Posted on 05/03/2008 4:21:34 PM PDT by SE Mom
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—The filly Eight Belles finished second behind favorite Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, then collapsed with two broken front ankles and was euthanized after crossing the wire.
The field of 20 horses was galloping out around the first turn at Churchill Downs when Eight Belles suddenly went down on both front legs and jockey Gabriel Saez slid off.
“When we passed the wire I stood up,” said Saez, a first-time Derby rider. “She started galloping funny. I tried to pull her up. That’s when she went down.”
An equine ambulance reached her on the track and put down the filly.
“There was no possible way to save her,” on-call veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage said. “She broke both front ankles. That’s a bad injury.”
Trainer Larry Jones and owner Rick Porter decided to run Eight Belles against the boys in America’s greatest race despite her never having done so before. She also was entered in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks for fillies, but instead Jones won that race with Proud Spell and set himself up to pull off the double.
Eight Belles was the first filly since 1999 to run in the Derby; the last to win was Winning Colors in 1988. She didn’t press 2-1 favorite Big Brown down the stretch, and he drew away to a 4 3/4 -length victory.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
That’s too bad.
Saw the race....she actually came in second...and then she went down. Very sad...beautiful horse.
SE. I am going to try to bring over the comments from the other thread that are pertinent to the discussion.
I pinged the thread...I didn’t mean to hijack- but it seemed important to have a separate thread ..
Sure put a damper on the party. Didn’t even stay for the last race.
To: mware
Big Brown the favorite gets it! Did you have him? I didn’t. Just don’t like betting favorites.
76 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:18:39 PM by Pajamajan (Pray for president Bush. Pray for our troops. Pray for congress, Pray for our nation.)
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To: mware
Visionaire was way back there, maybe last. hehehe
77 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:18:50 PM by aphid
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To: Pajamajan
Big Brown Win
Eight Bells injured oh dear
78 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:19:37 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: aphid
Eight Belles down, injured. sad
79 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:19:46 PM by aphid
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To: The_Republican
Wow.
80 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:20:10 PM by getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL (****************************Stop Continental Drift**)
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To: mware
Darn..... Eight Belles is down :-(
81 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:20:22 PM by Pajamajan (Pray for president Bush. Pray for our troops. Pray for congress, Pray for our nation.)
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To: aphid
Oh dear, 8 Bells is down.
How sad.
Hope they dont have to put her down.
Isn’t she the one that Hillary said to bet on???
82 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:20:36 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: ml/nj
Her dress is horrific. I didn’t say anything else about her, personally, other than inquiring on the meaning of the red band :)
83 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:21:35 PM by FORTRUTHONLY
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To: Pajamajan
I had Big Bown to place.
84 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:21:56 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: Pajamajan
8 Bells placed. the horse ambulance just showed up.
I don’t think this is going to be good.
85 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:23:03 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: Pajamajan
Speculating it might be her heart.
86 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:23:34 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: mware
They put her down, She broke both ankles
87 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:24:04 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: mware
broken both front ankles, they have put her down
88 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:24:20 PM by Toespi
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To: The_Republican
Is she in the race?
89 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:24:44 PM by ShandaLear (Extremists always meet each other full circle.)
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To: Toespi
How very sad/
90 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:25:10 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: Toespi
I wonder if this is a omen to Hillary. She said she was going for 8 Belles.
91 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:26:27 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: mware
Heartbreaking. :-(
92 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:26:27 PM by ShandaLear (Extremists always meet each other full circle.)
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To: mware
That’s good you got something for your bet. Big Brown sure won easy.
93 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:26:35 PM by Pajamajan (Pray for president Bush. Pray for our troops. Pray for congress, Pray for our nation.)
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To: mware
she was running well across the finish line, she must have broken them when the jockey pulled her up
94 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:26:40 PM by Toespi
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To: The_Republican
The “f” in fugly.
95 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:27:37 PM by Lockbar (March toward the sound of the guns.)
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To: ShandaLear
Damn, didn’t they have to put down the winner of the derby last year??? (after the Preakness, I think)
96 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:28:17 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: Toespi
Oh my. So sad.
97 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:28:23 PM by aphid
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To: fish hawk
Pro Gay-Abortion?
My God, that hat!
That dress looks like it was packed under the back seat.
98 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:28:36 PM by tet68 ( “ We would not die in that man’s company, that fears his fellowship to die with us....” Henry V.)
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To: mware
Barbaro. They tried and tried to fix him up but in the end, an infection got him.
99 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:29:15 PM by aphid
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To: All
Damn......just damn
God Speed, Eight Belles
100 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:29:51 PM by Kakaze (Exterminate Islamofacism and apologize for nothing.....except not doing it sooner!)
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Another senseless death connected to the Clintons, Hillary jinxing it, or an omen to come for the presidential election???
Conspiracy theorists, have at it!!
I’m sorry for you, your lovely state and this beautiful filly..
To: Toespi
Yep, that is what the guys were saying on the show. When he pulled her up she went down.
She ran a damn good race.
101 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:30:11 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: mware
I hate to be flippant at such a sad time — so I will wait for my comment. This terrible happening does lessen the joy, tho, of such a great win by Big Brown. When the crowd gets the news it will cause much sadness.
102 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:30:38 PM by Exit148 (Founder of the Loose Change Club. Every nickle and dime counts!!)
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To: mware
I hate when a horse breaks down. Lot’s of people were saying she shouldn’t have been in the race. Sad, just sad. It cast’s a shadow on everything.
103 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:31:16 PM by Pajamajan (Pray for president Bush. Pray for our troops. Pray for congress, Pray for our nation.)
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To: Kakaze
How heartbreaking. She was a pretty filly.
104 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:32:37 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: SuziQ
They were just something she saw in the window!<<<<
I like your photo, lol.
105 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:33:33 PM by LucyT
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To: mware
Poor filly. I hate this.
106 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:34:50 PM by Pajamajan (Pray for president Bush. Pray for our troops. Pray for congress, Pray for our nation.)
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To: Toespi
Tragic news.
107 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:34:55 PM by wagglebee (”A political party cannot be all things to all people.” — Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: Exit148
I know what ya mean exit. I mean, the only female in the race and she breaks both ankles, and Hillary was putting her money on her.
I wonder if Hillary is superstitious.
108 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:35:29 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: wagglebee
it appears in slo-mo that her head goes down before she stumbles
111 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:40:04 PM by Toespi
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To: Toespi
I know they had to put her down because of the broken legs, but I wonder if they will do an autopsy on her.
Maybe she had a heart attack first and when she fell she broke them.
112 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:42:52 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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I also hate this and I think most of this stuff is preventable. It’s just luck that it wasn’t Big Brown. We might get to see him die in the Preakness or Belmont Stakes just like Eight Belles or a little later like Barbaro. These horses are bred with no regard for fundamental soundness. The thoroughbred breeders and race people are to blame for this and they can put a stop to it...if they want to.
113 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:43:34 PM by Varda (Let’s Go Pens!)
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To: mware
The only female, and she came in second. I don’t know if she broke her legs and that affected her chance of winning or if Big Brown already had it won at that point. Either way, it’s a tragedy, and it ruined the race for me. That beautiful horse was happy and healthy just minutes sooner. Life can change/end in the blink of an eye.
114 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:46:38 PM by Pinkbell
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To: mware
I was for 8 Belles too. I’ll NEVER watch another race, very tired of watching beautiful horses being ridden to death. WTF was wrong with that jockey?
As for Chelsea, the photo doesn’t look great, but the tv camera caught her in motion and she looked so good I didn’t recognize her. Her appearance has improved with age.
115 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:47:48 PM by Veto! (Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: Pinkbell
The media usually has close up of the whole race especially the finish line.
I guess out of respect they did not show it. I am curious though of how it happen.
116 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:49:38 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: Veto!
I wonder if it was an anatomical weakness in her legs or did the jockey pull her up to quickly???
117 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:52:52 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: mware
Me too. I kept watching the recaps in order to see how it happened. They showed clips of Big Brown taking the lead, but they didn’t show what happened to Eight Belles. I’m assuming, as you said, they didn’t show it out of respect for the owner, trainer, etc. of the horse. I’m sure it will be shown eventually on the news or uploaded to YouTube.
118 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:55:03 PM by Pinkbell
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To: mware
Maybe she had a heart attack first and when she fell she broke them.
The vet said nothing about a heart attack. Eight Belles collapsed with two fractured legs, and from what I saw in the final standings, she finished second! Oh, and nice coverage, NBC. From the replays after the race, you’d think it was a one-horse race! Everything was BIG BROWN! Here comes Big Brown on the outside! No mention of the other horses or the GPS-like graphics pointing to the other horses. Also, I couldn’t give a rat’s *ss about the owners and their families. A horse is euthanized, and FINALLY one of the owners mentions the downed philly almost half an hour after the fact. Normally I enjoy watching the Kentucky Derby, but this particular race has soured my stomach, along with the horrible TV coverage.
119 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:56:33 PM by Tarkus2040 (”Anything is possible if you don’t know what you’re talking about.” —Barry Farber)
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To: mware
I’m sure the media will call in experts to view 8 Belle’s last moment. My hunch is the jockey rode her to death. But maybe not.
120 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:56:48 PM by Veto! (Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: kromike
there’s a very ugly person underneath
Really, I detest the Clintons. I don’t know Chelsea at all. My daughter is acquainted with Chelsea though and tells me she is a pleasant person. I do know that she sort of appears with, and says she supports, her mother. What would you expect her to do?
ML/NJ
121 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:57:05 PM by ml/nj
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To: Veto!
I always root for the horse with the worst odds. I always sympathize with the underdog. Unfortunately, the underdog came in 17th, thus proving why he was the underdog. Now knowing that she was the only girl, I would have rooted for Eight Belles. She did look to me like she was wearing out near the end and the jockey was riding her pretty hard.
That poor girl was cursed. She had the Hildabeast rooting for her.
122 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 3:59:05 PM by Pinkbell
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To: The_Republican
Eight Belles was attempting to become the fourth filly to win the Derby. However, as the horses galloped out around the first turn, the filly fell to the ground and jockey Gabriel Saez jumped off.
An equine ambulance came onto the track, but the filly could not be saved, said Dr. Larry Bramlage, the Derby’s on-call veterinarian.
“When we passed the wire I stood up. She started galloping funny. I tried to pull her up. That’s when she went down,” a distraught Saez said.
123 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:01:29 PM by aphid
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To: Tarkus2040
Tarkus, at the end I did see the winner cross the finish line and 8Belles was right in back of him. She did not look injuried at that point.
I think it happen after the race.
124 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:02:20 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: kromike
...her reptilian parents deserve 99% of the blame for the way she is.
Apparently most of the posters don’t agree; they’re tearing this young woman to pieces!
125 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:04:15 PM by IIntense (o)
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To: Tarkus2040
I was dissapointed with the coverage as well. I wish they had talked about the other horses after the race. They only talked about Big Brown and never showed the coverage of Eight Belles collapsing.I know they always show the owners and families, but the owners seemed fairly unsympathetic to me regarding the loss of the second place contender.
126 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:04:18 PM by Pinkbell
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To: aphid; mware
However, as the horses galloped out around the first turn, the filly fell to the ground and jockey Gabriel Saez jumped off.
You’d think that would’ve been a HUGE warning flag to NOT run the filly. Her leg(s) could’ve already been fractured at that point. Imagine if she were fully healthy at the start of the race. She would’ve cleaned Big Brown’s clock! Anyway, I’m a bit ticked off with the whole horse racing thing right now. If these trainers and jockeys cannot correctly judge the health of the horse beforehand, perhaps it’s time to ban the event.
127 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:10:17 PM by Tarkus2040 (”Anything is possible if you don’t know what you’re talking about.” —Barry Farber)
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To: Pinkbell
I don’t think the owners knew as fast as we did, except for, of course, the filly’s owner. That’s a big racetrack and they can’t see from one side to another.
A little later when they interviewed the winner the first thing he said was they were sorry for Eight Bells and “all her connections”.
128 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:14:37 PM by I still care (”Remember... for it is the doom of men that they forget” - Merlin, from Excalibur)
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To: mware
I picked Eight Belles from the git=go. Couldn’t hold back the tears when she went down after running her heart out. God Bless the courageous filly.
129 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:15:00 PM by varina davis
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To: mware
——I know what ya mean exit. I mean, the only female in the race and she breaks both ankles, and Hillary was putting her money on her.
I wonder if Hillary is superstitious.——
Nah, Hillary doesn’t have ankles. She has Cankles.
130 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:16:56 PM by ResponseAbility
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To: varina davis
Here’s a fan video about Eight Belles
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5pmGdODzbzI
131 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:16:59 PM by Shermy (Nightmares From My Pastor, A Story of Race and Insanity)
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To: Tarkus2040
She started out just fine and came in second. Her problem became critical after the finish line.
It is entirely possible that one ankle was kicked/hit by another horse during the race causing a weakness. When it failed, the other one couldn’t hold up.
132 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:20:22 PM by aphid
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To: aphid
Aphid, did she fall before the race?
I heard one of the commentators say something about one of the horses falling and the rider jumping off.
I thought she was spooked by the crowd.
133 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:22:15 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: mware
The jockey killed her by pulling her head down, causing her to rear back slightly and come down on her front legs straight. He knows it, and that’s why he ran away. Frustrated he didn’t win, he showed that damn filly.
134 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:22:59 PM by GRANGER (We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. - Ann Coulter)
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To: All
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010849/posts
135 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:25:38 PM by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: Shermy
Thank you. Tears all over again.
136 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:26:01 PM by varina davis
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To: mware
Here’s an update:
Eight Belles was at the seven-eighths pole when she injured herself.
“She suffered a condylar fracture in her left front, which opened the skin and was contaminated. On the right side, at least one sesamoid was broken. It was a catastrophic injury. It happened on the same stride right in front of the outrider.”
137 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:26:10 PM by aphid
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To: Shermy
Now I am really crying.
One of the comments says,
“You are now running faster than you every did, in the green pastures of Heaven.
138 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:26:12 PM by mware (mware...killer of threads.)
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To: mware
No, she did not fall before the race.
139 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:27:35 PM by aphid
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To: Pinkbell
I was dissapointed with the coverage as well. I wish they had talked about the other horses after the race. They only talked about Big Brown and never showed the coverage of Eight Belles collapsing.I know they always show the owners and families, but the owners seemed fairly unsympathetic to me regarding the loss of the second place contender.
The post-race coverage was as phony as a three dollar bill. Before the race, NBC did mention - albeit briefly - that Eight Belles took a tumble. But after the race, no questions or accountability of the owner, trainer and jockey. It’s almost as if it didn’t happen. We have an injured, then euthanized horse, and that is that. Also, what about the payoffs for the first four places? NBC didn’t even show that! As far as the owners go, they’re nothing more than the “horse equivalent” of a movie producer. Just a bunch of wealthy playboys with more money than brains.
140 posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:28:50 PM by Tarkus2040 (”Anything is possible if you don’t know what you’re talking about.” —Barry Farber
A break down in a “big dollar” race was very uncommon. Lately, it's almost a given.
The track has been changed evidently to make a more friendly racing surface.
So it must be something else. Not running often enough? Health? Breeding? Maybe the horses are so selectively bred they are delicate.
Horse racing is losing many fans. And..as much as I have loved to see them run in the past, until I can determine why this is such a common occurrence..they have lost me. :(
Barbaric. The deal should be the owner gets put down too.
That’s the national coverage. Our local channels have covered it wonderfully. They have interviewed the trainer and the vet. They are sad and in schock.
All thorobreds are delicate. The breed is known for the big bodies and long thing legs. It’s amazing that they can run and hold up that big body.
Have they spoke with the jockey???
That’s a shame. Good horse. Quite an investment, too ... has to me rough putting down an animal that you had so much money tied up in.
This will no doubt get the animal-rights activists in a tizzy in a way that Terri Schaivo could not ... so much for priorities.
H
It really IS different, isn’t it? When I lived in NYC we used to go out to Belmont fairly often- didn’t bet much- just loved to watch the horses and in the OLD days The New Yorker magazine had wonderful pieces on the racing scene.
It does look as though they don’t run them as often as they once did...
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