CNN 5 Things One Thing: Is Horse Racing on Its Last Legs?
Apr 27, 2025
Katie Bo Lillis, a CNN Senior Reporter and author of "Death of a Racehorse: An American Story," discusses the troubling state of horse racing. She highlights rising concerns about animal safety, particularly in light of high-profile horse deaths and recent doping scandals. The conversation delves into how these issues, compounded by an FBI investigation, are pushing the industry toward much-needed reforms. Lillis underscores the ethical dilemmas facing trainers and the growing competition from legalized betting as factors in the sport's uncertain future.
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Katie Bo's Racing Beginnings
- Katie Bo Lillis shares her personal experience working with racehorses starting as a teenager in Virginia.
- She fell in love with the sport and animals, working at racetracks and breeding farms for years.
Existential Crisis in Racing
- Horse racing faces an existential crisis triggered by doping scandals and frequent horse deaths.
- Despite deaths being a small fraction of races, concerns about horse welfare and doping are significant.
Therapeutics Vs Doping Complexity
- Therapeutic drugs help horses with injuries but must clear the system before race day to avoid masking pain.
- The line between humane treatment and doping is blurred, creating conflicts of interest in horse racing.
