Statement on Death of 2-Year-Old Harness Racehorse at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Friday Night

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES , July 23, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, following the news of a young 2-year-old filly that was killed last night at the Meadowlands Racetrack, Fox Valley Adele, who ran in the 6th race, Animal Wellness Action executive director Marty Irby released the following statement:

"We are saddened to see yet another racehorse death in the world of harness racing and call on the U.S. Trotting Association and its members to follow the Meadowlands in supporting the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act that took effect this month by opting into the anti-doping program, and oversight under the new national standards.

"As the body count continues to climb, these rampant deaths continue to turn the betting public away from the horse racing industry, and if these deaths dont stop, harness racing in America will soon go the way of the dinosaur.

In addition, Freddie Hudson, the CEO of the U.S. Harness Racing Alumni Association who is also a renowned author on the subject released the following statement alongside Irby as well:

My sincere condolence to all of the connections of the 2-year-old filly Fox Valley Adele who died last night (July 22nd) in the 6th race at the Meadowlands Racetrack. We as an industry do not need to be racing two-year-olds on Lasix.

According the Harnesslink.com Fox Valley Adele broke stride and fell to the track and that disrupted the remainder of the field. TMZ has also just reported on the death with a blurb here, and DFR Harness also tweeted about the death here.

Animal Wellness Action and the U.S. Harness Racing Alumni Association have been leading the charge to end these type deaths in American harness racing and Irby testified before the U.S. Congress in 2020 in support of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act that was signed into law in 2020 with implementation delayed until July 1, 2022.

Animal Wellness Action also recently launched a new watchdog site www.HISAWatchDog.org as well.

Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies, and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and thats why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones dont. We believe helping animals helps us all.

Marty Irby
Animal Wellness Action
+1 202-821-5686
email us here