Public outrage has erupted in Turkey after a champion English racehorse was killed and served to unwitting diners at a municipal soup kitchen. The four-year-old thoroughbred mare, named Smart Latch, had been retired due to injury but ended up being slaughtered and cooked into a traditional Turkish fried meat dish.
Microchip Discovery in Meal
Last month, a resident eating kavurma at the council-run soup kitchen in the Yenshir district of Mersin province discovered a strange object in his portion. Local media reported on Thursday that agriculture ministry investigators identified this object as Smart Latch's microchip.
Investigation Findings
Examination of the food on February 4 confirmed that both that day's and the previous day's batches of kavurma contained horse meat. Investigators subsequently destroyed 213 kilogrammes of the meat produced at the soup kitchen.
Smart Latch had achieved first-place finishes at the hippodrome in nearby Adana and two other career wins before breaking her leg in her final race in October. The slaughter of horses for meat is illegal in Turkey, particularly for registered racehorses that are typically protected or rehomed.
Owner's Distress and Fine
"We are in distress," said Smart Latch's owner, Suat Topcu, on Friday. He explained that the horse had begun racing in 2024 but was retired after her leg injury on October 14. Throughout her short career, Smart Latch earned 1,125,000 Turkish Lira (£19,200) in prize money across three victories.
Topcu stated he had arranged to donate Smart Latch to a riding club using a local transporter he knew, but was unaware of her fate until contacted by the agriculture ministry. He was then fined 132,000 Turkish lira (£2,260) for not formally reporting the donation.
"The fine is not important, what's important is finding those who committed this cruelty," Topcu emphasized.Suspected Supply Chain Fraud
Investigators suspect the horse never reached the riding club and instead went to a slaughterhouse. They believe the horse's meat was falsely labeled as "beef" before being sold to the company supplying the municipality's soup kitchen.
Municipal Response and Ongoing Investigation
The municipality defended serving the meat, claiming it had been sourced in accordance with necessary regulations. However, the agriculture ministry stated that the Mersin municipality soup kitchen had been "added to the list of unsafe products after testing showed it contained meat from a single-hoofed animal" - referring to horses, donkeys, or mules.
The Mersin Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry continues investigating how Smart Latch ended up slaughtered rather than at the riding club where Topcu intended to send her. Details only emerged this week, nearly a month after the microchip was discovered in the food.
