Page 11 - February 2005 The Game

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, February 2005 11
Search for Employment leads to Discovery of Starving Horses
On Wednesday, January 5, Aline Allain went to the farm on Torbram Road in Caledon where she had worked last winter. Accompanied by Linda Fransesscot, the pair were hoping to gain employment for a few months before heading back to the racetrack. Instead they found closed gates and nobody around. Venturing further onto the property they discovered a horrific sight, more than 30 starving horses in the paddocks and the stalls. She also found the mare, later identified as
“One Heartbeat Away”, dead in the paddock and another mare cast and in distress under a paddock rail.
Joseph did not send any money to provide for the horses, so Peter had been bringing water to the farm every 3 or 4 days, but that was the extent of his caring.
The weekend after the discovery, part-time LongRun employee, Debbie Lewis, was told of the horses at the farm and called the OSPCA for more information. She was told that everything was under control however when Debbie decided to visit the farm on Sunday, January 9,
she found one of the horses suffering from colic and the rest in horrendous conditions.
She called Cathy MacLean at LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society.
Cathy immediately called an emergency vet to tend to colic horse, Bucky’s Revenge, who thankfully survived the colic episode.
The following day Cathy went to the farm to view the conditions on behalf of LongRun.
It was obvious that the owners were not complying with the orders from the OSPCA and the horses were still without food and water, standing unsheltered in paddocks or in stalls that had not been cleaned for weeks.
It was then that Cathy started co-ordinating feed, hay and shavings and called the Woodbine dormitory to see if she could get a crew of workers together to volunteer their services.
There were three more horses that had colic that day. Cont. Next Page
Aline
called the
Society
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) and they sent a representative to the farm.
It was determined that there were 34 horses, the majority of which were thoroughbred mares in foal.
The mare that was cast was likely stretching for whatever grass may have been on the other side and was badly cut from her obvious struggle. Once help arrived she didn’t have the energy to stand and was humanely euthanized.
It is believed that eighteen year-old stallion, Gernas, was also found dead days before Aline’s arrival and had been removed from the property. He had starved to death.
The OSPCA located the farm manager, Peter Dervenis, and ordered him to immediately provide vet care, feed & water for the horses.
The horses were owned by Peter’s brother-in-law, Joseph Chang, who currently resides in Hong Kong. In the past Joseph has operated his thorough- bred breeding and racing business under four different barn names; Bramalea Farms, Goodyear Farms, Camelot Farms, and most recently Sunlight Farms.
Joseph sold the property to Asian investors a couple of months ago and was leasing the property. According to Peter,
immediately Ontario for the
BRITE ADAM
1995, by High Brite x In Your Sights, by Green Dancer
G3 Canadian Stakes Winner of $462,498
Stakes Winner at 2, 3 and 4 from 7 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles
Won Plate Trial S., Simcoe S., Seagram Cup S. Gr. 3, 2nd Queen’s Plate S. Stake Races: 3 Firsts, 4 Seconds, 3 Thirds
As a four-year-old, three of last four races had Beyers of 103, 109, & 106
SIRED by HIGH BRITE, California based Stakes Winner of $1,150,519
For many years a leading Sire in California Sire of many 2-Year-Old Winners
Brite Adam’s first foals arrived in 2003
FEE: $1,500 CDN. LIVE FOAL
PEDIGREE FARMS INC.
Highway 27, P.O. Box 1125, Nobleton, Ont. L0G 1N0 Fax: 905-568-2882
Phone: 905-859-5121 Sherry Noakes
Phone: 647-282-0554 Steve Millar Email: info@alterra.com
Property of R.M.C. Stable
920 Yonge Street, #1000 Toronto, ON M4W 3C7 Phone: 416-964-1800 Fax: 416-964-7257
Inspection Welcome