Kentucky Derby 2008 Tragedy (1 Viewer)

[number6horse]

Don't know if there's many racing fans here, but I know there are a few animal lovers around. Yesterday's "Run For The Roses" was a sad one. The filly "Eight Belles" fell down after the race and had to be euthanized on the spot. Both ankles broken. She was a promising horse and actually finished second in the Kentucky Derby, out of a field of twenty.

There is more written about it HERE

As some of you may know, I work for the racetracks myself. It was a sad ending yesterday to what is usually our best day of the year. Had to shake off a little gloom and write about it. I made a post at my blog, if you're interested : http://sugarskullparade.blogspot.com/

 

[Joseph K]

Sad indeed. I gave up watching the Grand National at Aintree (Liverpool) because I couldn't watch the horses fall. And I've never been a betting man. I feel like a man who can appreciate racing cars but never sat behind the wheel himself, appreciating the beauty but without a stake in it.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

6horse; You have a great blog. I did not read any of the stories about that because it breaks my heart to hear stuff like that happen to animals. However, reading your blog was the right thing, you wrote it as well as it could have been written. You are a true horse lover. The horse is one of the most beautiful animals. Thank you.
Everyone else should read the blog link. Good writing.

 

[jordan]

dave, i'd be curious to hear your take on the ethics of horse racing... as a vegan, i generally don't think putting animals in the situation where something like that could happen to them is okay, although i don't have much to base that on besides a general gut feeling. is there a big upside to horse racing (from the horse's perspective) that i'm missing (i'm sure there is)? i'm curious more than anything, since, like i said, my opinion is based more on emotion than knowing the facts or realities of the sport.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

During the pre-race hype, my wife was telling me about a filly who was running, and she was only a year old or so, and she immediately became our favorite at post time. When we saw her on her side afterwards, my eyes filled up immediately, because I knew what was going to happen. Sadness takes on so many forms. Why does happiness only take on one?

 

[mjp]

is there a big upside to horse racing (from the horse's perspective) that i'm missing (i'm sure there is)?

I don't know about horses, but I suspect they are similar to working breeds of dogs (which I do live with), in that they need stimulation, exercise - tasks.

I would think that a horse that is bred to run like hell needs to run like hell to remain sane. At least when they are young. And like dogs, breeding them to do specific tasks and have specific strengths also introduces unfortunate genetic weaknesses into them as a side effect.

But I don't know. Maybe horses are nothing like dogs. They look like big dogs to me. ;)

 

[Father Luke]

And the days run away
like wild horses over the hills.

Fare thee well, Lady Belles,
fare thee well.

 

[justine]

it's one thing to say that horses need/enjoy/want to race or whatever - i have no doubt they do, they're big animals designed to gallop. but i wonder about the breeding and training practices involved in horse racing. like jordan, i don't know enough about it to have a super strong opinion or anything, but jockeys do a lot of horrible things to their bodies in order to remain light and increase their chances of winning, so i can't help but think about the questionable things that are maybe done to horses to increase their chances too.

 

[number6horse]

I did not become involved in the horse racing industry until 1987, so I can't speak for how the animals were treated before then. Of course, we can look back at previous decades and see times when race horses, circus animals, or animals used in TV/Film were not treated with the care they deserved. Times change and attitudes evolve for the better, thankfully.

I do know that today most every race track in the U.S. adheres to regulations designed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of both the horse and the jockey. I'm not sure if it's a patchwork of state-mandated regulations or a single federal standard, or a mix of both. For example, here in the Midwest, the A.S.P.C.A. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has been successful in persuading tracks to cancel the day's races when frigid temperatures hit a certain low point. This includes wind-chill, but I can't recall if it is minus-10F, or minus-20F ?....not sure. Also, every track has a complete veterinary lab - including drug-testing capability - to insure fair competition. Many owners pay their own private vets to be in attendance, also. Thoroughbred race horses are constantly monitored, their diets fussed over, with regular exercise, bathing and grooming. They sleep in heated/air-conditioned stalls and these conditions are verified by people who care. That is, both the people who want to enforce animal-care standards AND the investors who want their "babies" to be in top-notch condition. I guess you could say the "caring" come from equal parts compassion and competition. Whatever the motive, they are looked after pretty well overall.

In regard to the questions of breeding, and its inherent weaknesses, you pretty much nailed it, mjp. Today's thoroughbred racehorses are so fine-tuned and evolved that they pretty much HAVE TO hit the track and let it all fly. There really is no other line of work for them. Police patrol ? Forget it. Summer camp for kids ? Kiss your kids goodbye ! These are highly-sensitive, moody, intense creatures that need to race and need to win. They have egos. They like some people and despise others. Some track employees are "permitted" to groom them and some others receive a warning kick in the air to show who's boss. You don't fuck with a champion - or a $5,000.00 backwater claimer who THINKS he's a champion !

 

[strangegirl]

I am guessing that the track itself my be in question, tracks are now being made out of synthetic materials. This has been raised as a possibility of causing injury. As I had read in the paper this morning. It is very sad indeed. I ride horses and have a lot of love for them, so this is truly heartbreaking. They are big animals and when something like this happens there is just no other way. And to break Both front ankles.
Very Sad, RIP Eight Belles.

 

[number6horse]

it's one thing to say that horses need/enjoy/want to race or whatever - i have no doubt they do, they're big animals designed to gallop. but i wonder about the breeding and training practices involved in horse racing. like jordan, i don't know enough about it to have a super strong opinion or anything, but jockeys do a lot of horrible things to their bodies in order to remain light and increase their chances of winning, so i can't help but think about the questionable things that are maybe done to horses to increase their chances too.

Jockeys have been known to go on ridiculous fasts, or even force-vomit themselves at the last minute to meet weight requirements. Some become bulimic. Some take up amphetemines or cocaine. Many pay a price, but others manage to succeed without the extremes. Of course boxers and Olympic wrestlers have been known to do this too.

When it comes to questionable things done to the horses themselves, it usually involves doping. But that is tested for and if someone is caught, there are severe penalties involved.

By the way, jockeys use whips (or riding crops) during a race to coax their mount into a full-out run for the finish line. Although it may appear that the crop is making contact with the flank of the horse, this is not true. The jockey is actually striking the saddle pad or side blanket. The crop never makes contact with the skin, the skin is never broken, and bruises are rare (from what I'm told). I don't want to minimize it too much, but horses are after all, 1200 lb. of muscle that respond to physical coercion and guidance. During the course of a race, a jockey either rides high over the neck...or leans to one side....maybe squeezes his knees....yanks the reins left or right....you know, these are not pomeranians prancing around Westminster ! :D

I am guessing that the track itself my be in question, tracks are now being made out of synthetic materials. This has been raised as a possibility of causing injury. As I had read in the paper this morning. It is very sad indeed. I ride horses and have a lot of love for them, so this is truly heartbreaking. They are big animals and when something like this happens there is just no other way. And to break Both front ankles.
Very Sad, RIP Eight Belles.

I agree. This was the worst Kentucky Derby ever - so many of our customers are just saddened that any horse - much less a champ like Eight Belles - went down like this at America's premiere racing event. But remember, this race was held on traditional dirt, and not the state-of-the-art Polytrack synthetic materials.

Until recently, Churchill Downs had been opposed to changing their racing surface. I wonder how they feel now ? Hey - if it insures a more stable and secure racing environment for the horses and riders, I say DO IT. Remember that human lives can be at stake too. Remember what happened to Ron Turcotte ?

 

[bospress.net]

Why are all of #6Horse's posts signed "Thanks, Father Luke"?

Bill

 

[ROC]

Because Luke said, "Whatever my last meal, be it pussy or eggs,
I'd really prefer it to go."
And No.6 is giving credit... or props as the youngster's say.
...I believe.

 

[hank solo]

Yes, number6horse is quoting this post as his signature.

 

[number6horse]

I thought that response was one of the funniest I've seen in a while. It would have fit in the epitaph thread too ! :D

 

[Gerard K H Love]

I don't know about horses, but I suspect they are similar to working breeds of dogs (which I do live with), in that they need stimulation, exercise - tasks.

I would think that a horse that is bred to run like hell needs to run like hell to remain sane. At least when they are young. And like dogs, breeding them to do specific tasks and have specific strengths also introduces unfortunate genetic weaknesses into them as a side effect.

But I don't know. Maybe horses are nothing like dogs. They look like big dogs to me. ;)

Horse people have always said " They're just like big ol' dogs only not as lovable" The point is they're too big to deal with in pain. Of course with todays technology there may have been a small chance. I would not want to be the one to make that very final call. It was a tough decision.

 

[Father Luke]

Why are all of #6Horse's posts signed "Thanks, Father Luke"?

Because Luke said, "Whatever my last meal, be it pussy or eggs,
I'd really prefer it to go."
And No.6 is giving credit... or props as the youngster's say.
...I believe.

Yes, number6horse is quoting this post as his signature.

I thought that response was one of the funniest I've seen in a while. It would have fit in the epitaph thread too ! :D

Holy Moley!
I'm a genre!

 

[bospress.net]

I checked on the PETA site and not only are they calling for the permanent suspension of the 8 Belles jockey, but some of their bloggers are calling for the death of the jockey, the owners and the trainers. Specifically they want him to be whipped to death. The funny thing is that instead of chalking it up to a tragic accident, or a problem with the sport in general, some people said that the jockey "whipped the horse to death". Quite a graphic picture, even though it is not even close to reality. This is when people that may have good intentions (I have mad respect for vegetarians) become zealots mad with rage and fury. They become so polarizing that only the hardcore among them can stand by them. This is what destroys otherwise good ideas. If PETA stuck to real abuses of animals, they would get widespread support from the masses.

And frankly, if they banned horse racing, it would not change my life very much. Just like if they banned the Olympics. I would not really care all too much.

I heard a guy on NPR talking about horse racing. He worked at Santa Anita. It made me think of Buk....

Bill

 

[number6horse]

Is PETA the group that "liberates" animals from zoos and testing labs ? Seems I have heard stories of how these poor animals end up in worse shape afterwards. Out in the wild, unable to fend for themselves, no hunting skills, etc...

 

[Short Bus]

Whew, thank god for Churchill downs. Now my uncle can get back to the seal hunt.

Point is PETA could do more good adopting a pet or organising the neutering/spaying of cats but it wouldn't be as cool.

 

[jmoshea]

PETA...I wish we had an organization as gung-ho about people getting killed in Iraq...I am an animal rights person all the way...but still, something about them pisses me off.

For them to call for the suspension of the jockey doesn't make much sense to me. I saw the race, that horse looked fine through the finish line and beyond. They breed those suckers too delicate...all speed, no sturdiness.

Number6, or did you already post this somewhere...what kind of stuff do you do at the racetracks? You live in Chicago, right? Work at any of the tracks around here?

 

[mjp]

Gah. I guess we'll have to add PETA to the list of things no one is impartial about. You know, like Nazism, abortion, religion... ;)

 

[hoochmonkey9]

zealots of any stripe are bad.

 

[jordan]

i used to think that the problem wasn't PETA, but the people that align themselves with PETA or the satellite groups they support (which are way more radical than PETA themselves). then, one time, i sent an innocent question to them about their "I Can't Believe it's Vegan" site, and i got this self-important tirade back about how i was being dogmatic, and my dogma was hurting the cause of animal rights by turning people off to veganism. after that, i kind of gave up on them.

 

[chronic]

Once any group or organization goes openly militant about their cause, they lose credibility. PETA's motives may be pure but their fanaticism is a big turn-off for most people.