Canadian man jailed for brutal beating death of racehorse

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When a racehorse named “Finish Line” met Frederick Bourgault, it truly was the end of the line for the animal.

Canadian citizen Bourgault, 27, was sentenced to two to six years in a New York state prison for the vicious beating of the racehorse at a training facility in Orange County.

Bourgault was convicted in April of all charges stemming from the cruel beating that left the animal so battered it had to be euthanized.

According to prosecutors, on July 17, 2023, an incident at the Pine Bush Training Facility in Crawford, N.Y., saw Bourgault come unglued, and he struck the racehorse named “Finish Line” with a hard object. He hammered the horse with such force is caused a skull fracture, leading to the animal’s death.

Orange County Court Judge Richard Guertin sentenced Bourgault to concurrent prison terms of two to six years for second-degree criminal mischief and one and one-third to four years for interference with or injury to certain domestic animals, a felony under the state Agriculture and Markets Law.

The court also ordered Bourgault to pay $5,000 in restitution.

District Attorney David M. Hoovler had sought the maximum sentence permitted by law — two and one-third to seven years.

“The beautiful horse that was the victim of this defendant’s senseless act of violence deserved the justice that was delivered on his behalf,” Hoovler said in a statement.

Investigators from the New York State Police, with support from the New York State Gaming Commission and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, conducted an extensive investigation, which included exhuming the horse’s remains for forensic examination at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

As part of his sentence, Bourgault will be required to register with Orange County’s Animal Abuse Registry, known as “Rocky’s Law,” within five days of his release.

On June 25, Bourgault also pleaded guilty to attempted assault for trying to injure a woman using her cellphone in an unrelated incident. He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on Oct. 2.

Sarah Klein, director of the Gaming Commission’s Division of Horse Racing, praised the collaboration that led to the conviction.

“We are grateful for the work of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the New York State Police in delivering justice for Mr. Bourgault’s crimes,” Klein said.

According to Standardbred Canada, Bourgault, originally from Quebec but who now lives in New Hampton, N.Y., has a poor reputation in this country as well.

He is not licensed to race Standardbreds in Canada and hasn’t raced here since 2021 when he was issued a two-year suspension by the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario for misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of racing after engaging in an act of animal cruelty.

Bourgault’s Standardbred Canada membership was subsequently suspended indefinitely for charges of abuse or neglect of an animal.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun