Panorama

Rupert Storm was a 4 year old BC bred, neutered male thoroughbred racehorse (a gelding).

On September 23 2007 Rupert Storm was also Horse # 1, the first horse listed in the racing program for the 3rd race at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver. His rider that day was Jockey Fernando Perez, riding in his 210th race.

Rupert Storm’s odds that morning to win the 3rd race were 8 to 1. He had run three races in 2007, showing third in one of them. Rupert Storm’s three previous races at Hastings this year were August 10th, July 13th and July 1st. His racing times during these races put him in the top three amongst the 8 other horses he was racing against on September 23rd. The prize or Purse to the winner of this race was $7,700 plus an additional percentage for horses bred in BC. It was a claiming race, which meant that each horse was for sale before the race. Each of the horses were for sale (Claiming Price) in the 3rd race for $8000 each.

I am new to horse racing. Over the years I’ve been to maybe one race day every couple of years, usually during the PNE. This year however I started to go to the races more often during the weekends while visiting the PNE and have been a couple of times since and am really enjoying myself. The horses are great to watch. I like watching them walk around the paddock area and then parade in front of the stands. Between that and reading inside the program some of the horse’s statistical information, along with who the owners, trainers and jockeys are of the horses in each race, I manage to come up with a bet and then get ready to watch!

I don’t remember what the odds were on Rupert Storm when the 3rd race started but I decided to bet $3.00 on him to Place (come in first or second). Checking back to the racing results for that day I see that the odds on Rupert Storm to Win that day were 12 to 1. I like betting in a horse race because the final odds are not determined by the race track. They are determined by how many people eventually bet on a horse to Win the race.

I went to a good vantage point so I could see the entire track through my binoculars and waited for the race to start.

The 3rd race started at 2:24P. Rupert Storm from the start was running in the middle of the pack and then going into the back stretch of the track, was running third or fourth last.

You can watch a video of Rupert Storm’s race at the link below from the Hastings Racecourse website. They post a video of all their races for this year and 2006.

Watch Race 3 from Hastings on September 23 2007.

As you watch the video you will watch as Rupert Storm moves from the inside rail of the track to the outside as he slows down, then you hear the track announcer say that Rupert Storm has pulled up. The race goes on with all the usual excitement and you can hear the crowd cheering and the announcer getting louder as the winner crosses the finish line, followed by the second and third place finishers, and then the rest.

Except Rupert Storm.

According to the official race results:

“RUPERT STORM never far back, stalked, lost action, pulled up.“

After Rupert Storm stopped running, jockey and horse rode slowly around the back of the racetrack to stop behind a bush in the far southwest corner. The jockey jumped off and a bunch of people had run over. Two men came shortly after carrying an orange tarp. It was hard to see what was happening but at times I could see Rupert Storm bending down on one knee.

The race was over. The track announcer was calling out the amounts paid on the various types of bets that could have been made during the race. The winner’s circle was full of people congratulating the winning jockey, owner and trainer while the winning horse was on parade back to the stables. Announcements were starting to be made about the 4th race coming up, and tractors were on the track, starting their circle to groom the track for the next race.

Along the back stretch, another tractor pulling a trailer with a Red Cross marked Equine Ambulance was making its way towards the bush on the far southwest corner. The two fellows with the tarp stood in front of the bush, closest to the grandstand area. The Equine Ambulance pulled up and after abit turned around and slowly made its way back along the far side and exited out the northeast corner of the racecourse. I could see Rupert Storm was standing inside the trailer.

I had previously decided to skip the next couple of races so I could go inside and have something to eat. I watched the next couple of races from inside. I waited to hear if they would say anything about what happened to Rupert Storm. They didn’t.

I went back outside and bet on the next couple of races including the final one I stayed for, the featured race, The 62nd British Columbia Breeders’ Cup Derby.

A couple of days ago, after checking articles that had been written about the September 23rd races, and seeing what information I could find out about Rupert Storm, I called Hastings and spoke to a fellow in the race track office who told me that Rupert Storm had suffered a fractured leg during the race and had been euthanized.

No announcements about injuries at the track are generally made.

I think its sad actually. I would think, especially with the rich history of Thoroughbred racing and Hastings, that a local announcement at the track should be made about any horse that is injured there.

Rupert Storm was bred to race. He was bred to make money for his owners by racing him for wagers and to provide entertainment to all those who enjoy the sport. Horse racing has its risks and rewards for the jockey, owner, trainer and everyone else who participates in Thoroughbred racing. The horse though, if injured or killed, only gets to experience the risk part of the equation.

For that I think every horse who is injured at Hastings (and all other race courses) should get recognized. An announcement should be made or printed in the following week’s program. The races are open to everyone. And everyone should know when there is an injury on the track, just as much as they will know who won a race, or placed or showed (came in third).

Recognition should not be made just about the famous, like Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro

This is what I know about Rupert Storm:

He was born in 2003. His Sire (father) was Ringside who was born in the US in 1980. His Dam (mother) was Balladeera who was born in 1993.

He ran in 10 races in his life winning $15,042. His owner at the time of the September 23rd race was Ifida Thoroughbreds Inc. who have their office in Surrey BC.

and finally

Prior to his July 13 2007 race at Hastings, Mike Heads (Hastings’ Race Analyst) in his prediction for which horses would win, place and show during Race # 5, predicted that he would Place and wrote this about Rupert Storm:

“The #3 RUPERT STORM ran well in his comebacker considering he’d been off for eleven months and if he gets a little better he’ll challenge for the win.“

I’m not saying that every horse that is injured at Hastings needs to have a written eulogy.

I am saying that every horse that is injured at Hastings should be recognized and the horse’s injury and outcome should be acknowledged in some way.

If you think so too, please contact Deborah Stetz, the new manager of marketing at Hastings. Her email address is: dstetz@gcgaming.com

I enjoy Thoroughbred Racing and from the number of people I saw last week, lots of others do too. I just don’t think we should bury our heads in the sand and ignore injuries to the horses when they are racing and pretend that they never happened.

Update January 13 2008

A few days ago I received an email from a woman in the USA who is the Editor of The Scrolls of Equus a blog dedicated to observing the working life of horses.

Since 2005 Connie has been memorializing fallen horses and her 2007 year-end editorial wondered when horses who have died for our pleasure will get their recognition from the industry that produces them.

From the editorial All the king’s horses …

Going forward, would every fatal breakdown warrant a simple announcement to the crowd? One humble word of goodbye or regret? One sign of respect? Where is the industry’s “tradition” to ensure every horse dies with honor, while efforts to improve racing conditions continue? Where is the comprehensive list of valiant horses who have died serving that industry?

Some day this work of a few will affect the industry of many.