English racehorse killed and served in soup kitchen after breaking leg in race

A criminal investigation has begun in Turkey after an injured English racehorse was killed and served in soup kitchen.

Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry ran tests after a ‘foreign object’ found in a stew served at a soup kitchen in Mersin last month and discovered that it was an electronic identification chip belonging to Smart Latch, a four-year-old English mare.

Analysis confirmed that the meat was from ‘single-hoofed animals’ and 213 kilograms of it was subsequently destroyed due to being unsuitable for human health.

Horse slaughter for meat is banned in Turkey and a criminal complaint has now been filed against the company which provided the meat to the kitchen.

Smart Latch had won three races during her career and earned £19,200 in prize money but had not raced since last October after suffering from a minor leg fracture.

The horse’s owner, Suat Topcu, has claimed that he decided to donate Smart Latch to a farm in Turkey where children can learn to ride as she could no longer race and was unable to breed.

‘Unfortunately, such an unfortunate incident happened to us. We have been doing this business for three generations, and nothing like this has ever happened to us before. I am more upset than anyone else,’ Topcu told Turkish newspaper Milliyet.

‘We brought this horse to the farm after racing her to make her a mother. When we took her for veterinary checks to make her a breeding horse, the veterinarian said, ‘this horse cannot be used for breeding because she has a uterine collapse, even if she gets pregnant, a healthy birth cannot occur’, and stated that this is a physiological disorder that can occur in some horses.

‘We then wanted to find a home for our horse. We breeders try to find homes for our beloved horses after their racing careers end. I’ve even sent horses free of charge to the Cukurova University Equestrian Club, Kadirli Vocational School, and the Veterinary Faculty in Elazig – we’re constantly in contact with them. I’m not just speaking for myself. No one who races horses at any of the racetracks in Turkey would ever abandon a horse. There’s no one like that at the racetracks.

‘About 15, 20 days ago, I received a call from the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture’s Horse Breeding Branch regarding this matter, I couldn’t believe it. I said, ‘let’s do whatever is necessary’. They took my official statement.

‘I sent the horse to a farm in Osmaniye, the kind where people and children ride horses as a hobby, like those horse farms where breakfast is also served… I had entrusted it to a transporter friend I’ve worked with for years. He gave me the name of the person at the farm where he delivered it. An official investigation has begun. I even told my colleagues at the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, ‘if you don’t take this to court, I will’. I mean, whoever is guilty must be found. Anyone who harms an animal harms a human.

‘I have raced horses abroad, including in England. There, when a horse’s race is over at the racetrack, you take it to the racing authority – the equivalent in Turkey is the Turkish Jockey Club and the Ministry of Agriculture – pay a certain fee, and hand over your horse in exchange for a document. They then ensure the most appropriate adoption and guidance. So, while we were trying to do something good on a personal level, we ended up contributing to something bad.

‘Just like humans, horses also have identities. All their information can be traced through a chip implanted in their necks. These chips, implanted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, allow us to track the horse’s movements and whereabouts, even without pedigree records, during their racing and breeding careers. These chips are essential for all our interactions with these horses.

‘We carefully select our mares from before anything is even certain, pairing them with the most suitable stallions, we meticulously care for them at every stage, from pregnancy and birth to postpartum care and farm and field training. Because of the effort we put into them throughout this long process until they become professional racehorses, these horses are like our own children to us.

‘Perhaps my mistake was donating or giving away the horse without selling it or transferring ownership.

‘The owner’s name is written in the horse’s pedigree. My mistake was not transferring ownership, may God not let anyone fall into such a situation. A system needs to be put in place for this. No power other than the state can stand against evil.’

Eray Hazar, from Turkish Racehorse Breeders and Owners Association, said: ‘We try to find owners for our horses whose racing careers have ended, precisely to prevent them from getting involved in such incidents. We are careful not to give our horses to just anyone who asks.

‘Just like humans, horses also have identities. All their information can be traced thanks to a chip implanted in their necks. These chips were implanted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry so that even without pedigree identification, we can track where the horse is going and where it is located, even in the smallest detail, during their racing and breeding careers. These chips enable us to communicate with these horses in every way.

‘We pair our mares with the most suitable stallions through meticulous work that we carry out even before anything is certain, we take great care of them at every stage, from pregnancy to birth, postpartum care, and farm and field training.

‘Because of the effort we put into them during this long process until they become professional racehorses, these horses are like our own children to us.’

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