Horror as racehorse cooked and served in soup kitchen after race injury | Racing | Sport

An injured racehorse was allegedly served to diners in a Turkish soup kitchen, an investigation has revealed. The scandal was brought to the attention of authorities after a horrified patron found a microchip in a meat dish, sparking an immediate inspection.

Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry found “single-hooved animal meat” in the meal, with it being tracked back to Smart Latch – a four-year-old thoroughbred mare. Records show that the horse had been racing in Turkey, and had previously won three races during its career.

It earned close to £20,000 in prize money throughout its time as a racehorse, but a leg fracture ended its career in October last year. As a result, it was taken to a farm to begin life as a breeding mare, but after finding out it couldn’t have foals, owner Suat Topcu donated the horse for free to an equestrian club.

This is where things took a dark turn, as after being handed over to a driver, Smart Latch was illegally slaughtered instead of being taken to the club. That’s according to the investigation, which later found the horse meat was labelled as beef, before finding its way to a soup kitchen in Mersin – 85km from the city of Adana – earlier this year.

“My error was perhaps donating the horse without officially transferring the title. I tried to do a good deed and instead became a vehicle for something evil. I was there when this horse was conceived. I cared for her for two years before she went to the track.”

Horse slaughter for meat is banned in Turkey, with the scandal having caused outrage within the Turkish racing community. Smart Latch’s last race was recorded in October 2025, with a criminal complaint having been filed with prosecutors.

The government in Mersin said: “Our meat deliveries are conducted under the supervision and approval of the District Agriculture Directorate’s authorised slaughterhouse veterinarian and recorded on camera.

“Since the allegations reached us on February 4, 2026, we have re-examined the process and now request Ministry laboratory analysis results for every single purchase.”

Authorities destroyed over 200kg of meat from the soup kitchen, with the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry adding the slaughterhouse to a list of places considered to pose a risk to public health.