PETA is calling out Jack Harlow for glamorizing horseracing and the Kentucky Derby in his new Drake-assisted single and video “Churchill Downs.” PETA notes the winner of the race was struck in the face and that three horses die on U.S. race tracks every day. In addition, PETA is calling out Harlow to donate the funds from the song to take care of horses that are cast aside by the industry, which can reach up to 7,500 horses a year.
“Jack Harlow’s glamorized portrayal of horse racing is missing the whips, drugs, and deaths that run rampant in the industry,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “Profiting from the abuse of others is never acceptable, and PETA is calling on Jack Harlow to pony up and pay for the care of American Thoroughbreds who would otherwise be shipped to foreign slaughterhouses.”
At this year’s Kentucky Derby, the winning Thoroughbred Rich Strike began biting the man on horseback who was leading him to the winner’s circle. Rich Strike was likely in a frenzy after being whipped and forced to race along with the pandemonium of the winner’s circle. The man continually beat Rich Strike instead of allowing him time to calm down.
PETA uncovers that trainers employ mixtures of medications to enhance horses’ performance and force them to gallop despite agonizing ailments, which increases the danger of catastrophic breakdowns, in a video narrated by Succession star James Cromwell. When horses quit making money, their owners get rid of them.
