Canadian Man Gets Prison For Beating Death Of Hudson Valley Racehorse

TOWN OF CRAWFORD, NY — A Canadian man has been sentenced to prison for beating a Hudson Valley horse so severely that it had to be euthanized.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that 27-year-old Frederick Bourgault, of Canada, was sentenced on Monday to two to six years in prison in connection with the beating death of a racehorse on July 17, 2023, at the Pine Bush Training Facility in the Town of Crawford.

Bourgault received two to six years in prison for second-degree criminal mischief, and one and one-third to four years in prison for interference with or injury to certain domestic animals. According to the law, both the sentences must run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5,000.

SEE ALSO: Canadian Guilty Of Beating That Killed Hudson Valley Racehorse

On April 7, Bourgault was convicted after a trial of all the charges against him for having "damaged" and "willfully and unjustifiably injuring or destroying a racehorse" named "Finish Line," that had an estimated value of at least five thousand dollars. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Bourgault struck the horse with a hard object causing a linear depressed skull fracture, which resulted in the animal having to be euthanized.

The New York State Police, along with the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the New York State Gaming Commission, investigated the death of the horse, which included having the horse's remains exhumed and examined by experts at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. The New York State Gaming Commission provided expert witnesses and helped in coordinating the arrest of Bourgault by the New York State Police.

DA Hoovler thanked the New York State Police, BCI Middletown, for their investigation and the arrest of Bourgault, and the New York State Gaming Commission for their assistance and support of the arrest and prosecution.

On June 25, Bourgault pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted assault for having attempted to cause physical injury to a woman using her cellphone. The DA's Office say that it will be recommending a state prison sentence for the incident when he is sentenced on October 2.

Under an Orange County local law known as "Rocky's Law," Bourgault must register with an Animal Abuse Registry maintained by the Orange County Sheriff within five days of being released from custody.

"The Orange County Legislature's legislative findings when it passed Rocky's Law stated, 'The Legislature … finds and determines that individuals who abuse animals are statistically more likely to commit violent acts against humans and, in particular, the Legislature also determines that a strong correlation has been established linking individuals who abuse animals with incidents of domestic violence,' and, I cannot agree more with that assessment," Hoovler said. "The beautiful horse that was the victim of this defendant's senseless act of violence deserved the justice that was delivered on his behalf. My Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that crimes committed against intimate partners, and animals, are investigated and appropriately prosecuted."

The district attorney highly commended Chief Assistant DA Christopher P. Borek and Assistant DA Roger Dean who prosecuted the cases against Bourgault.

"The New York State Gaming Commission is proud to work closely with law enforcement to protect horses and hold those who abuse them accountable," Sarah Klein, Director of the Gaming Commission's Division of Horse Racing, said. "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."