In May 2023, twelve horses died at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby. Those deaths shocked many people, but they were not an isolated tragedy. They are part of a much larger, ongoing crisis within the horse racing industry. Every year, thousands of racehorses in the United States and abroad die after being pushed far beyond their physical limits in the name of entertainment and profit.

Most racehorses begin training when they are just two years old, long before their bodies are fully developed. Many spend up to twenty-three hours a day confined in small, isolated stalls. They are forced to run at extreme speeds, whipped during races to push them harder, and routinely suffer catastrophic injuries. Some collapse from heart failure, others break their legs on the track. Those who survive often live with chronic pain and long-term health problems, and when they are no longer profitable, as many as ten thousand racehorses are sold for slaughter each year.

Despite this cruelty, the industry continues to claim that horse racing survives because it is popular and profitable. In New York, that claim simply does not hold up. Attendance at horse races has been declining for decades, to the point where many races now take place in front of nearly empty stands. A 2021 Marist Poll found that 91 percent of New Yorkers have no intention of ever attending a horse race. The industry’s own numbers reflect this reality: racing revenues are not sufficient to sustain the tracks, the races, or the horses without outside support.

So why does horse racing persist in New York? The answer is government subsidies. Each year, the state funnels roughly $230 million in public money into the industry, much of it drawn from casino revenue. Over time, more than $3 billion has been used to prop up a sport that most New Yorkers do not support. These are funds that could be invested in public priorities like education, infrastructure, and community services, areas that actually reflect the needs and values of New York residents.

The original justification for these subsidies was that they would help make horse racing viable and popular again. After nearly two decades, that experiment has clearly failed. Attendance and profits continue to decline, while industry insiders benefit from tax breaks and additional financial advantages. Even worse, these subsidies are expected to grow, potentially costing taxpayers more than $1 billion every four years.

Fortunately, some elected officials in New York recognize that this system is broken. Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal have introduced legislation that would redirect hundreds of millions of dollars away from horse racing subsidies and toward education and other public priorities. Ending these subsidies is not just a fiscal issue — it is a moral one. New Yorkers should not be forced to bankroll an industry built on cruelty, suffering, and exploitation.

Take Action Now

Please join Species Unite in urging New York lawmakers to do the right thing: end these subsidies, protect horses, and redirect public funds toward priorities that actually serve New Yorkers.