Fort Erie Race Track warns owners that horses can’t be sold to Puerto Rico

The Fort Erie Race Track is giving a warning to owners and trainers that horses who are at the end of their careers should not be sold to Puerto Rico.

A letter from Fort Erie Live Racing was posted on social media by the Horsemen’s Benevolent Protective Association Of Ontario (HBPA), a group that assists people in the horse racing industry in a number of ways.

In the letter from the Fort Erie consortium, it says that they strongly oppose the sale of horses to the island country and that stall privileges will be revoked for anyone who last raced at Fort Erie who is found to have made a transaction in Puerto Rico.

“Many horses that have retired from Fort Erie Racetrack have been rehomed and have moved onto other successful careers,” reads the letter from the race track.

Horses who are no longer racing should be properly retired through the Jockey Club, the letter states.

When a horse is retired this way, it is no longer eligible to race in the U.S., Canada, or Puerto Rico.

“Fort Erie Racetrack prioritizes the safety of racehorses, both on and off the track, which is crucial for the entire Ontario racing industry,” the letter concludes.

A story on this issue was recently published by the Paulick Report, one of North America’s leading publication focused on the horse racing industry.

The Paulick Report story says, according to aftercare advocates, Puerto Rico “isn’t physically or financially set up to house large numbers of retired racehorses” and that “the island is too small to house many horses who aren’t sound enough for use in a lucrative, athletic job.”

Piroplasmosis is also a concern on the island, a tick-borne illness that can cause a number of problems, said the Paulick Report story.

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