Concerns raised about vandalism at Red Shores racetrack

Horse owner and track announcer Vance Cameron has installed a security camera in his section of a barn at the Red Shores racetrack after some unexplained incidents in the past week. 

He says owners have arrived at the barns recently to find some horses looking like they'd been beaten or scratched, and one horse was found in the wrong place. 

Cameron said he went to the racetrack to feed horses on Wednesday morning and he noticed a horse in a fenced-off location near the barn and recognized it as his sister's horse.

At first, Cameron said he thought a Good Samaritan might have found the horse and put him in the enclosure, but when he looked at the three-year-old horse he noticed a scratch on its leg.

"I think he might of been traumatized because he has been sick ever since that morning."

Damage to equipment

There has been at least one other report on social media about a horse found possibly injured or beaten.

On top of that, Cameron said there has also been damage to equipment such as slashed tires to an owner's race cart.

"I'm really just kind of perplexed about the whole situation," he said.

"If you got a bone to pick with one person, well pick your bone with the person. Don't take it out on their equipment or their horse. That's pretty cowardly as far as I'm concerned."

Cameron said racehorses cost up to $100,000.

He said Summerside police have been contacted. They could not be reached for comment over the weekend. 

Allegations taken seriously

Officials for Atlantic Lottery Corporation, which owns Red Shores, are aware of the situation.

"Red Shores takes this allegation seriously and places the highest priority on the safety of the animals at Summerside Raceway," said spokesperson Jennifer Macdonald-Donovan in an email to CBC.

The email said Red Shores will continue to work closely with the operators of the facility in response to this situation, but, "although we have a strong working relationship, Red Shores does not own or operate the track or barn facilities at the Summerside Raceway location."

The track and barn facilities are owned by the city of Summerside, and leased by the Prince County Horsemen's Club. 

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