Posted on 05/04/2008 7:18:36 PM PDT by RDTF
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking the suspension of Eight Belles' jockey after the filly had to be euthanized following her second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Gabriel Saez was riding Eight Belles when she broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track.
PETA faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky's racing authority claiming the filly was "doubtlessly injured before the finish" and asked that Saez be suspended while Eight Belles' death is investigated.
"What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?" PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. "If he didn't then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."
Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones said the filly was clearly happy when she crossed the finish line.
"I don't know how in the heck they can even come close to saying that," Jones told The Associated Press on Sunday. "She has her ears up, clearly galloping out."
Guillermo said if Saez is found at fault, the group wants the second- place prize of $400,000 won by Eight Belles to be revoked.
Saez, a 20-year-old Panama native, was riding in his first Kentucky Derby. He frequently rides for Jones.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
I didn’t ask who you are nor do I care. Period.
I sent him an email on this subject and am curious to find out what his take on this is.
It's tragic and it really jades my interest in the sport. But as you say, that's just the way it is and who am I to judge.
People born on the farm or in the country have a whole different attitude on the interconnection of humans and animals that most city people will never understand.
as a side note, I wonder how many FReepers around here would be willing to train hard for 3 years just to win a few races then spend the rest of their lives surrounded by women? I would! :)
“as a side note, I wonder how many FReepers around here would be willing to train hard for 3 years just to win a few races then spend the rest of their lives surrounded by women? I would! :)”
Sorta depends on what the women looked like........
You may not know or care who we are, but you are offering opinions and entering into a debate; it's logical for you to ask if we know what we're talking about. And it's logical for me to wonder if you are a knowledgeable horseman who knows what he's talking about. We two ladies do know what we're talking about.
Seems to me you should care. If experts are posting views and information, it's worth attending to what they have to say.
Again, last word junkie, I didn’t ask nor do I care who you are. If you can’t be respectful to the FReeper that posts the thread then stay off of it.
ottb told you.
Just because you don't like the answer is no reason to get steamed.
Do you have any horse experience? Just curious.
I don't have as much track experience as ottb, but I see a lot of off the track horses because when they are retired or aren't fast enough to win they lateral into our part of the horse world.
Racing breakdowns are all too common, and less-than-catastrophic injuries are pretty much routine, to the point that anybody who pays good money for an off the track horse has him vetted and MRI'd to see how bad the leg damage is . . . .
And unfortunately in a sport that pushes athletes to the limit, injuries are pretty much expected and it's a constant calculation to gauge how much the athlete can take. Don't know if you know any old retired football players, but they are loaded up with aches and pains. Friend of my dad's was a linebacker for the Rams back in the day (we're talking the 50s) and he was a mass of old nagging injuries.
Unless you're going to ban any to-the-limit sport outright, the nature of the beast means that you're going to have a lot of injuries and some fatal ones.
With that said, if the owner insisted on running a lightly built filly who didn't have the strength of bone for a major race, that's bad (and as the article upthread noted, probably a bad case of Derby Fever). But that is at the owner's door, not the jockey's. And it's certainly not a conspiracy. Just bad judgment, like sending Dizzy Dean out to pitch with a broken toe and ending his career . . .
My mare was never raced, she was a retired broodmare. She is royally bred, but couldn't catch cold if you spotted her 3 furlongs. I'm sure they knew that she was a slug in the yearling paddock.
I worked one summer on a cattle ranch in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. I would not mess with cowboys!!
Guess the PETA people found that out.
Glad your dad was discreet and that the sheriff was smart enough to look the other way to a degree. Saved the county a lot of trouble in the long run.
Fortunately others on the thread seem to have appreciated my input. If you’ll point out to me what was disrespectful about my posts, I’ll make sure not to do it again.
And I don't see how you could "arrange" to have a horse break both front ankles in the runout after the finish, or that the jockey could have anything to do with it.
It just sounds like that old bugbear, "bad racing luck." It's happened to horses since racing began.
OTTB,
Haven’t you realized true knowledge here is next to meaningless... its all about political ideological conclusions regardless of facts anymore. The persuit of the truth long ago died.
Sounds like the same game plan Hillary and Obama have for Iran and Iraq; suspend the military and beg.
Please, OTTB showed no disrespect and your continued pointless and needless attacks on her show yours. Grow up.
blablablablablablablab
Yep, that’s about what your posts are. Glad to see you ageree.
Dads are great, my dad sure was my hero.
more hyperbole crap.
Hamiltonjay - another troublemaker on FReepublic.
We can now clearly see what sort of person we are debating here. It’s evident that logic, knowledge, and courtesy are wasted on such. Let’s just lift the pack and cast at another covert.
OK, Madame Huntsman! < looking for the other whippers-in > < g >
Oh yes, I agree completely with there being another trouble maker here on FR, to find him all you’ll need to to RDTF is look in the mirror.
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