With Pegasus as the spotlight, Stronach calls on racing industry to do more for retired horses

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — The last time a mare named My Elusive Dream raced was more than 13 years ago. She made 10 starts in her career and ran at some of the most historic tracks in the country, places like Saratoga and Belmont and Gulfstream.

She never won. She finished second three times, third once. Career earnings: $28,510.

As tends to happen in racing, when an on-track career is done, the off-track career of breeding and being sold begins. My Elusive Dream was sold a couple of times, delivered at least eight foals over the years and wound up destined for a South Korean slaughterhouse. And that’s when her story made it to the desk of Belinda Stronach, the chairwoman and CEO of 1/ST Racing, which operates Gulfstream Park and other tracks.

Fast forward to the happy ending: My Elusive Dream was saved — plans were made to bring her to a Florida farm owned by the Stronach Group — and Stronach is calling on the racing world to further prioritize helping retired horses.

“The industry needs to step up and do more,” Stronach said in an interview with The Associated Press.

My Elusive Dream got a second chance through a combination of efforts from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a group that has routinely criticized the racing industry, and Stronach’s group.

“A life of peace, safety and comfort will no longer be an elusive dream for this horse, but the road to the slaughterhouse remains well-trodden by thousands of others in South Korea,” PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a news release. “PETA thanks the Stronach Group for giving her a home and urges the American racing industry to stop selling horses to South Korea until the slaughter ends.”