Horse Racing Is Breeding Itself to Death

Washington Post ^ | May 4, 2008 | Sally Jenkins

[buck jarret]

A racehorse is worth thousands of cows. It isn’t pointless.

[Eye of Unk]

Seems to happen to humans as well, ask Sid Vicious or for those of you not into Monday night TV wrestling do a google search.

[screaming eagle2]

I heard on the radio that her trainer said she ran the race of her life

[gate2wire]

Barbaro

http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/BarbaroPhotos.htm

[codercpc]

RIP Eight Belles

For the first time ever, I am betting in a horse race. The Preakness will be run while I am in Las Vegas, and I can't not take part in the fun.

Since I am a very penny ante gambler, I am looking for inside info. (I want my $10.00 to go a long way HA HA!). Since you seem very versed in horse racing, can you give me a "sure" bet for the Preakness? I truly am not looking to win, just have fun, so who, or what type of bet do you suggest?

[gate2wire]

Don’t even know who’s running yet. PM me when the entries are determined. The wednesday before the race.

[codercpc]

Oh, that shows how much I know about horse racing!

Thank you so much, but I am actually leaving the Wednesday before the race, so I won't have my computer access. If I see anything before I leave, I will certainly take you up on that PM offer though. Thanks again.

[gate2wire]

No problem.

Have a great time.

[lajollasurfer]

I looked a little deeper into this and it appears the breaks have a tendency to shatter - the example they gave was the bone is broken more like a bag of ice rather than like a stick.

[RightWhale]

Every horse in the race has some descent from Native Dancer. They are all very strong and have a tendency to strong rather than fluid moves.

[devere]

“How long would horse racing last if the betting were taken out of it?”

Longer than the stock market.

[martin_fierro]

She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles, trying to please her jockey, trainer, owners and all the people in the crowd, the sheiks, oilmen, entrepreneurs, old money from the thousand-acre farms, the handicappers, men in bad sport coats with crumpled sheets full of betting hieroglyphics, the julep-swillers and the ladies in hats the size of boats, and the rest of the people who make up thoroughbred racing.

[abigailsmybaby]

AMEN!!!!

[devere]

According to the Daily Racing Form, the timer at Pimlico malfunctioned the day of the 1973 Preakness Stakes, and Secretariat’s actual time was 1:53 2/5, a stakes and track record at the time. The stakes record has since been equaled, and the track record for the distance broken.

Secretariat’s 2:24 at the Belmont Stakes is still the world record for 1 1/2 miles on a dirt track, and no other horse on has ever run faster than 2:25 at that distance.

[abigailsmybaby]

I read several years ago, too, that as 3 year olds these horses aren’t done growing yet. The larger the breed of horse, the more slowing they grow and mature. Some people think that they are too young to be raced.

[Darnright]

If I'm not mistaken, this horse was known as "Big Red" long before Secretariat was ever born:

His name was Man O' War.

[Uncle Hal]

According to my brother in law, who is an equine vet, they have never been able to develop a splint or prosthesis for horses. Horses like to get up and run around and if they cannot they get infections that are often fatal. If a human brakes his leg he will stay off his feet for a few weeks until it heals. It is not natural for a horse to sit around and wait for the healing process to run its course.

[Secret Agent Man]

Laminitis, yes. It’s just too bad they cant have an ambulance that can actually hold up a horse with two broken legs. Have a wheelable hoist system that wheels down, the horse can be put in it, and then wheeled up (with the horse only walking on its two rear legs), and then going back up the ramp onto the ambulance.

Kind of why I wouldn’t mind not seeing them horse race. It’s all unnecessary, accidental deaths, there is no point to it.

[Secret Agent Man]

The accidental death is pointless and unnecessary. That is not the intended goal.

[Secret Agent Man]

Thanks for the photo and posting this. This is kind of what I was thinking of. I appreciate the post.