PETA Is Angry That The Belmont Stakes Hasn't Already Been Canceled

The only people who hate horse racing more than someone who just lost their ass on a bet, are the batty ladies and gentlemen at PETA. As is tradition, they're all upset that the Belmont Stakes is going ahead as planned.

That's not a surprise, but what did catch me off guard was that they switched up their reasoning.

While I thought they would go their typical route and call horse racing inhumane — perhaps point to the rash of deaths at Churchill Downs — they instead were mad that the race will go ahead despite the Canadian wildfires.

Smoke from burning Canadian forests has enveloped the northeast, with some stunning photos coming out of Manhattan, a stone's throw (unless traffic is bad) from Long Island's Belmont Park.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the race would be canceled if the air quality numbers are above 200. However, if they fall between 150 and 200, the race will go ahead, but horses will undergo a pre-race veterinary exam.

According to The Daily Mail, air quality was bad enough on Thursday that practice was scrapped. That's not good enough for PETA, though in fairness, nothing ever is.

An empty track at Belmont Park after Thursday's practice was canceled due to poor air quality. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

PETA Is Mad That The Race Is Still On For The Time Being

With the Belmont Stakes still tentatively on the left-wing loons from PETA lashed out at Hochul, who, in this case, has lost the proverbial locker room.

"New York Gov. Kathy Hochul should fire her advisors without delay," PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a statement. "Her plan to allow three days of horse racing, including the arduous mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes, is foolhardy and dangerous."

I get their argument to a point, but hyperbole continues to be PETA's great undoing. Thoroughbreds race hard, but they can handle a mile-and-a-half pretty easily, all things considered.

A trek through the Amazon is arduous; a trip around Belmont Park is not.

Hell, I'll go run a mile and a half around that track right now. At least, if you give me plenty of time to complete it, several water stations along the way, and some sort of breathing apparatus in the event that air quality standards aren't up to snuff.

Still, the safety of the horses, jockeys, staff, and fans needs to be considered. But the state government seems to be doing that. So what's PETA's big problem?

PETA just can't let a triple crown race go by without getting all wound up about something. Their shenanigans are as ubiquitous to Triple Crown racing as seeing Bob Baffert on TV and saying, "Hey, there's that white-haired guy who always wins!"

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