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 pretty sad. I used to run, until I broke an ankle and then developed advanced arthritis. So far, I haven’t been put down.
I now hate horseracing.....this poor baby was ridden to death.
this is just awful. Always gets me.
She could really hang with the boys!
yep
I believe you, that effing SOB jockey. I hope the jockey’s name goes down in the annals of the dishonorable.
Just tonight learning about the anatomy and physiology, the fragility in composition, of a horse's legs (above mentioned #53)was informative. I always thought when looking at such a beautiful animal, that the mane and tail was designed to be swept up by the wind.
Sad loss, understandable, for the owners; and also tragic for the world to see. Brings to mind Barboro.
That was just horrible, the poor horse. But I’m thankful some “animal rights” type of concern did not cause them to let her suffer in pain. In some places animals that are sick, injured and clearly suffering terribly are prevented from being put to sleep because of PETA types interfering. Apparently in the world of horse racing they have clear-cut veterinary standards that are ethical yet reasonable and abide by them.
I am not expert, but did some research tonight and but in post THE HORSE SPECIAL REPORT:On the Forehand ( Post #53 )its somewhat understandable on the structure of a horse's legs how this could be. Interesting article.
It also should be noted that a horse puts more stress on its front legs than its rear limbs because it carries 60-65% of its weight up front. It seems incredible that when a horse is running at speed, there is a split second in every stride where all of the animal’s weight, plus the additional impact involved when running all out, lands on one front leg. We will take an in-depth look at just how the forelimb is constructed, what constitutes good "conformation",..An interesting aspect of front limb construction in the horse is that the front legs are not connected to the rest of the skeleton. If one were so inclined, one could amputate the entire front leg—from scapula (shoulder blade) on down—without the scalpel ever touching bone. Instead of bone and joints, the horse’s front legs are connected to its body by a network of muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
When this amalgamation of parts is properly assembled and functioning well, it is one of Nature’s masterpieces. When something goes awry, however, the effect can be akin to an explosion in a closed room.
I must disagree.
Big Brown was far ahead of her. There would have been no photo finish.
Did it ever occur to you that the jockey knew there was a problem...and tried to stop her??
Barbaric. The deal should be the owner gets put down too.”
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Disgusting sport.........if you knew what goes on “behind the scenes” you’d be repulsed by horse racing (same goes for greyhound racing”.
Um . . . let me just ask, have you ever actually ridden a racehorse at speed? I'm guessing that the answer is "no." But I have--many times, including yesterday--so let me just explain something that the general public and even a lot of pleasure riders don't understand fully.
A racehorse weighs somewhere between a thousand and 1200 pounds, usually. It is running at close to 40 miles an hour. It's inertial mass is tremendous. In addition, it is filled with the urgency instilled in it by hundreds of years of breeding meant to intensify the horse's natural strong desire to run. In some cases a horse will run itself to death, unless stopped forcibly. It will even continue running when it has a broken leg, as all who witnessed the Barbaro disaster can tell you.
So the jockey trying to pull a horse up after a race has to use considerable force to get his horse to stop. He may employ a technique called the pulley rein, or other methods. If the horse is unresponsive to ordinary pressure on the bit, as the most high-couraged ones sometimes are, he may have to pull its head sharply.
This is not murder. It does not break legs. On the contrary, it may save the life of a horse who must be stopped before it destroys an injured leg altogether.
Please do not blame the jockey for this tragedy yet, much less call him a murderer. Sometimes these thing just happen to racehorses. It is a sorrow horsemen must live with. If there really was culpability on the part of the jockey, a thorough investigation by the stewards will reveal that to all of us, but until then, accusations that aren't grounded in deep knowledge of the field are not helpful.
Thank you for your input. It’s hard to know just how this occured yet- but I hope the investigation is thorough and straightforward.
Race and bet on humans. At least they can speak and say if they choose to race or not.
Sad. You have a point.
I know :(
If you hated horse racing after the 2006 Preakness, what are you doing here now? Why torture yourself?
Anybody who has experience with horses can tell you that horses love one thing more than anything else - running. They love it more than apples, carrots, or peppermints - and that’s saying something. Horses never need to be forced to run - in fact, the opposite is true. It’s difficult to get a horse not to run.
By the way, humans voluntarily compete in many dangerous sports. Have you ever heard of the NFL? What about professional boxing or mixed martial arts? Human competitors push themselves far beyond their limits willingly, and fatalities sometimes occur. Sports involve the risk of injury - sometimes grave - regardless of whether the participants are human or animal.
Exactly. The incident with Ruffian in the 70s is the most tragic example of this that I remember.
I didn't watch the race nor have I seen any film footage. I have only read this thread and yes, it is torture. I just felt the need to voice my opinion, just like you. :)
Anybody who has experience with horses can tell you that horses love one thing more than anything else - running. They love it more than apples, carrots, or peppermints - and that’s saying something. Horses never need to be forced to run - in fact, the opposite is true. It’s difficult to get a horse not to run.
Bet they don't like being put down after their runs.
By the way, humans voluntarily compete in many dangerous sports. Have you ever heard of the NFL? What about professional boxing or mixed martial arts? Human competitors push themselves far beyond their limits willingly, and fatalities sometimes occur. Sports involve the risk of injury - sometimes grave - regardless of whether the participants are human or animal.
Ummmmm...you just made my point for me. Humans have a say in what sport they participate, dangerous or otherwise. Animals have no say.
Again, if you feel the need to bet on something, bet on humans. At least they have a choice on whether they participate or not.
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