MORNING BRIEFING

Regarding Bill Dwyre’s April 21 column about horse racing:

* Rookie Kentucky Derby rider Joe Talamo and his mount (I Want Revenge) will get knocked around from pillar to post. Too much trouble to win.

* Jeff Mullins’ fine in New York is a slap on the wrist.

* Horse racing in Southern California has been around for 75-plus years, and has endured tougher times than these, World War II for one. Oh, things will change, but like the old adage, the more things change the more they stay the same.

Vic Bulaich

Inglewood

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More and more people are refusing to support a “sport” in which animals routinely pay with their lives. Attendance has plummeted at tracks all over North America and few tracks remain economically viable. Just last month, Magna Entertainment Corp., the largest horse track owner in the United States, filed for bankruptcy.

Thoroughbreds are raced when their bones are still developing and are ill-equipped to handle the pressures of running on a hard track at high speeds. Many horses are dosed with drugs to mask painful injuries and keep them on the track when they shouldn’t be racing, contributing to catastrophic breakdowns.

People who want to pay tribute to all the horses who have suffered and died in racing should continue to stay away from tracks and betting parlors.

Jennifer O’Connor

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,

Norfolk, Va.