Video: American Racehorse Saved From Korean Slaughterhouse Now in U.S.

For Immediate Release:
February 28, 2024

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Reddick, Fla. – After an eleventh-hour rescue from slaughter in South Korea, American Thoroughbred racehorse My Elusive Dream just arrived back the U.S. and can start living the dream at a lush farm in Reddick that’s owned by racetrack conglomerate The Stronach Group. She’s recovering from a grueling ordeal that saw her drop hundreds of pounds, and she can now live out her years in comfort and safety.

My Elusive Dream was rescued by PETA investigators and Jeju Vegan activists, who stopped a truck just yards from the entrance of the largest horse slaughterhouse in South Korea, only to find that the filthy and malnourished mare in the back of the truck was an American Thoroughbred. After scanning her microchip, they discovered her identity and traced her lineage: She was sired by El Prado, the 2002 leading North American stallion, who had been owned by The Stronach Group. PETA contacted Belinda Stronach, chair, CEO, and president of The Stronach Group, who agreed to give My Elusive Dream a permanent home—and PETA flew her back to the U.S. aboard what it affectionately refers to as Mare Force One to make that dream come true. Photos and video footage are available.

My Elusive Dream, who is now nearly 17 years old, was raced 10 times in the U.S., then used as a broodmare, and, after having already borne five foals, was sold into the South Korean racing industry at a Keeneland Sales auction in Kentucky in 2018. She gave birth to three more foals in South Korea before she was sold to a horse-meat farm—a practice approved by the Korea Racing Authority for horses deemed no longer useful.

“This gentle mare is now safe at home after being shipped overseas to be used as a breeding machine and, as soon as her last foal was taken from her, allowed to deteriorate and be sold for slaughter,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “Keeneland Sales must stop selling horses to South Korea until the slaughter stops and an aftercare program is in place.”

When PETA flew the mare back to the U.S. from South Korea, she was more than 200 pounds underweight. She shows evidence of a previous head injury but is otherwise healthy.

A 2019 PETA investigation uncovered the widespread slaughter of American Thoroughbred racehorses and their offspring in South Korea. PETA’s footage captured inside a slaughterhouse revealed horses trembling as they arrived, many covered with mud and burrs, some bleeding, and one fresh off the track with a bandage on his leg from an injury sustained in a race just three days prior. Workers beat horses to force them onto the kill floor and slaughtered them in full view of others—violations of the Korean Animal Protection Act that resulted in multiple criminal charges and convictions. Following the investigation, The Stronach Group joined PETA in calling for a ban on the sale of North American Thoroughbreds to South Korean racing interests.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.