By JOE DRAPE
Published: May 4, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Both came here chasing racing history and hinting at greatness. Big Brown was undefeated and trying to become the first horse in 93 years to win the Kentucky Derby after only three lifetime races. Eight Belles had ticked off four victories, emboldening her owner to run his spirited filly against the boys in the 134th running of America’s greatest horse race.
When Big Brown entered the homestretch, seemingly finding a gear only seen on sci-fi rocket ships, the 157,000 people here to celebrate thoroughbred racing and the millions more watching on television, had their breath taken away by the big colt’s extraordinary burst. When Eight Belles broke from the pack in the stretch to give determined chase, many checked their programs, “Was that really the filly?”
Big Brown hit the wire four and three quarter lengths ahead of Eight Belles, but moments later, there was heartbreak. While Kent Desormeaux was galloping out the triumphant Big Brown, Eight Belles fell to the ground.
She had fractured both of her front ankles, said the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ on-call veterinarian, Dr. Larry Bramlage, and was euthanized on the racetrack.
“You could tell when Kent came back that he didn’t look like he just won the Kentucky Derby,” said Larry Jones, Eight Belles’s trainer. “He was a little bit solemn.”
...James Clemons, 58, a machine operator, was in line waiting to cash his $2 bet to place on Eight Belles, a ticket worth $10.60, when he heard about her death.
“Oh, man,” he said, beginning to choke up. “She’s one of the best fillies around. She showed she could run with the boys. She could have run with the boys again. It’s really a shame.”
For Jones and the grooms and exercise riders that had cared for Eight Belles, it was a devastating end to what had been a wonderful weekend. In the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, he captured the Kentucky Oaks with the filly Proud Spell. With Eight Belles, he was trying to join Ben Jones and H. J. Thompson as the only trainer to win the Oaks and Derby in the same year.
Before they began the long walk to the paddock here for the Derby, Jones told his staff that no matter where she finished to remember that they already had an experience of a lifetime. “As long as she comes back to the barn, we’ve had a good weekend,” he said.
Then Jones’s voice trailed off. Beneath the brim of his ever-present white cowboy hat, tears welled.
“She went out in glory,” he said, his voice breaking. “She went out a champion to us.”
These racehorses have been bred to the point where their muscular bodies are far too heavy for their ankle bones. They break their ankles in these horseraces and have to be put down like in the movie "Ruffian".
It's not fair to the horses to be used in this manner. They are over-bred and mis-bred at that. Somewhere along the line horses with much sturdier ankle bones must be added to thoroughbred race horsing lines in order to protect the horses from needless injury.
5 comments:
It's been known by Veternarians, trainers and owners alike since the first horse race was ran, that 3 year old colts and fillies are WAY too young to race over hard tracks and long distances.. A horse does not develope it's full growth until 5 years of age and, in fact, no owner in their right mind would ever breed a mare BEFORE she reached 5 years old.. At 2, 3 and 4 years of age, these animals, who seem so big and powerful, are, in truth, extremely delicate, especially in their bone structure.. It's like asking a 10 year old kid to run an Olympic Marathon..
The whole reason behind pushing these marvelous animals to their limits and beyond before they are ready, is and always has been, greed! Not tradition, as is so often touted by those involved in the sport, but simple greed.. The faster a horse is pushed out on the track, the faster the money comes in.. I don't care what any owner or trainer says, it is simply inexcusable to rush these beautiful animals out on the track, many times, as has been proven over and over again, to their early deaths or, at least, to permanent injury.. Money is the reason, it's always been the reason, and unless people start refusing to go to the tracks and putting out money to see these races, it's never going to change.. Only by this means, taking money out of the owners pockets, can those who so love this sport, force a big change, and not in just laying down synthetic dirt or changing the tracks.. There is only one thing that will really help save many young horses in this business, and that's to stop racing them at such a young age, but allow them to mature into their full growth BEFORE they ever set a hoof on race track.. There can still be a Triple Crown, there can still be all the Breeder's Cup races and there is absolutely NO reason these can't be ran with 5 year olds and up.. If owners and trainers REALLY care about their horses, like they claim, they should be more then willing, no, demand of the TRA, a raise in the age of ALL races to 5 years and up.. Ask Michael Matz, you will never see any owner or rider going over a Grand Prix jumping coarse, on a baby of 3 years old, and yet, he'll take that same baby and push him to run at top speed over a long distance, BEFORE he's fully developed or grown.. He damn well should know better! What hypocrisy! Again, like with so many things in this world, it all revolves around greed and will never change unless change is forced.. Let's force it then! I'm writing to the TRA again this year and urging them to consider raising the age limit of ALL races to 5 years and up.. If everyone who truly loves this 'Sport of Kings' does the same, we CAN indeed protect these wonderful animals from injury and death on the track.. Let's let Eight Bells be that last of these fine and brave animals to die from this refusal to break from so-called tradition set down by some overly stupid and greedy men a couple of hundred years ago.. It's time for a change..
I'm not at all knowledgeable about horse racing and must admit that my reaction to Eight Bells' death is coming from my seeing the movie "Ruffian" the week before last.
I watched the close-up shots of the horses in slow motion pounding down the track. I do know enough about anatomy and bone structure to see that these thoroughbred horses are extremely top heavy-heavy muscular bodies that look far too heavy for the comparatively thin lower legs of these horses--you can literally see the weight of meat on the horses upper legs and torso shift around unevenly as the lower legs struggle to maintain the shifting weight. Sure, they're fast horses but at what price?
Seems to me breeding in some sturdier ankle bone-structure genes might be a good thing for the horses well-being.
It also occurs to me that a horse with a more balanced upper/lower body ratio might develop into a faster horse because of body/legs being more coordinated together.
I started riding when I was 8 & grew up near the horse tracks in South Florida & I started watching horse racing in 1971 when I was 12. Horse racing has changed over the years, and it is time to re-examine the sport, for the horses sake. Remember Devils Bag in 1984; Barbaro in 2006; and now Eight Belles in 2008. They all suffered fractured legs before the age of 3 1/2 years old. In my opinion, that is way too young for a horse to die.
Nobody is addressing one of the real issues as to why this happened. Having worked in the racing industry, I can say one of the culprits is track maintenance. More people wager when the track is rated as "fast" (which means "dry", people don't bet as much when the track is muddy) It rained a few days before the race. So the track was "sealed" numerous times, which is like running a bulldozer over the track to squeeze as much water as possible out of the top surface. Then it was only harrowed a few inches deep. The end result is a track that is like running on concrete. That's the reason for breakdowns during big racedays. That's the practice that needs to stop is the excessive sealing of the track itself. But unfortunately like everything else in life, dollars rule.
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