racehorse news stories on Newser

Does a Racehorse Pee Like One?

Matt Cantor — Fri, 06 May 2011 20:00:00 CDT

If you’ve gotta pee like a racehorse, you’ve got some serious peeing to do: Racehorses urinate up to 2 gallons a day. Yes, as you sit down to watch the Kentucky Derby tomorrow, know that the idiom is accurate, Slate explains. An average man urinates 1 to 2 quarts daily....

Kentucky Derby: Root for the Horse With No Balls

Kevin Spak — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:30:23 CDT

Looking for a rooting interest at Sunday’s Kentucky Derby? Well, you should be cheering for Comma To The Top, argues Edward McClelland of Slate , for one simple reason: "He can’t produce sperm." Which means he’ll be able to race for another three years. “If early favorite Dialed In wins, he’ll...

No Happy Trails for Kentucky Derby Horses

Kevin Spak — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:25:05 CDT

You might imagine that the horses who run in tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby live lives of "pampered luxury." But you’d be wrong, writes Marlene Fanta Shyer in the Christian Science Monitor . “The truth is often closer to years of abuse and a brutal end at a foreign slaughterhouse.” The vast majority...

Driver Flicks Cigarette, 6 Horses Burn to Death

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:39:53 CDT

Six racehorses burned to death when a passing driver flicked a still-burning cigarette butt into their trailer as it traveled down a North Carolina highway on Friday night. The hay was ignited, and quickly killed the frantic thoroughbreds on their way to New York's Belmont racetrack. The trailer's driver pulled...

Struggling Charity Leaves Ex-Racehorses Starving

Matt Cantor — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:29:59 CDT

One of the world’s top charities supporting retired racehorses has fallen far behind in payments to support the horses, leaving scores of the creatures malnourished, starving, or dead; at least two have had to be put down, the New York Times reports. The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation in upstate New York...

Horses Electrocuted in Racecourse Tragedy

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 01:57:18 CST

Two prize racehorses began prancing grotesquely, then staggered and fell dead on a patch of grass before a British race over the weekend. The horrifying spectacle unfolded in front of a stunned crowd watching the riderless horses being led around the infield paddock of the Newbury track. Official speculated they...

For Owners, Horse Racing a Sure Bet (to Lose)

Harry Kimball — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:55:51 CST

Thoroughbred racehorses aren’t cheap to buy—and then you have to house them, feed them, pay the vet, the trainer, the jockey, etc. And if you actually intend to make money, they have to win. And even then, since most horses never make the elite high-stakes races, owners have to...