The Dark Side of Horse Race Journalism

Horse race has entranced spectators for centuries. Today, it’s the second most popular spectator sport in the United States and contributes approximately $15 billion to the economy. But the industry has a dark side. Growing awareness of the cruelty of racing, its abusive training practices, drug use and transport to slaughter, is threatening to drive away fans and stifle new revenue streams for the sport that relies on horses.

ANNIE AGUIAR: With the election only five months away, many of us are already noticing that there is a familiar trend creeping back into the news cycle – breathless parsing of polls, data and statistics. And that, of course, has led some of us to question the notion of what kind of journalism is actually being done when the focus is on horses and their chances for winning a race. Today we’re going to take a look at that particular strain of journalistic practice and talk with some actual horse-race journalists to see what they have to say about it.

I’m here with Annie Aguiar, an independent journalist who focuses on horse races and has written for publications including Poynter. She’s been in the field of horse-race journalism for a while, and she has some good insights to share with us today about this unique form of media.

We all know the phrase “dark horse” – it refers to an underdog that wins a competition or an election that no one expects them to win. But did you know that horse racing is the originator of the term?

During an individual flat race, horses are forced to run at breakneck speed. They are bred, trained and fed to do this. And they are whipped with a whip to keep them going, even though they may be injured or in pain. This is a truly unnatural activity for animals that are meant to live free and enjoy life.

Fortunately, there are changes afoot to make the sport more humane. In a recent study, animal advocacy informants identified injuries and deaths on the track, the abuse of drugs and medication in thoroughbred racing, and the lack of retirement options for retired racehorses as the most serious welfare issues in horse racing. However, these are only the tip of the iceberg. The informants also pointed to routine training and husbandry practices, human-horse interaction, and the interface between the human and the horse as areas where further improvement is needed. It’s time for the American racing industry to address these important welfare issues. Only then can it reclaim its tarnished image as a sport that prioritizes the rights and well-being of its equine athletes.