Leading American owner charged with cruelty

Artax (red cap) : Breeders' Cup Sprint winner was associated with owner


IN A case that has shocked the US racing world, owner Ernie Paragallo has been arrested and charged with 22 counts of animal cruelty.

Paragallo's owner's licence in New York has been revoked, while licences held by his daughters are also being reviewed by the state's racing and wagering board.

Paragallo, 51, has been associated with several well-known horses, headed by 1995 two-year-old champion Unbridled's Song, who is now a leading sire, and top sprinter Artax.

According to reports, 177 horses are said to be suffering from varying degrees of malnutrition at Paragallo's Center Brook Farm in Climax, New York, where a young stallion reportedly died last week.

All the horses have been seized by authorities, though none of them have been moved. Paragallo, who denies deliberate maltreatment, said he became aware of problems with his farm's feeding program over the winter.

He has reportedly "transferred custody" of 67 horses to a local humane society "for future adoption". Each count of animal abuse carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

According to the Blood-Horse, Paragallo claimed he hadn’t visited the farm for at least nine months.

“It wasn’t knowing neglect,” Paragallo told Associated Press. “Did I try and harm any of those horses? Absolutely not.

"Did some of them come up skinny? Absolutely. Was it mismanagement? Absolutely. I’m not shying away from it. But I didn’t abuse them.”