Frederick Bourgault, 27, was sentenced on Monday, July 7, in Orange County Court after being convicted in April of all charges related to the July 17, 2023, killing of a racehorse named “Finish Line” at the Pine Bush Training Facility in the Town of Crawford, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
According to prosecutors, Bourgault struck the horse with a hard object, causing a linear depressed skull fracture that required the animal to be euthanized, as previously reported by the Daily Voice.
He was convicted of second-degree criminal mischief and felony interference or injury to certain domestic animals under New York’s Agriculture and Markets Law.
Judge Richard Guertin imposed concurrent sentences of two to six years for criminal mischief and one and a third to four years for animal abuse.
The District Attorney’s Office stated that they had recommended the maximum sentence allowed by law: two and a third to seven years.
Bourgault was also ordered to pay $5,000 as restitution.
The conviction came after a lengthy investigation by New York State Police, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and the New York State Gaming Commission, which included the exhumation of the horse’s remains and forensic analysis by experts from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
At sentencing, District Attorney David Hoovler stated that Bourgault will be required to register with the Orange County Animal Abuse Registry, also known as “Rocky’s Law,” within five days of being released from custody.
Bourgault is also facing sentencing in a separate case after pleading guilty to attempted assault on June 25 for attempting to injure a woman with her cellphone.
He is due to be sentenced in that case on Thursday, October 2. Prosecutors have indicated that they will recommend a state prison sentence.
