So what really happened here?
Word has it that the trainer Robbie Baze was taking the three TB's to the Enumclaw auction. When he heard several groups sensitive to OTTB's being taken to auction would be there, he made arrangements with a man who works for the auction to take them to his farm where they would be picked up by the kill buyer. Word got out and Serenity was contacted to help.
There is a policy that was written by Magna Entertainment Corp's (MEC) Chief Operating Officer and Director, Ron Charles, that states "MEC has a zero slaughter tolerance." Therefore any trainer who takes a horse to slaughter can be both fined and banned from the track.
I called MEC to talk to Mr. Charles and was transferred to Gregg Scoggins, Director of Regulatory Affairs. Mr. Scoggins assured me that they indeed had a zero tolerance policy for slaughter and that he would investigate Mr. Baze. He also gave me Mr. Will Alemeijevic's number theTrack Manager at Portland Meadows.
I talked to Mr. Scoggins at MEC and told him what had happened. I then talked to Mr. Alemeijevic told him the story and asked him to check on the horses Mr. Baze was running, look at his breakdown record and find out where all his horses had gone after they couldn't run anymore. Both of these gentleman promised that they would do an investigation and get back to me.
Since it was the Thanksgiving week I waited until the following Wednesday to call them for their conclusion. Both said that they had talked to Mr. Baze and he said that he had taken them to a rescue place in Enumclaw and had no idea they were going to be picked up by the kill buyer.
We know that is a lie. Their "investigation" involved talking to Mr. Baze? Not much of an investigation. MEC and Portland downs need to look at Mr. Bazes's breakdown record. He has one of the highest breakdown histories at Portland Meadows and Emerald Downs. MEC needs to ask where the horses are that he was running and are no longer at his barn. They need to talk to other trainers confidentially.
A well-known trainer that I have talked to stated that "Robbie Baze's barn is where horses go to die." Almost everyone I talked to, trainers and owners, said that they knew that Mr. Baze was taking horses to slaughter but did not want to "go on record" for fear that there would be consequences.
Thousands of OTTB's are going to slaughter every year. You can help. Call or email the contacts below and tell them that they need to help investigate this situation. I am going to continue to pursue this until someone does the right thing. Patricia Clark, Founder
MEC (Magna Entertainment Corp)
Call: Ron Charles,Chief Operating Officer and Director. He originated the zero slaughter tolerance policy. 905-726-2462
Oregon Racing Commission Office
Kerry Johnson, Chairman: 541-928-5414