In This Article
30-Second Summary
Headline Link: Eight Belles euthanized; One Breeder Does His Part
Reactions: Vet baffled, trainer speaks, safety commitee formed
Opinion & Analysis: Is horse racing cruel? How can it be made safer?
Related Topic: Synthetic dirt
Historical Context: Death of a racehorse
Reference: Horse Racing and Kentucky Derby Web Guides
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Track employees try to hold down Eight Belles after she broke both front ankles.
Horse Racing Industry Reacts to Death of Eight Belles; Will Sturdier Horses Be Bred ?
May 17, 2008 5:00 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
By Denis Cummings
The death of Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles angered critics who say horse racing is barbaric and inhumane. Even racing insiders acknowledged the need for reforms that could potentially prevent future deaths. One breeder takes it upon himself to create sturdier racehorses.
The death of Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles angered critics who say horse racing is barbaric and inhumane. Even racing insiders acknowledged the need for reforms that could potentially prevent future deaths. One breeder takes it upon himself to create sturdier racehorses.
Email This30-Second Summary
Eight Belles broke down after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby on May 3. She suffered fractures in both front legs and had to be euthanized on the track. It is believed to be the first fatal breakdown ever in the Kentucky Derby.
Her death is the third in a major race in the last three years. Two years ago, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro became a national icon after breaking down in the Preakness Stakes.
This latest tragedy in the sport of horse racing has engendered criticism and comparisons to barbaric sports like animal fighting.
Horse racing trainers and analysts are examining ways to improve horse safety, including the implementation of synthetic dirt tracks, a change in breeding philosophy and a ban on fillies racing against colts.
A seven-member Thoroughbred Safety Committee, headed by the son of the owner of the ill-fated Ruffian, has been established by the Jockey Club to examine equine health issues and produce recommendations on how the sport can improve.
However, many racing experts question whether effective reforms can be enacted without a single national governing body for horse racing.
Jesse Jackson, owner of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, is scouting mares in Argentina and other countries that he hopes to breed in the U.S. to create sturdier racehorses.
Her death is the third in a major race in the last three years. Two years ago, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro became a national icon after breaking down in the Preakness Stakes.
This latest tragedy in the sport of horse racing has engendered criticism and comparisons to barbaric sports like animal fighting.
Horse racing trainers and analysts are examining ways to improve horse safety, including the implementation of synthetic dirt tracks, a change in breeding philosophy and a ban on fillies racing against colts.
A seven-member Thoroughbred Safety Committee, headed by the son of the owner of the ill-fated Ruffian, has been established by the Jockey Club to examine equine health issues and produce recommendations on how the sport can improve.
However, many racing experts question whether effective reforms can be enacted without a single national governing body for horse racing.
Jesse Jackson, owner of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, is scouting mares in Argentina and other countries that he hopes to breed in the U.S. to create sturdier racehorses.
Headline Link: Eight Belles euthanized; One Breeder Does His Part
Eight Belles, the only filly in the field of 20, had finished second and was easing down when she suddenly collapsed. She had fractures in both front legs and Churchill Downs veterinarian Larry Bramlage immediately had her euthanized. "There was no decision to be made,” said trainer Larry Jones, “She did not need to suffer—and she didn't suffer.”
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Jess Jackson, the longtime proprietor of Kendall Jackson winery, became actively involved in horse racing five years ago, at the age of 73. He is the majority owner of Curlin, who won the 2007 Preakness Stakes and Breeders Cup Classic and captured Horse of the Year honors. In this video provided by MarketWatch.com, Jackson discusses his personal efforts to enhance the sturdiness and stoutness of the breed of thoroughbreds in the United States.
Source: Marketwatch
Reactions: Vet baffled, trainer speaks, safety commitee formed
Jones and Bramlage are at a loss as to why Eight Belles broke down so long after the race. “We were through racing,” said Jones, “all we had to do was come home. There's a reason for everything, but I see no reason for this.”
Source: ESPN
Trainer Larry Jones held a press conference at Delaware Park on Tuesday, May 6. He strongly defended his jockey, Gabriel Saez, against all allegations. Alluding to photos taken seconds prior to the breakdown that show Eight Belles galloping comfortably, Jones said that "If this horse had anything going on with her at the time, she didn't know it. If the horse never had a clue, there's no way the jockey could have had a clue." Jones accused PETA of raising the issue to boost its own fundraising efforts.
Source: Reuters
Jones also strongly denied rumors that his horse, who was physically larger than most fillies, ever used steroids. Jones has asked that drug testing be part of the autopsy to prove that his horse never used illegal substances.
Source: Associated Press
The Jockey Club has assembled a seven-member committee to examine breeding, medication, racing rules and track surfaces. Three of the seven members participated in the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, which examined similar areas of equine health and produced a report of recommendations in March 2008.
Source: The Blood-Horse
Opinion & Analysis: Is horse racing cruel? How can it be made safer?
The New York Times’s William C. Rhoden condemns horse racing as a form of animal cruelty similar to greyhound racing or animal fighting. He asks, “Why do we refuse to put the brutal game of racing in the realm of mistreatment of animals? At what point do we at least raise the question about the efficacy of thousand-pound horses racing at full throttle on spindly legs?”
Source: New York Times
Andrew Beyer defends the sport, saying, “such breakdowns are not an everyday occurrence. I could argue that racing has been terribly unlucky that so many catastrophic events have occurred in high-profile races seen by a nationwide television audience. The sport is not inhumane. It is not brutal. It is not barbaric.” He does, however, believe that the sport has a problem in the way horses are bred. Echoing the thoughts of fellow Washington Post writer Sally Jenkins, he criticizes the thoroughbred industry for breeding speedy but fragile horses who cannot endure the rigors of racing.
Source: Washington Post
The Louisville Courier-Journal’s Rick Bozich believes that Eight Belles’s death will hasten the move to synthetic dirt, a softer surface that has produced far fewer catastrophic injuries. There is no certainty, however that synthetic dirt would have prevented Eight Belles’s breakdown: “You don't break down a quarter-mile slowing down after the race because of the track,” said Bramlage.
Source: Louisville Courier-Journal
An editorial in the Louisville Courier-Journal urged investigators to "probe whether breeders are forfeiting soundness in return for precocious speed that draws high prices at horse sales." Noting the inherent dangers in the sport, the editorial urged "those who love it and those who profit must make clear their unqualified commitment to the safety and welfare of the thoroughbred."
Source: Louisville Courier-Journal
Breeder Arthur Hancock III believes that horse racing needs an effective regulatory body for meaningful reforms to be made. He recommends federal legislation to guide the multitude of horse racing organizations in the same direction. “Barring this control and guidance,” he writes, “our ship will most assuredly be wrecked.”
Source: New York Times
Joni Massengale, a passionate horse racing fan, has created an online petition requesting that Churchill Downs honor Eight Belles at the 2009 Kentucky Derby by ringing eight bells prior to the running of the race. Massengale notes that the death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt spurred sweeping changes to NASCAR safety policies, and says "if the memory of Eight Belles could do the same it would be fantastic."
Source: 8BellsForEightBelles
Related Topic: Synthetic dirt
FindingDulcinea ran a story on synthetic dirt that explained what it is, where it’s been installed and how it helps to prevent catastrophic injuries. It also featured the arguments for and against its implementation from trainers, analysts and other horse racing insiders.
Source: findingDulcinea
Historical Context: Death of a racehorse
Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but suffered a catastrophic injury two weeks later in the Preakness. He received an outpouring of support and affection as doctors tried to save his life. He would be euthanized eight months after his injury due to laminitis on his left hind hoof. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has established a memorial fund for laminitis research.
Source: RidingWithBarbaro.org
Go for Wand was a star filly who suffered a horrifying injury at the sixteenth pole of the 1990 Breeder’s Cup Distaff. Neck-for-neck with eventual winner Bayakoa, she collapsed, threw her jockey, then got up and attempted to finish the race with a broken ankle. “It was horrible,” said Bayakoa’s trainer Ron McAnally, “Such a great filly. But the repeated pictures on TV and the stark pictures in some magazines made the shock even worse. But I don't think the public will be turned away from racing. It's sad, but we learn.”
Source: New York Times
In 1975, Ruffian, an undefeated filly, faced Kentucky Derby champion Foolish Pleasure in a made-for-TV match race at Belmont Park. Coming down the backstretch, she misstepped and broke a leg. She underwent surgery and had a cast placed on her leg. When she awoke from surgery, however, she began violently kicking and eventually kicked off her cast, forcing her to be euthanized. She was the subject of a 2006 ESPN film, "Ruffian," available in the findingDulcinea Media Store.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Reference: Horse Racing and Kentucky Derby Web Guides
The findingDulcinea Horse Racing Web Guide explains the sport's history, gives an overview of modern racing, provides information on breeding and directs you to the best sources for news and commentary.
Source: findingDulcinea
The findingDulcinea Kentucky Derby Web Guide links to the best sources for learning the history and traditions of the races and finding news and analysis.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2008 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
