HORSE RACING: Losing racehorses in Puerto Rico often condemned to die

CANOVANAS, Puerto Rico — For thoroughbred racehorses in Puerto Rico, success can be a matter of life and death. Many losers don’t make it off the racetrack grounds alive.

More than 400 horses, many in perfect health, are killed each year by lethal injection at a clinic tucked behind the Hipodromo Camarero racetrack, chief veterinarian Jose Garcia told The Associated Press after checking clinic log books going back seven years.

Unlike on the U.S. mainland, where many former racehorses are retrained for riding or sent to special refuges, the animals have few options in this U.S. Caribbean territory. Owners say caring for and feeding a losing racehorse is too expensive.

“If it doesn’t produce, after a while I give it away or I kill it,” said Arnoldo Maldonado, 60, a businessman who races about five horses a year. “It bothers me, but it has to be done because there is no money to pay for them … I’m not going to keep losing.”

The killings also bother veterinarians who carry them out.

While many horses are unsuitable for adoption because of injuries or bad tempers, far more could be rescued than the current few dozen a year, Garcia said.

The veterinarians at the racetrack clinic have an informal system of contacting farms and breeders when a healthy horse comes in to die. But so far there are no programs such as the U.S.-based Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which rescues and advocates for horses coming off the track.

The killing of so many racehorses in Puerto Rico isn’t happening because they have suffered a serious injury, like Eight Belles, the filly euthanized after breaking both front ankles racing in the Kentucky Derby on May 3. Here, even when a second home is available, veterinarians say that some owners want losing horses executed anyway — some to save money, others to have revenge.

“You’ll get a few owners who get so upset, they just want the horse dead,” said veterinarian Shakyra Rosario.

She often asks trainers if they have extra space so she doesn’t have to kill a healthy horse, and there are Puerto Ricans such as trainer Berti Zequeira who make it their business to rescue the rejects.

Lionel Muller, senior vice president at Hipodromo Camarero, Puerto Rico’s only racetrack, said owners generally have the horses killed only as a last resort when they cannot find a suitable second home.

“Most of the horse owners really love the horses. You don’t want to get rid of a horse that way,” he said.

With a stable of about 1,300 horses, the flower-trimmed track on the north coast holds races five days a week. Tourists and other fans cheer from open-air grandstands and a skybox restaurant. About $210 million a year is bet at the Hipodromo and at off-track betting booths.

The U.S. horse racing industry also struggles with unwanted thoroughbreds. AP’s efforts to obtain figures were unsuccessful, but advocacy groups say sanctuaries created over the past two decades have dramatically cut the likelihood that a former racer will be executed.

“If you’re a thoroughbred and you’re not dangerous to humans, there’s a home out there for you,” said Gail Hirt, a Michigan-based board member of The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses.

Horses that don’t win in Puerto Rico quickly become liabilities for their owners. It costs about $750 a month in food and stable fees to keep a thoroughbred at the track, and many owners would rather spend on horses that still have a chance of winning.

Farms and ranches that could take retired horses often prefer lower-maintenance breeds such as the Paso Finos, bred locally since Spanish colonial times and prized for their smooth gait.

That often leaves euthanasia as the cheapest option. The clinic charges owners only about $20 for the chemicals, Garcia said.

The thoroughbreds, mostly imported from the United States, often begin racing before their third birthday. After a brief career on the track, they can live to 30 or older.

But veterinarians say they would rather see unwanted horses destroyed humanely than given away or sold to somebody who cannot afford to feed and care for them.

Some horses wind up fending for themselves. Emaciated thoroughbreds, marked by tattoos from the track, have been found among the “chongos”— stray, mixed-breed nags — chewing grass by the roads, according to Amigos de los Animales, an animal sanctuary.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Silvertips forward Carter Bear fields questions after the Detroit Red Wings selected him 13th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles on June 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy Natalie Shaver / CHL)
Two weeks after Draft, Silvertips’ Bear still can’t believe it

The Red Wings’ first-rounder reflects on draft night and his experience at Detroit’s development camp.

Storm flies too close to the Sun, loses in an upset

Connecticut snapped a 10-game losing streak to beat Seattle 93-83 on Wednesday morning.

Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in New York. (Evan Bernstein / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Raleigh, Judge heat up homer race at Yankee Stadium

In the battle of baseball’s biggest sluggers, Aaron Judge… Continue reading

Seattle Seahawks linebackers Derick Hall (58) and Boye Mafe (53) celebrate a defensive play during the 2024 season. (Rio Giancarlo / Getty Images / The Athletic)
Season to reveal long-term plans for Seahawks linebackers

The Seattle Seahawks selected edge rusher Boye Mafe with… Continue reading

Silvertips defenseman wins U20 Ball Hockey World Title with Canada

Rylan Pearce helps Canada win gold at the ISBHF U20 World Championships in Slovakia.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) makes a catch against San Francisco 49ers defensive back Rashard Robinson (33) in the second quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (Nhat V. Meyer / Bay Area News Group / Tribune News Services)
Sports psychologist changed Seahawks’ Doug Baldwin’s outlook

The former receiver overcame intense emotions during his player career

Paolo Banchero, Orlando agree to max contract extension

The former O’Dea star could earn up to $287 million over five years.

NHL players, owners vote to ratify 4-year CBA

Notable changes include an 84-game season starting in 2026, shorter contract terms.

AquaSox outfielder Carson Jones gets settled in the batter's box during Everett's 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canadians at Funko Field on July 6, 2025. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
AquaSox show progress, but drop fifth straight to Canadians

Jones’ go-ahead, 3-run homer is spoiled in 4-3 loss to wrap up homestand.

Bryan Woo of the Seattle Mariners delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday, April 18, 2025, in Toronto. (Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Three Mariners added to MLB All-Star Game

Major League Baseball announced today that Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez,… Continue reading

George Kirby (68) of the Seattle Mariners pitches in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at T-Mobile Park on Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Seattle. (Alika Jenne / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Pirates finish historically bad offensive series in Seattle

Similar to the first two games of the series, the… Continue reading

Seattle Storm forward Alysha Clark (32) and Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) guard each other during a free throw in a WNBA basketball game between the Aces and the Seattle Storm at Michelob ULTRA Arena Friday, June 20, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter / Las Vegas Review-Journal / Tribune News Services)
Storm uses third-quarter thunderbolt to down Liberty

Rookie Dominique Malonga scored 11 and took over in the third quarter for Seattle.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.