Kayseri

Plaintiff Chrissy Laughlin, the founder of an equine welfare organization that protects the rights and well-being of racehorses in the Caribbean, has filed a motion asking Puerto Rico's horse racing administrative tribunal to reverse a ruling it made earlier this month that denied her organization access to evidence related to a complaint about the demise and euthanization of the racemare Kayseri in 2025 at Camarero Race Track. Laughlin, according to an Apr. 23  press release issued by Caribbean Equine Advocacy, is also seeking to stay an adjudicative hearing in the...

Last week, Kentucky news outlet LEX18 reported the death of Kayseri, a University of Kentucky-bred mare who was shipped to Puerto Rico and ultimately euthanised after prolonged suffering. Her story is devastating - but sadly, not unusual. Kayseri stood in a shipping container for three days at sea, then raced far beyond the point of soundness. No one stepped in to retire her. In January, she was put down due to degenerative joint disease. The treatment of horses in Puerto Rico, throughout and after their racing careers, has been raised...

On Jan. 9, 2025, a Thoroughbred mare named Kayseri was euthanized in Puerto Rico. She had no joint space left in her fetlocks. Her body was broken down from overuse, her mind likely exhausted from pain and confinement. Her death is not only a tragedy--it is the subject of three formal complaints now filed against the Puerto Rico Racing Commission, the track veterinarians, and her final owner. Kayseri was not a forgotten horse. She was bred by the University of Kentucky. She raced under Hall of Famer Mark Casse. She...