Concrete Evidence of Cruelty : An 18-Mile Ride Could Land Thoroughbred Owner in Prison

HIALEAH, Fla. â€”  Dehydrated, his hooves split and huge sores on his body, Aldrovandi was in pretty bad shape after an 18-mile ride on concrete.

“The horse was beat to hell,� said Laurie Waggoner, an investigator with the South Florida chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Trainer George Parrish sold the 4-year-old colt Wednesday for $1,000 to Samuel Carter, who said he was taking Aldrovandi from Hialeah Park to Georgia. Parrish assumed he meant by van.

But Aldrovandi showed up before dawn Thursday at Calder Race Course in suburban Miami, 18 miles away, tied to a park bench where Carter was sleeping.

The horse was underweight, with sores on his back and his hooves split from the ride, said Rudy Espinosa, a detective for Metro-Dade police.

The retired race horse was placed in Waggoner’s care after his ordeal. He was resting Friday at a farm and was expected to recover after a veterinarian treated him with intravenous fluids, Waggoner said.

Carter, 46, was charged with a felony count of cruelty to an animal and a misdemeanor count of confinement of an animal without sufficient food or water. Carter, who was freed on his own recognizance, faces up to six years in prison and fines of $15,000.

Parrish said Friday he bought Aldrovandi for $500 last week from another trainer for use as a riding horse, but decided not to use him. The animal had lost by 36 lengths in a $6,500 claiming race April 16.

“He just couldn’t run,� Parrish said.