2023: 1,428
2022: 1,051
2021: 1,105
2020: 1,549
2019: 2,218
2018: 2,526
2017: 2,829
2016: 2,952