Beijing's thoroughbred slaugherhouse

The Independent reports on the emerging scandal out of Beijing: "About 600 healthy thoroughbreds are reported to have been slaughtered in the past month in the Chinese capital as a consequence of the official reluctance by the Communist Party to tolerate gambling." The Guardian quotes an anonymous source: "They have culled 600 to date, 400 racehorses and 200 mares. It is an open secret here. They are being culled by injection in humane fashion." Racing director, Kevin Connolly, said: "All the horses have not been culled. We normally cull at the end of each season, retired and injured horses, mares that have not conceived for a number of seasons etc, the same as most places. Should racing start again we will have more than enough horses to race."