Police in Sicily have launched an investigation after a video surfaced showing an illegal horse race where spectators fired pistols into the air and brandished Kalashnikov rifles. The clip, reportedly filmed last Friday, depicts two jockeys driving horse-drawn carts at high speed along country roads in Palagonia, near Catania, followed by dozens of people on scooters shooting into the air.
Police Action and Seizures
The footage was posted on social media by animal rights activist Enrico Rizzi. Following reports, police in the San Cristoforo district of Catania reported two men, aged 40 and 45, to prosecutors. Officers, along with veterinarians from the regional health department, conducted intensive inspections of stables to identify the horses used and place them in safety. According to the newspaper La Sicilia, the horses were seized and the stables shut down. Several individuals were taken to the police station for questioning, and the investigation is ongoing.
Widespread Issue in Southern Italy
Illegal horse racing remains prevalent in Sicily, Calabria, and Campania, often linked to mafia families such as Cosa Nostra, the Camorra, and the ’Ndrangheta. These races generate large sums of undeclared cash, with bets reaching thousands of euros per event. Cities like Catania, Messina, and Palermo are hotspots, where repeated police raids have led to arrests and seizures of illegal stables.
The Italian animal welfare organization LAV reported that in 2024, seven illegal races were stopped, leading to 70 people reported and 29 horses and a pony seized. Between 1998 and 2024, a total of 4,324 people were reported, 1,430 horses seized, and 165 clandestine races disrupted.
Animal Welfare Concerns
LAV’s annual report highlights that these races are not only a source of illicit profits but also a display of criminal prestige and mafia control. Horses are subjected to whipping, kept in unsanitary conditions, and administered banned drugs. Many come from the regulated racing industry and are fraudulently reused in street races. Horses are often named after notorious figures, including mafia bosses like Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano, or even Osama bin Laden. Neapolitan-style ballads celebrating the competing horses are widely circulated on social media.
