A few weeks ago, I commented on Lope Gonzalez, a Florida Thoroughbred breeder who lost the privilege of registering horses with The Jockey Club after his conviction for animal neglect in Florida. The lifetime ban on registering horses imposed by The Jockey Club, which could effectively end Gonzalez’s livelihood as a Thoroughbred breeder, was far more severe than the slap on the wrist handed down by Marion County Judge Steven G. Rogers. Gonzalez was fined $50 for each of 33 counts of misdemeanor animal neglect and his jail sentence was probated for a year.

Lost in the discussion of the criminal case against Gonzalez was any mention of the horses