From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 1995:

The Evil Side of a Racetrack is the autobiography of Michael John
Horak, a former harness racing owner, driver and trainer, most heavily
involved in the 1960s, when most of his story takes place. But now, in
1995, the treatment of racehorses hasn't changed for the better. They are
still drugged and raced lame with alarming regularity.
Horak got into racing chiefly for the love of horses and to be able
to make a living with them. He tried to make a difference by training his
horses and those of clients in a cautious, easy, drug-free manner. He
did not believe in racing an even slightly lame horse, no matter how well
a drug might mask the pain. He knew that drugs might work for a while and
perhaps a few more wins could be had, but in the end the horse would break
down in extreme pain.

Horak also did not believe in racing young colts; though
two-year-olds are routinely raced, a horse is not physically mature until
the age of three or four. Nor did Horak believe in racing horses in
extreme weather: "The temperature was fifteen below zero with a wind-chill
factor lowering it to forty below. Incredible as it may seem, the harness
races went on as scheduled. I called the Humane Society to refresh their
memory of their purpose and to inform them that if they would go to the
track, they would find at least 500 cases of animal cruelty. There would
be many horses unable to get a drink of water because the pails were frozen
blocks of ice. I was simply told that my message was being recorded and
that the matter would receive top priority, then a polite, 'Good-bye.' No
harness racing was ever cancelled the entire long, cold winter, even
though very few people attended."

Horak writes a lot about the practice of "fixing" races, stacking
the odds, and insurance fraud--most notably regarding the questions that
remain to this day surrounding the decision to have the great thoroughbred
filly Ruffian destroyed after she broke down in a 1973 match race: "The
most mysterious part of that complete incident was that Ruffian was never
insured until two weeks before that match race." Ruffian had broken down
before that, so perhaps her owners knew it was only a matter of time.
One thing that Horak does not mention is the slaughter trade. Most
racehorses are "retired" to the feedlot. Only those successful enough to
pass on their genes or who have not been hopelessly used up and crippled
escape that fate. Horak also does not sufficiently explain why abuse takes
place. Greed is of course the motive; but he doesn't really lay out how
the racing system practically forces owners to race two-year-olds, by
creating the most prestigious races for horses in that age group. He
doesn't offer a strong enough explanation as to why horses are raced in
sub-zero temperatures--if so few bettors attend, why go on? He does talk
a lot about the commonly administered drug Lasix, and offers interesting
insights into its use and misuse.

Horak's reputation around the track was good with the few honest
owners and drivers, but to the majority, and to many track officials, he
was a busybody and a trouble-maker. Horak's best horse, a colt he raised
from a yearling and trained himself, was Michael John, a bay standardbred.
Michael John was started late, at three, and always raced without drugs.
He never broke down, and won consistently. Shortly after Horak refused
to purposely lose a race with Michael John, Michael John was attacked in
his stall at Washington Park Racetrack while Horak's groom, Charlie, was
asleep. The guard dog, a Doberman, was found dead in the stall. Horak
writes that Michael John was tied up and he could see "three or four
one-inch welt marks across his back, about a foot long. The same kind of
marks were on his left stifle," a sensitive part of the hind leg which can
be likened to a person's knee. "These lunatic losers must have waited
since my race, in the event that I might have suspected something might
happen after my winning. Then, I did relax my guard. I still blame
myself for that, but how long can a person keep a 24-hour guard on his
horse?" Michael John was injured to the point of needing a lay-up to
recover. He did return to racing, but was retired soon after.

Kicked and beaten

Years later, in 1978, Horak went to a track in Florida at the
suggestion of a friend, to look at Ocala Star Craft, a mare for sale.
She was racing on the afternoon Horak went to see her, and he immediately
guessed she was dead lame under a mask of drugs. Then: "I looked at the
tote board and to my surprise Ocala Star Craft was now the overwhelming
favorite. This was caused by someone putting $500 to win on her the very
second the board was open for wagering." The mare broke down in the race
and was removed by ambulance.

When Horak saw Ocala Star Craft, still lame, entered in another
race a couple of months later, he tried to have her scratched, but "that
was like looking for a needle in a haystack--not one track official was
around...I was completely baffled and discouraged that I had failed." He
went back to the infield to watch the race. "It was impossible to believe
that Ocala Star Craft was again the favorite with her odds at even money.
The racing program had her previous races and dates listed in order, as
with every other horse (in the race). However, they failed to inform their
readers that she was taken off the track in Florida by a horse ambulance
because she was so lame she couldn't even take one step to walk into the
van. She had to be lifted in by leather straps with the use of a hoist."
As Horak feared, Ocala Star Craft broke down as he watched. Six other
horses fell, unable to avoid the fallen mare and racing cart.
Horak followed Ocala Star Craft's driver, Daryl Busse, as he went
to the paddock area after the disastrous race and shouted at him,
chastising him for his abuse of the mare. Horak was later picked up by
track security for his "threatening, disruptive behaviour." He was
handcuffed, then kicked and beaten. His elbow was severely injured. Horak
filed suit against the guards and track individually and collectively, and
eventually, years later, won a cash sum for his pain and suffering. But
his racing days were over, as his elbow never did heal well enough for him
to have the strength to drive a racehorse.

Never afraid to name names, Horak does it without making his
memoirs sound like sour grapes. However, The Evil Side of a Racetrack is
sometimes bogged down with insignificant details, like what he had for
dinner, or what he watched on television, and suffers from being short on
horses and long on legalities: 300 pages of verbatim court transcripts is a
bit much. The Evil Side of a Racetrack, though compelling, would have
benefited by cuts and perhaps collaboration with a professional writer.

--Staci Layne Wilson