Tag: thoroughbred racing

Horse Body Found In Landfill, Prompting Questions About Racing Industry

A former West Virginia horse racing commissioner says photos posted online of a euthanized thoroughbred racing horse surrounded by trash in a landfill should be a wakeup call for state leaders.

Bill Phillips served for years on the commission before being replaced by Gov. Jim Justice in 2017. He told the Charleston Gazette-Mail that the commission is underfunded and understaffed.

The commission’s executive director, Joe Moore, said the thoroughbred named Bridget Moloney was catastrophically injured during a September race and couldn’t be saved. He said there are no state rules for the disposal of racehorse remains, but Mountaineer Park Racetrack has procedures, and he says they weren’t followed in this case.

The commission took no formal action against the track, and a sheriff’s investigation ruled out animal cruelty.

Racing Commission to Study Struggling Industry

The West Virginia state racing commission has voted to create a committee to study ways to maintain and grow the state’s struggling thoroughbred and greyhound racing industries.

The Charleston Gazette reports the commission approved the committee Tuesday as officials say the state’s racing and gaming industries continue to experience revenue declines. 

The committee, made up of 20 representatives of the state’s four racetracks, tourism industry officials, and thoroughbred and greyhound owners and breeders, will be divided into four subcommittees. The representatives will study economic growth and revenue enhancement; marketing; modernizing state code on racing issues and updating racing calendars.

The interim joint committee meets on Monday. After next week, legislative interim committees are not scheduled to meet again until September.

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