‘Distressing’ find as champion racehorse donated to riding club instead killed and served in soup kitchen

A customer has been left horrified after discovering the “beef” dish he was eating at a local Turkish soup kitchen actually contained meat from a slaughtered champion racehorse.

The horrific scandal unfolded when the diner discovered a microchip inside his kavurma, a traditional Turkish dish of sauteed meat, prompting authorities to launch an emergency investigation.

Investigations by the Turkish agricultural ministry discovered that the kavurma, served to unwitting diners at Mersin municipality soup kitchen, contained “single-hooved animal meat” belonging to four-year-old racehorse Smart Latch.

Smart Latch was a mare that was retired from track work after she suffered a broken leg on October 14.

Despite her short-lived career, the thoroughbred racked up an impressive three race wins, including at the hippodrome in the Turkish city Adana, while earning 1,125,000 Turkish lira ($36,336 AUD) in prize money, according to the Turkish Jockey Club.

In a effort to give the young mare a stimulating retirement, Smart Latch’s owner Suat Topcu donated the retiree to a local equestrian club after learning that she could not breed foals.

However, the champion mare never reached the local riding club, with the discovery suggesting the horse had been illegally slaughtered instead.

It’s understood her remains were then sold to the soup kitchen labelled as “beef”, and were served to customers on February 4.

Mersin municipality soup defended its actions, claiming the meat had been sourced in accordance with the necessary regulations.

Investigators were forced to destroy a whopping 213kgs of kavurma made by the kitchen.

Former owner Mr Topcu was “in distress” after learning the mortifying fate of his champion mare when contacted by the agriculture ministry.

“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,” he told local media.

“I was there when this horse was conceived. I cared for her for two years before she went to the track.

“Whoever harms an animal would harm a human.”

Despite his good intentions, Topcu was fined 132,000 Turkish lira ($4260 AUD) for not properly reporting the donation.

Slaughtering horses for meat is illegal in Turkey, and there is a strong importance placed on re-homing retired registered racehorses.

Investigations are ongoing into how Smart Latch never made it to her destination, instead ending up killed and sold.