[American Quilter]

Rush is talking about Eight Belles. She did appear (to me) to be fine until the moment of her collapse. If she incurred fractures earlier in the race, even tiny ones, they would have been painful. Jockies are extremely attuned to any change in stride, hesitation, etc., and the camera would have picked up anything like a head bob or falter. Even if a horse is determined to keep running after such an indication, no Derby-caliber jockey would urge her on.

A top-performing horse like Eight Belles has a great future, for breeding as well as racing, and no one on her team would have let her start the race if she had any indications of injury, or to continue if she was hurt during the race. I'm not an expert--these are just things I've picked up from years of reading and talking to people who are. I think PETA is just grandstanding.

[sono]

PETA is a few rungs lower on the evolutionary ladder than J. Fred Muggs.