This is the most rational thought I have seen since the Eight Belles' accident occurred. Thank you.

Thanks for your comments.You stated everything clearly,and I for one totaly agree with what you said.These people are hurting enough as it is and I hope they don't read all this crap about steroids, bad ride etc.Let's move on to the Preakness and Belmont,and my favourite day Breeders Cup.

Your piece on the Eight Belles tragedy holds merit except when you compared horse racing to other sports. Using your words "accidents happen" as in football, auto racing, and boxing. What you have not factored in is these are human sports and racing centers around an animal with out a voice.

Okay now I'm getting mad.Jason stated clearly this blog is for racing and handicapping.This is for Katrina,direct your comments about horses having no voice to some other blog ie PETA maybe?

Yea, lets just accept the fact that horses will die. Thats bull.  20 horses in the Derby are too damn many.  2 weeks between the Derby and Preakness is too short.  Wake up, no more  UNECESSARY horse deaths.  I am not blaming the owner, trainer or jockey at all.  I AM saying lets make the sport safer. 4 weeks between Triple Crown races, and limit the Derby to 13 entries. There are more things we can do, so lets just do it.  Or guess what folks, the sport will die.  I love thoroughbred racing more than anybody, but I am sick of the tragedies.  I don't even know if I can watch the Preakness or Belmont this year.  Eight Belles death hit me hard just like Barbaro.  These animals have no say in the matter, they have to trust us, so lets not let them down anymore.  We love you Barbaro, Ruffian and Eight Belles-we are sorry for what has happened to you and all the other horses that have died for the sport.  Lets not let their deaths be for nothing, lets make the sport safer for all future horses.

On the contrary-most people posting here are more informed than casual fans, are willing to accept some level of risk, and want to see racing continue. Its natural for people to seek answers to problems so that they can try to correct them in the future-that is the point. The number of horses that have broken down during nationally televised races in the past decade has become a huge problem for racing's public image, which must be salvaged if racing is to have a viable future. The stock price of Churchill Downs, Inc has plummeted since Saturday, both financially and symbolically. Simply saying "hey, accidents happen" is exactly the wrong response. Especially when there have already been countless debates  INSIDE the racing community during which many owners, trainers, and industry leaders have discussed  some of the very same reforms that have been raised in the media this week. See Mr.Porter's statements in today's Blood Horse right here for a current example, but as far back as Sam Riddle there have been trainers who disagreed with racing two and even three year olds-now they all live in Europe. We all know accidents will happen when it comes to horses; the question is, what steps can be taken to minimize their frequency?  Is the racing industry as a whole organized and run in a manner that prioritizes horse welfare? Not really. Yes, many people in racing do love horses, and by all accounts this includes the Jones family, and many others that we could evoke, but the point is that they are operating in a larger system that could benefit from some thoughtful re-examination. At at this point, many of the MOST informed racing professionals believe that is both  necessary and desirable. At this moment racing needs strong and enlightened leaders who are dedicated to ensuring racing's future and are willing to face the situation and consider all viable options, not more denials.

I agree with Jim and Deb.  I am so happy to hear some rational thinking about this. I have been to many horse races and I have see tragic breakdowns on the track and accidents in the paddock area. I never saw PETA out after the owners and trainers of these horses. These are people that do not know what they are talking about and they should keep their noses out of the horsemen's business. I am a member of ASPCA and if I thought that there was abuse of these beautiful animals going on I would not support the sport nor be a memeber of the NTRA. Heck, most of these horses live better and are treated better than most humans. All you need to do is go to Kentucky and look at the farms to see evidence of that.  

Jason-

THANK YOU for being the voice of reason among the sea of inane comments from people who know NOTHING about racing OR Thoroughbreds.  Excellent point on the "where's PETA" when anonymous low level claimers break down.  People like this are always looking to get their "15 minutes" when the opportunity arises, and unfortunately, Eight Belle's tragic death gave them a soapbox to stand on.  But it's full of suds.  

As you well know - there is nothing more dangerous than ill informed ignorance combined with a fanatic's zeal.  

Keep telling the actual facts - it's refreshing to read rational and reasonable commentary in amongst the flaming frenzy of misinformation and grandstanding.

JS-I am not attacking you, I am saying 20 horses in a race like the Derby puts an extreme amount of undue stress on the horses AND jockeys.  In other words, it's too darned crowded and sets-up a scenario for disaster.  Get a jockey for interview and ask him that same question. I will bet you he would agree. On the second point, how can you ask a horse who is only 3, to run farther than he has ever run before in a huge race, and then come back 2 weeks later and run another huge race.  Again, get a trainer on for interview and ask him the same question.  If they both answer honestly, I know what they will say.  You and I could debate all night, but lets ask the professionals what they think.

Well said, Jason - bravo.  I could't agree with you more!

I loved your piece, it has really cheered me up from seeing all the pointing of fingers.  It's really pains me to read all the critics out there that come out of the woodwork.  They freely give their opinion on but they never seem to want to hear the opinions of anyone else.  And instead call us all the scum of the earth.  But anyway, your article made me smile. :D

Jason you are in for it today! Keep up the good work! This blog site makes my whole week. Oh by the way, I registered on the road tobreederscup.Super idea! I'm so looking forward to it.

Great Article and reading articles like this help with the healing over such a tragic event. Here is something to ponder. Do you think the excessive X-rays these horses legs endure can cause the bone to break down?  I had read somewhere recently that one horse ( I thought it was Big Brown) has been X-rayed 74 times. They begin X-raying their legs at such a young age and it continues through sales, training, racing etc..... just a thought.

Well said! The owners,trainer,jockey,groom,have suffered enough. Peta needs to BACK OFF, they need to get a life. Sick is what they are. This filly was very much loved. You know there are lots of horse's that race for many years. Like Forego he was way up in years when he retired. It was a freak thing that happen to Eight Belles. NO BLAME

PETA needs to get a life!!! These horses LOVE what they do!! You could NOT make winners of them if they didn't!! This mare, as the majority of Thoroughbred race horses, received nothing but the best of care. She was LOVED and cherished. She died what she loved doing. She was a great mare but what made her great were her abilities and her heart. PETA is doing NOTHING BUT EXPLOITING her death in an effort to gain profits off of it. Animal Rights Extremists (And note I say *EXTREMISTS* and Not activists (for that is what they are) are the most uneducated and ignorant people on the face of the planet. They don't want horses raced, they don't want you to wear fur, they don't want animals slaughtered for food... (Hey, PETA IDIOTS... do you think meat is "born" in those cute little styrofoam containers that it comes in from the grocery store? You PETA people are all MORONS and need to be educated. Given the choice of the short but great life she lead or being a nothing, stable horse that lived to be 20+, I'd wager Eight Belles would choose the life she had. She was a star, a super-hero and I commend her trainer and jockey for the way they have handled this situation. PETA..... get a life!!!!!

The point of Arthur Hancock in the New York Times and many other racing insiders who are speaking out is that the debate over injuries is one worth having!  

I also need to applaud you for being a voice of reason in the aftermath of a mind blowing tragedy. Rubbernecking at a train wreck doesn't make the train tracks safer-  I'm done reading mass media articles by those who have no valid information.  As something of an aside, has anyone read the cover article in this months issue of equus magazine?  Happened to catch a glimpse of it today in the store- a somewhat prescient piece about what causes a breakdown, detailing a new form of examination of the equine heart & detecting the stresses on it.  Not the most detailed article- but I wonder if anyone else in racing has any more info?  Thanks again Jason-

One aspect of racing that nobody seems to address is the age of the horses. It is my understanding that horses are not fully grown and, therefore, not fully developed until age 4 or 5. Couldn't this play a huge role in the rate of catastrophic injury? Why not change the whole game and race older horses (no younger than 4) instead of the 2 and 3-year olds whose bodies are not yet fully mature?

People are pointing their fingers at the Native Dancer line as a link between Barbaro and Eight Belles. Please! Native Dancer is just about everywhere, and correct me if I'm wrong, but he was in 20 out of 20 Derby starters!  Do people also realize that the United States is the only country (except Canada) in the Horse Racing world that allows Race Day Meds?  What ever happened to good old fashion oats and water?  Trainers need to be held more accountable for what they give their equine. Maybe it's time for a national organization that governs horse racing in this country and keep each state out of it. I mean, every other major sport has one...I agree, stop the finger pointing and research!!!

I'd like you all to take a look at the racing record of Eight Belles prior to the Derby ....

Sept 16 2007

Oct  15 2007

Oct 30  2007

Nov 30  2007

Dec 23  2007

Jan 21  2008

Feb 17  2008

Mar 16  2008

Apr  6  2008

May  3  2008 ..Kentucky Derby

Eight Belles ran every month for 10 consecutive months !! Do the horsemen not say the Triple Crown is a grueling schedule on a horse, yet Eight Belles did not have any time off. Would rational thinking suggest that eventually such a racing schedule would take its toll on a horse, as it did on Eight Belles ? Eight Belles began her racing career as a mid 2 year old. Now, we do know that studies are being done as far as poly track versus a dirt track. But, what happens to a horse's legs when they go back & forth between poly & dirt in such short intervals ?? How does the leg adapt to various track surfaces, we don't know that yet.

Even major league ballplayers have leg conditions from their schedule, why would that not apply to a horse ; and a horse's legs take much more pounding than a ball players.

I'm not going to criticize anyone here , because basically we all have an eraser on our pencils and are apt to make mistakes in life. Isn't it time we really took a good hard look at the entire picture.

Horse's are not machines , they have a heart, brain & courage ... they too deserve a life just as we would want. If you say you really do care .... do what is right .... for the horse's sake ..... for they are one of God's creatures he put on this earth for us to enjoy .. not abuse. 10 races in 10 months .... think about that real hard folks.

Jackie:  No, that's like saying children shouldn't start playing sports until high school. The problem isn't that they are all of a sudden racing as 2 year olds, they're not racing enough as 2 and 3 year olds. Horses are in my opinion "babied" today, are their multi-million dollar pension plans are protected by big contracts. Go look at the PP's from Alydar, Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Real Quiet and note how many races they had before the KY Derby. They should be a minimum amount of races a horse should have before going on the big stage...to ensure their bodies are going to be prepared for the demanding distances of the Triple Crown.

UCLinden:  Do you know the actual stats of how many horses break down on avg?  Take a guess...

And I will also say, Eight Belles was plenty experienced in my opinion.  I mean the horse broke BOTH of her ankles AFTER the race...not during a stretch duel...watch the video of her going down, moments before she is fine.  Just a bad, horrible accident.

I hate that Eight Belles broke down. I think she was fine game racehorse. I don't know all I need to know about what could be done to prevent a horse from breaking down, but I do wish the smart people in this industry would figure it out and stop it. I love racing and I don't think anything is finer than a horse diggin in to get to the line. But I am afraid if this industry doesn't stop these high profile...as well as low profile breakdowns...then it won't continue to contine. I wonder how America's racing industry compares to other countries in terms of breakdowns to starters? Anybody know?

Some ask where's PETA when a cheap claimer breaks down? After Saturday, they'll be everywhere. Unless the industry takes a proactive stance on this issue, PETA will have no tracks to protest at in 15 years. Say goodnight Gracie.

Yes, she validated that she could run with the boys,” Porter said. “She was a clear second by a nice margin, then we had the tragedy of tragedies. We all wish we could go back and redo things. But you don’t get those second chances in life.”

THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT-THIS FILLY WAS AT THE TOP OF HER GAME. DR. BRAMLADGE HAS NEVER SEEN THIS TYPE OF TOTALLY CATASTROPHIC BREAKDOWN WHEN A HORSE IS ALMOST STOPPED. UNUSUAL YES-STILL AN ACCIDENT-JOCKEY WAS SPOT ON-TRAINER IS VERY GOOD AND TRANSPARENT -OWNER IS A MAN I WOULD LOVE TO TRAIN FOR. GOOD HORSES AND SENSIBLE

QUIT BEATING UP ON THESE PEOPLE FOLKS. THEY ARE GOOD STEWARDS OF THEIR HORSES.

Jason: I agree with what you have written with one exception...The word 'accident'...An 'accident' or more precise 'a tragic accident' is what happened to Indiana sire Presidential Order, who severely lacerated his neck when he broke the top board on the fence of his new paddock and impaled his neck on one of the splintered ends...He was euthanized on April 23rd..

What happen to Eight Belles was not an 'accident', it was a 'injury as a result of athletic competition'!...That is what horse racing is about, 'athletic competition among equine animals with humans(jockeys)'...As in other sports involving only humans, injuries occur with the rare exception of death (auto racing)...In horse racing the unfortunate aspect is that some 'injuries' can result in putting down the horse...Eight Belles situation was just that...Injuries are part of althetic competition, they can happen simply by taking a wrong step or as what happen to Eight Belles, perhaps unexplainable...

Bottom line, while this is a very tragic incident (as a former horse owner who owned a race horse that broke its hind right leg in a work outand was put down right there on the track)...This is not the time for those who truly care, support and love the sport of thoroughbred racing to overreact...Especially, to act like the clueless group known as PETA, who has no credibility in my eyes and many others with their reaction to this matter...Jockey Gabriel Saez did absolutely nothing wrong and to even hint (or worse like PETA has) is not just wrong but criminal...Trainer Larry Jones did nothing wrong, this man truly cares about his horses he trains, they are like family to him and his wife...Owner Rick Porter, well we can debate whether a filly should run against the boys...Just like is synthetic better than dirt...and on breeding, medications, training...But, to go to the level that some of you are about field size; x-rays; time between races; and whether horses should even be racing at 3 let alone at 2 is just plain, ridiculous overreaction...

And if you don't think so, just ask yourself honestly, would you be acting this way over a 7-yr. old gelding in a $5,000 claiming race at Bay Meadows? Nothing wrong with caring and suggesting, just be sensible about it....There are more than enough 'clueless ones' out there to unfortunately speak the ridiculous for all of us...  

Tip, what I would really like you to show me is , the average time a horse has off between races and the average amount of races a horse might run in 10 months.

Then, I would like you to answer the question ....how does the leg bone of a horse adapt when it goes back & forth between a dirt track and one with artificial surface in short intervals ??

I agree with your comments wholeheartedly. Several years ago at Emerald Downs, the race track near me, 7 horses were injured and euthanized on the race track in the span of a month. I heard nothing from PETA then and I cannot believe they are crawling out now to protest something they don't understand. Breakdowns are tragic and they do happen. I have seen my fair share but I place no blame on the jockey, trainer, or owner(s). Let Eight Belles death remain just that, a tragedy. She clearly loved racing and it showed during her career.

I would also like to say that spacing out the Triple Crown races and letting fewer horses in won't solve the problem. Horses are injured whether there are 5 horses in a race or 20. And spacing them out will only make the triple crown easier to win. I have never seen a winner and to space out the races would cheapen the achievement I believe.

David:  All I know are the latest stats in America. According to the Jockey Club "During a reporting period, there were 244 fatalities from 123,80 starter on dirt for a ration of about 1.96 per 1,000 starters, for those with synthetic surfaces the ratio of 58 fatalaties from 29,744 starts was 1.95 per 1,000."  So, based on this time period (which was not specified) not a big difference between dirt and synthetic is there?  Now, I must admit, it was take many years to get a large enough data pool to really know. But I though it was interesting they were about the same.

Just to let some of you know,the tiple crown has been a tradition for years, meaning the 3 races in 5 week, so come on. I'll admit, that i think the derby is crowded, but they race more than that in Europe. Another think many horses who've competed in all triple crown race in past years haved done rather well, like the Bid, Curlin, Smarty Jones, and 11 have won all 3. One last thing, other 11/4 races are probably just as tough, if you've never gone that long before, like the Travers, the JCGC, or even the BBC. So please can we just stop and focus on making the sport safer w/o making rash changes? By the way love the blog Jason

I've a question for Jason or any of you who might know.

Someone was supposedly making comments that Eight Belles must have been on steroids because she was so big (which I do not believe).

Unbridled's Song is 17 hands tall. If my memory serves me correct, both Halfbridled (Unbridled x Deputy Minister Nureyev mare) and Manistique (Unbridled x mare) were big mares. For some reason, I'm thinking Unshaded (Unbridled x Caucacus mare) was pretty big too.

Is the Unbridled line known for throwing big horses?

USLinden:

Man, you would have never been able to stand watching racing "back in the day" when horses sometimes were run back after only one week - and often won!

What people- especially those who don't actively work with horses - forget is that horses are large, powerful animals that need to get out and work off some of that energy.  Most of Eight Belles' races at two were no more than professional work outs - her head was not yet in the game and she played a lot during the races.  They were not stressful exercises.

By the time she was three - she began to mature and stepped it up a notch every time.

Had she been sore, off her feed, unhappy in any way- you can bet Larry Jones would not have run her on a basically monthly schedule.  But she was thriving on the work and learning - that's what it's all about.  

Personally, I believe that if we'd stop breeding for brittle speed, we'd have some great horses who would love to go out month to month and mix it up on the racetrack.

If we could make these three changes - how much more integrity, opportunity and promise this industry would have:

Eliminate steroids and all meds.  If they can't run without them - they shouldn't be running or breeding.

Create races to bring back the value of durability and stamina.  Make the Jockey Club Gold Cup a two mile race again.  Bring back the Display at 2 and 1/2 - and then give them purses that make breeding for speed AND stamina AND durability worthwhile.  It's the only way to begin to turn the market around.

Create an central agency in racing that has unequivocal authority over EVERY branch of the industry.  Without all groups/owners/trainers/jockeys/tracks pulling as a team in the same direction, the industry will continue it's slow downward spiral and stutter and sputter along.  We need an agency with real teeth.

That was a refreshing read at a time when thoroughbred racing is enduring an assault of ingnorance.

Anyone who reads the Blood Horse with any regularity knows that, while there is still plenty of room for improvement regarding racehorse welfare, there are positive steps being taken: studies looking at whether or not synthetic surfaces are the answer to reduce injuries, research underway regarding genetic propensity for breakdown, and movement towards stricter and more unified medication rules.

The trouble is, this sort of information is typically limited to industry-specific publications.

In this post-Barbaro era, I am disappointed that the NTRA does not have a better PR system in place to address the concerns of the general public in the wake of tragic events such as Eight Belles' catastrophic breakdown. Relying on Dr. Bramlage to say a few words on Good Morning America is like trying to douse the California wildfires with a bucket of water.

I will limit my comments except to give sincere condolences to all of the connections of "Eight Belles" during this time of tragedy.  Now on to "PETA" - one of the most radical, uninformed and zealous organizations to ever come down the pike.  I come from the dog show world and several years back the wonderful "PETA" people were threatening to go to the dog shows and "free" the crated dogs to run loose and I guess fend for themselves.  Like the Thoroughbred, show dogs lead some of the most pampered lives, yet "PETA" was going to free them.  The question has already been presented, where is "PETA" when there is true and proven animal abuse and the pointed fingers can actually do something positive to better the lives of animals, instead of pointing the accusatory finger to those who have suffered the loss of the animal they obviously loved.

Katrina...to the people in racing, specifically trainers and vets, horses do have a voice.  A horse can display problems or signs of illness thru temperatures, position of their head, the color of the eyes, general changes in eating habits or physical demeanor.  If a horse shows any signs of being "off", the trainer won't even attempt to exercise  him in the mornings, much less race him.

you said it.

UCLinden,

One race a month is not a punishing schedule for a horse in the prime of its career.

You might love horses and know about them as a species, but you clearly don't know much about horse racing.

You sort of just showed your hand a little with that particular post -- and you're not holding that much.

UCLinden:  You actually did make in my opinion a very valid point about the effects from switching from dirt to turf, back to poly, to dirt to poly to bla bla bla.  Becasue I actually thought about that once before.  Like I mentioned in my stats about breakdowns, I think in order to get a handle on this we need a bigger sample pool, which will take a few years.

Regarding your second question, the time gets bigger and bigger between starts.  Back in the early 1900's to early 40's it was NOT uncommon to see horses race every 2 weeks, and even every few days!  All of the early greats like Seabiscuit ran and ran.  However horses were bred different back then as they are today. Today the idea of trainers is to race light to rest, (as Barbaro did) and we saw what happened to him.  I think Eight Belles training was perfect!  9 Preps and then the Derby...but, in my opinion it was just a terrible fluke to break down after a race like she did, and very sad to see.

AMEN!

The stats for horses that break down could be flawed. Why ? For the stats to be correct, a horse has to consistently run on either dirt or artificial track, for those stats to hold true.

As the vet mentioned at the Derby about Eight Belles breaking both ankles .... " I've never seen anything like it ".

Folks, he's never seen anything like it .... as I have said ... could it be the leg bone DOES NOT adapt to going back and forth between two different track surfaces. Could this quite possibly be an underlying cause ?

Keep in mind, years ago ..... all track surfaces were the same.

cgriff:  You couldn't have said it any better...

Horse racing is a rich mans game and a poor man spends his money to try to get rich. Race horses start an early life. They need to stop racing them at a young age. They have someone on there back at the age of 1 and 1/2. Then they are on the track at 2 years. There bones are not fully grown. They leave them in stalls all the time. they only get out to run and then back in the stall again. They need to let them be horses.

great blog the only thing i dont get is where were the people when barbaro broke down? where were they when george washington broke down? and go for wand  funfair the list goes on and you decide to show up now this was like you said an accident. in nascar dale earnhart got into an accident and died on the track and you (katrina) say that different from when eight belles broke down? oh and i agree with sebiscuit19382002 and capridogs.

seabiscuit19382002:  Then they shouldn't mask these injuries with drugs to the point they don't know they're injured anymore and enter them in a race...(Yes, I do understand there are good, honest trainers out there and they should be commended)

This is a good blog. I've watched that race and I was shocked to see Eight Belles down after the finish and later put to sleep. I agree with those who know it, who's to blame for this? Breakdowns are unpredictable. Look at Ruffian, Go For Wand, Barbaro, George Washington, and now Eight Belles, who have had brilliant careers cut short by devastating injuries. Who would know, before the race, that they would go down? These horses have lived up to their size and lived by their hearts for racing. They loved to win. Their owners, trainers, and jockeys really can't be blamed for what may or may not happen. As for care, I'm sure those those fallen horses got the best they could have. There is really no one to blame for an unthinkable that could take a horse's life. I want to say thank you for posting the blog and that Eight Belles will never be forgotten. Rest In Peace.

oh and uc linda you dont what your talking about so i suggest you close your trap. and by the way, thats an average schedule for a horse and i see nothing wrong with that.

when winning colors won the derby it was "girl power"...PETA needs to stop seeking attention when it suit's them!

This is a very difficut subject but one that MUST continue if racing is to make any headway.  I have loved racing for 30 years, and have seen more than my share of heartache on the track.  Maybe if there is something good to come of Eight Belles, so shortly after Barbaro, it is that a national spotlight is focused on something that happens every day in racing.  It will force the racing industry to face its issues head on.  Don't sweep this under the rug!!  Give some purpose to Eight Belles time here.  Do I think Peta has some positive ideas (more polytracks, review the true need of a whip).  Yes!  But I just hate that they are performing nothing short of abuse on the owner and trainer of that fine filly, ranting without understanding the true issues at stake (and as someone earlier said, where are they when this happens other days?).  I think it's quite obvious that the breeding industry is the underlying  problem with the health of the horse.  Add to that the fact that the racing industry is complicit in accomodating the overwhelming push for speed, speed, speed into the breed.  The thoroughbred decends from the Arabian, dessert horses known for their strength and durability.  What happened to the days or races at 2 miles, 1 1/2 miles or even 1 1/4 miles?  We keep the Belmont at 1 1/2 miles - for what?  They'll never be asked to go that distance again in their lives.   It's all about speed and the fastest return on the dollar to recoup the excessive costs of keeping them in training.  And in today's economy, it's only going to get worse.  There's something to be said about the days of just rich families owning these horses.  And so the media/peta continues to attack Jones and his jockey.  But where is the open discussion about Rick Dutrow's training record?  Has anyone paid attention to the number of infractions he's had through the years with drug violations?  When is this sport going to take direction from an industry like football - no third, fifth, twentieth, or thirtieth chances when you risk the health and safety of these horses on the track (not to mention the jockeys).  And lastly, while the racing industry repeats how well cared for these animals are - and I agree that Big Brown and Eight Belles have/had nothing but the finest of care, how about the $10,000. claimer?  Can they really say that collectively we are doing all that we can to ensure that once they have put themselves out for us humans, we are returning the favor?  If we couldn't for Ferdinand, I'm thinking we still have a long way to go.  So, please please please do not stop talking about this - like any world problem , dialog is a necessary first step to healing.

Well said, well put. You have touched on all of the subjects that needed to be addressed. It was refreshing.

If you think horseracing is nothing but cruelty;

You have never met a groom or a trainer, you have never seen the pride they put into their horses. These horses are treated better than most people. Cleaned daily, several times, fed daily, several times. Exercised, grazed, let to sleep. This would be the perfect day for many people. The grooms. After they win a race, they can often be seen shouting for joy or simply beaming. Even if they don't win, the grooms have this sincere look of pride in their horse - they ran their best. They're still going to go back and bathe them, feed them. Even if they finished last. These horses eat before their people do. And sometimes, more often than their people do.

The people who put their lives into horse racing often receive nothing back. Example #1 -the 70 year old trainer of Smooth Air, who ran his first Derby for him.

These people put in 15 hour days, if not longer, 365 days a year. No breaks. No holidays, no vacations.

It's unfortunate that people with no prior knowledge can assume they need to take the wheel on this industry. I like how you put it - where is PETA on that Wednesday afternoon?

I don't think anything should be changed in the triple crown - not the surface, not the distance, not the selection process, and especially not the time in between.

It would no longer be the triple crown if anything was changed.

The Kentucky Derby has had a beautiful history of safe and clean races. Of the 19 other horses in the field, none of them were hurt. Last year, same deal. Same thing the year before and the year before, etc.  

There are problems and there are holes, admittedly. They will be fixed, they are being fixed ... no one in horse racing - NO ONE - takes pleasure in seeing a horse die.

Any comparison that is made with Rags to Riches’ Belmont is shading the real differences between the two girls, Rags to Riches had run in three Grade 1 races prior to her Belmont, winning them emphatically, she had raced at a mile 1 1/8 and is by  one of the most influential sire in terms of distance and toughness.  That Eight Belles was given the opportunity to run against the colts was never an issue, as I have stated the tragedy for all we know was destined to happen no matter what course the trainer was going to take. Yet not to call into question the peculiar way she was prepared (conditioned) prior to her start from “all” other Derby participants Philly or colts is really to hide behind a mask, afraid to delve into the particulars of Eight Belles campaign leading to her demise at Churchill.  

My love with horse racing began  in 1978 with the Affirmed/Alydar and will always continue.  I do not propose changing the age from 3 to 4 for the triple crown races or any other far fetched reactionary solutions, however we do need to be more critical of ourselves as fans, trainers owners, and breeders .  We must not always assume that sometimes things are just destined to happen.  It does not always have to be “just part of our game”.

The loss of Eight Belles was felt totally by those of us who love the breed and the sport of horseracing. I have been following horseracing since I was a kid in the sixties, yeah I'm that hold, and was thrilled to have had the chance to see at Hollywood Park the likes of Seattle Slew, J.O. Tobin, Alysheba, Ferdinand, Declan's Moon and all of the many times under appreciated claimers and allowance horses. There is a deep sadness when any horse breaks down on the track but those of us who love them understand that the people who train them, ride them, care for them will feel the loss even more. I have lost a horse to death and it hurts beyond belief. As for PETA, they do more harm than good. I lived in a corner of California that not too many people have heard of, Modoc County, there is a place called Devil's Garden where they have the wild mustangs, one winter in the 1990's BLM was to round them up and when PETA heard about it they filed with the courts to prevent the annual roundup well there is a reason for BLM going in every winter to take in the youngest and oldest of the herd Modoc County has some very harsh winters being over 5,000 feet high and it turned into one of the worse winter's of that decade and PETA cost the lives of 100 horses that ended up starving to death. You go PETA. They never look at the entire facts, I love animals but sometimes people go way too far in wanted to protect them sometimes they cause the injuries or deaths.

This article says it all...AMEN!

Thanks for your rationality, Jason. I agree that horse racing needs a governing body, especially one that will take a serious look at the breeding problems: Why are there so many horses being bred that most end up unwanted and likely to be sold ultimately for horsemeat after suffering needlessly on their way to a slaughterhouse? Why is it that horses now are no faster than the greats of 40 years ago, but they seem to be less sturdy?

AND Churchill Downs should make certain that trainers and owners are notified BEFORE euthanization takes place. If Eight Belles could have been sedated, at least Larry Jones could have been with her before she was put to death. Do trainers and owners give up rights to make decisions of this kind when they enter a race at Churchill Downs?

Last but not least, the industry needs to take a strong look at the shoddy TV coverage of the Derby that, probably more than anything else, stunned and angered the true horse lovers in front of the screens. Yum! Brands and NBC both need to apologize to the public for such insensitive, clueless coverage of the tragedy. They should contribute many millions to horse welfare organizations as part of a public apology. I made a little money on the race, and I will donate it all to a horse welfare organization. Any ideas which is the best one out there?

Yes, we of the public were shocked, horrified, and are still very sad and angry at how the tragedy was handled. I will watch replays, but never a live race again.

Yes it was a horrible accident.  The sport needs sponsors, an audience, bettors, owners, trainers, ect.  The casual audience watches the 4 big days of racing the Crown and Breeders Cup they will not continue to watch champions go down.  After Barbaro went down I did not watch racing.  On an out of town trip I happen to flip the TV to Breeders Cup.  I saw two horses go down in one race.  Never waited for the race results before turning the TV off.  I almost didn't watch he Derby this year.  Now I wonder why I did....  The Industry needs to take some proactive steps.  I don't have the ansers but I'm not in the Industry.  To keep saying horrible tragedy and it happens will not cut it any longer.  How long will Yum! want to be a sponsor?  How long will NBC televise if these accidents keep happening on the biggest race days?

Yes PETA does know what it's talking about when it comes to animal welfare. Just because you don't like them, don't downplay what they have been able to do for animal rights. How many animals haven't been killed for their fur because PETA has convinced designers and stores to stop carrying real fur items? Those who scoff - how many animals have YOU saved? Why does it bother you so much that animal rights folks want to save racehorses? When accidents happen in other sports, especially auto racing, new technologies are developed to make the sports safer. No such thing happens for Thoroughbreds. Artificial surface tracks are the only thing I can think of that has been done to try to stem deaths and injuries for years. There is plenty of blame to go around for the deaths and injuries of horses and jockeys. But you all want to hide your heads in the sand. Your "It's just an accident," protestations no longer cut it with many people. You claim to love horses yet you decry trying to help them. Bunch of hypocrites.

I was really glad to see this post on bloodhorse--I visit this site every day. The media attention over Eight Belles' tragic accident is exploiting this tragedy, perpetually blowing everything out of proportion, and is fueling the animal extremists and knee-jerk internet commentators who don't know, and don't care to know, anything about how much the people in this industry--and the fans--care about these horses. Horse racing already has smart people working on making the sport safer, unfortunately they haven't been in the spotlight. Horse racing and the NTRA should form an authoritative body to not only organize our experts, but give horse racing safety--and the hard work being done--a higher profile.

A fluke?  A quote from the Wallstrees Journal, Mr. Porter said Monday that the image of his horse's death already has damaged the sport and efforts to improve thoroughbred durability should be made a priority. "We all love the highs in anything we do, but the lows here are beyond what you can imagine," he said. "It affects everyone who watched the race. We have to find out why we're having these breakdowns."

It's time to wake up Dorthy!

Did anyone ever think that the track should be dragged after the walkover for the Derby? It looks like hundreds of people walk over with the horses now and any one footprint could be a hole for a horse to step in. Just a thought.

As for those PETA people - I can't even explain in words how angry they make me. It would be one thing if any of them ever worked on a thoroughbred farm or the backside of a track but I'm sure they haven't. What ignorant IDIOTS!!! Unless you're fully informed, don't open your mouth and actually prove your stupidity!

As a member of the "Belle" family who sat next to one of your editors on Derby Day (Hi Dan), I enjoyed your article very much.  Needless to say, all the actuations and slanderous comments since the Derby race has hurt all of us very much and we have tendency to close ranks and protect our family members.  

There are issues the industry need to address, breeding, track surfaces, drug usage, etc. but to rush madly into implimenting change without data and proper research could and would cause more harm than it prevents.   Thorough research and data and then speedy installation of these changes are needed to save this industry and bring it into the 21st century.

PETA's president has made several slanderous and misleading statements and today made a statement they aren't making any money off this terrible accident. Would someone ask PETA how much money they made off of donations when they jumped on the Barbaro accident?  

Belle Was a big filly with a big heart, she deserved to be in the 134th Kentucky Derby and proved it when eighteen of the "boys" were looking at her tail when she crossed the finish line.  Go Girl. I hope when all is said and done, we remember what a beautiful creature she was and what she accomplished in her short life.  I hope her legacy is that she helped bring about change that saved this wonderful industry that allows us on a beautiful day to go to a race and watch thoroughbreds doing what they love to do...Run.

I agree that Eight Belles was involved in a tragic accident.  I agree that racing needs to do something about all these accidents.  However, I do not that think 1.6 breakdowns of every 1000 horses is acceptable.  If we applied that figure to human sports, and took in to account all the athletes involved in sports (from high school sports to professional and Olympic level athletes), that many human breakdowns would never be accepted.  

Thank god there are some people with some reason on this blog. All you PETA FOLKS, GO JUMP IN A LAKE. You are uniformed and lack seeing the big picture here. The racing industry does have it challenges things will change when people stop pointing fingers  and  work together to find a solution.  The Triple Crown Should not be changed otherwise it wouldn't be the Triple Crown. Horses have won it before and will again. I would look to our breeding  industry first. In the 40's - 70's it was not uncommon to run a horse more than once a month. There were injuries then as there are now but it does seem our quest for ultimate speed has come at the expense of stamina and soundness. While I am not saying that breeding is all the problem, its also race day medications, the inconsistencies of rules from state to state ect. More study need to be done with the synthetic surface before rush to install them everywhere. There are negitives to  the synthetics to. So instead of protesting and placing blame lets work on the solutions with informed insight into all aspects of horse racing not the radical fanaticism that is defined by PETA.

This was a refreshing article, and I agree with other posts, it made me feel better about the tragedy of Eight Belles. She was a beautiful horse, and it very sad what happened to her. But it was an accident. I feel ready to move on, but wille never forget her.

I wasn't a Big Brown believer, but I did see a UPS truck the day of the Derby when I was on my way home. I think that was a sign. I'm interested to see if there will be a Triple Crown winner this year.

CGRIFF, you hit the nail right on the head!  And everyone "in the know" knows this is all true.  However, getting from where we are today, to this "perfect world" for the thoroughbred industry is another story.  Hopefully someday soon we'll at least see market demands change due to the fielding of longer races demanding horses be bred correctly again, which is the biggest part of the problem to begin with.  The Breeders Cup fielding a 1 1/2 mile dirt race starting this year will help, it is a start to at least having a division for longer distance races on dirt.  And there are more owners now, like Jess Jackson for one, who are working to make changes such as these happen.  I feel confident that everything will cycle back around eventually and we WILL see another golden era again just like the 40's and 70's.  And who knows, we could be closer than we think.    

Jason - you are absolutely right - the Derby Trial was just 5 days out from the Derby.  And - if memory serves - didn't at least a couple Derby winners actually prep by winning the Trial and then went on to win the big show 5 days later?

If I'm wrong - I'm sure someone will correct me!

Yes.....Unbridled's Song is a very large stallion and a number of his foals are too.  Eight Belle's definitely resembled her sire...BIG.

The racing industry really needs to address the use of medications, both legal & illegal.  I'm afraid the cheaters are well ahead of those challenged with enforcing the rules. Improving drug detection will do more for the safety of the breed & jockeys than any other possible changes.

BTW, the owners of Big Brown once owned a $7500 claimer (A One Rocket) that tested positive under NY based trainer Greg Martin and was a key piece to a Federal Indictment into illegal bookmaking.  Speaking of Eight Belle's breeding...Big Brown runs about a 1/4 mile further than ANY other Boundary sired colt/filly....purely a coincidence?  Personally, I seriously doubt it.

My thoughts ,i ride horses everyday and i can tell you most  of these horses love what they do.We treat them well and take good care of them. some are just faster then others. To all that don't understand about horses we in IRELAND run 20 30 sometimes 40 horses in a race, filly's and colts it don't matter its a horse race Last year when my boss won the Belmont with Rags to riches nobody said nothing. The world was happy the women thought it was great a filly beat the boys, and it was great, she had heart,class and the will to run just like eight belles. You can never tell when something like this is going to happen.I bless myself everyday before i ride and its the risk i take,i gallop a lot of horses 15 to 18 a day all different and at any given time something can go wrong its nobody's fault its a risk and its my job and most of all its LIFE. The people doing all the bad mouthing about horse racing really don't know they just show up when something goes wrong,I love my job and most of all i love my horses. RIP Eight Belles

Jason:

Many times you make great sense,but not this time. Your viewpoint is so much like other's in the industry that doesn't give a seconds thought to the welfare of the horse. I own 2 horses that race in Fla. where I'm org. from and I can tell you I ALWAYS PUT THE HORSE FIRST. The beginning of ownership,I read the trainer and everyone involved the riot act regarding that my horses would not be abused in any manner. What you want to do is simply look the other way and move on to the next race like many. One of the major problems in the industry is the attitude,business as usual instead of trying to fix problems. You can spin this anyway you desire,but you know and I know racing as we know it today is a major turn off to many,also we lose fans everytime something like this happens.Look at how many former racehorses end up in slaughter. Everything from a $5000 claimer to even the Derby winner of years ago. Another thing,your viewpoint seemed to change regarding Big Browns trainer. Say what you will I think he's a jerk,who doesn't know what the word class means. He didn't even show sympathy for Eight Bells after the race,the owner mumbled something or another about her. Wow! What a classy guy. If you love horseracing as much as you indicate,then you need to realize just how serious trouble this sport is in!

i agree with everyone who says we should stop pointing fingers and look at facts.

let's all please move on- it was a terrible occurence that even Dr Bramledge had never seen before, and believe me, he has seen more than i'm sure he cares to- my question is why the PETA people aren't attacking the three day eventers that had two equine fatalities and two major human injuries on the same weekend at Rolex in Lexington? maybe because it wasn't on TV- let the Jones family morn their loss- if you knew anything about these outstanding examples of humanity and true kindness to animals, another word would even be said except"sorry for your loss"

The filly ran huge---I'm guessing she broke her ankle, then overcorrected and shattered her other ankle, she was so strong---also there was much recent rain and the track probably had a soft spot or three left in it--but mygosh, Barbaro, Geo Washington, now Eight Belles--don't mean to sound mccab but good thing 'Belles ran SECOND, instead of FIRST! AND good thing for Big Brown, who looks like the next Spectacular Bid...

I am done pointing fingers.  I strongly disagreed with the decision to run Eight Belles against the boys.  And just for the record, I also strongly disagreed with the decision to run Rags To Riches against the boys.  In this trainers' opinion, you just don't run the girls against the boys in a stakes race of this magnitude.  I don't care how big and strong your girl happens to be you just don't do it.  There is a difference in the boys and girls and I, for one, would never do it.  Having said all that, it was a terrible accident, although I'm not sure accident is the right word.  It was just a terrible awful thing to have happen on a day that should have been joyful. We got to see a horse run and win just for the sheer joy of it.  Wow!

This is what I hate about the Triple Crown races. All these people who say how heart broken they are over Barbaro and Eight Belles never even heard of them until they suffered their injuries. Everyone wants to be in the spotlight. PETA and the like are nothing but attention starved losers who weren't loved as children. Get over it!!!

Leave Saez alone.

To think he had anything to do with this injury is the most ludicrous thing i think i've ever heard.

TIP...I sympathize with your point...10 races in 10 months seems extreme...BUT, you HAVE to consider the conditions and her competition in EACH race.  After I reviewed her 10 races, I will honestly say that 4 of those races were no more than public workouts against subpar foes.  Eight Belles never broke a sweat until her last 2 races in Arkansas.  As an owner, I try to space my races out every 4 weeks...on the average.  Because I deal in claiming horses and an occassional allowance horse, if my athlete is healthy, happy, and eating...that is plenty of time...

Jason, thank you. This was exactly the kind of response people need to see. Inbreeding is a definite cause, but I like that reference to medications. If only the breeders and the Jocky Club would see past their damn noses and realize that these breeding practices are killing the Thoroughbred.

Thank you for your post!  I have been a huge racing fan for about 40 years and I love these horses!!! What happened to Eight Belles was so very sad but you are right and I am sooooooo sick of people complaining when they don't know what they're talking about.  If PETA is so concerned about breakdowns they should put their time to good use and start raising money for equine research into more ways to save these wonderful animals when they have an injury!  As far as Native Dancer being the cause of unsoundness today that is completely ridiculous!  He is in the pedigree of nearly every horse racing today because he was just that good and has been a tremendous influence.  He himself won 21 out of 22 races-nearly all stakes.  He was unfortunately raced too often - as during that period of time it was not yet realized that it was quite detrimental to them. That combined with his tremendous size and power is what led to his shortened four year old year.  He raced 9 times at two and won them all including racing 4 times in August 1952 alone.  An unsound horse could not do that!  Today's horses certainly couldn't!!  He raced 10 times at 3 and won 9.  He lost the derby only because of the circumstances leading to it.  His first race at 3 after 6 months off was 2 weeks before the Derby (the Gotham Stakes).  He then ran again the very next week in the Wood Memorial. Then one week later he ran in the Derby. That's three weeks in a row of racing! Had he not had so much trouble in the race and such a bad ride he would have overcome all this (including tying up earlier in the week and a bad train ride on the way to Kentucky in which he got a little banged up) . Then, 2 weeks after the Derby he ran in the Withers Stakes and the very next week the Preakness Stakes.  That's 5 races in 6 weeks and he won 5 of them.  Then 3 weeks after all that he ran in the Belmont Stakes.  He then raced twice in July and twice in August before the foot bruise that ended his year. Tell me he was an unsound horse! He was an INCREDIBLE horse!

Yes he's my all time favorite and has never gotten the credit he deserved due to his one loss in the Derby - how many horses only lose 1 race in their career...? The above facts though make it obvious why he incurred his lone loss.  He has however more than made up for that with his outstanding influence on the future generations.

Jason: What do WE do now?

As a 19 yr vetran fan of the sport and a student of pedigrees and race history, these are the changes I have experienced in the last 20 yrs, and my observations from history.

The early 80's saw the market for t-bred race horses skyrocket like no other time in history. Everyone wanted in on the money making..What was needed was not really a good horse, but a good selling point. Speed, fast, ran like the wind at two, dropped from the earth at three. "They" began breeding speed to speed, un-soundness to un-soundness, fast horses, fast money? Who cared? Everyone was happy right? Suddenly, the races got shorter, the lifetime a race horse got shorter, due to injury, or most often for the stud value. Polytrack? whoever thought of such a thing? I mean like for real? What could be better then natural dirt? The proof you say? look at the race record of horses yesteryear, the tracks, the distances of the races and how many there were.. Now we treat the fillies even more like babies by shortening all the races for them over the years, instead of breeding sounder horses. Seems to me that if certain traits can be bred into and out of other animal species, the same can be done (and has) for the T-bred race horse. One more point as a tribute to Big Brown Street Sense Barbaro and the greats of yesterday, they could run and win on ANY surface, to the greats of yesterday they could carry weight, and not break down, and go the distance. Perhaps we need to start over at the breeding shed, and look backward to move forward, because everything we've done so far has not worked.

Have to agree, if it wasn't the Derby no one would be pointing the fingers about her breaking down.

The catastrophic breakdown rate in American racing is a disgrace and its being played out on national tv in the triple crown and breeders cup

Only when those inside the industry see it for what it really is can we hope any change will come. Most cant see the forest for the trees. Every critic of racing is not a PETA member or extremist or ignorant of racing. Just calling it an accident is not helpful. It time to see change is needed,

One poster here told of 7 horses in one month at a racetrack. Can this happen and people not see an issue?

It time to realise that this problem just does not exist at this level in most horse racing nations.

Only when you are so close to the inside you cant see what is wrong with a picture of needles into every horse before every race and horses being struck by oversized whips far harder than necessary  for much of the last 2 furlongs of every race.

I love thoroughbred racing and watching truly great great horses do amazing things. With that said, I agree that drug testing needs to be stregnethed, but I think breeding has also become a problem. There is so much breeding of un-sound animals that gets passed on and creates this cyclical problem that needs to be adressed. However, I think none of this can happen unless there is one auhtority in racing. Right now, as it stands every state and every track has a different policy. There needs to be some kind of uniformity in the sport. Until that happens no reform can take place.

Thanks for some sanity.  The ten days before the Derby I did a series on all the Triple Crown winners at my own blog, The Terriorists.  With all the hysteria afterward, I went back to review what I thought I knew--not only from my research but from having actually worked at a racing stable in CA.  Many of the early winners actually ran another race between the Preakness and Belmont.

As far as other arguments, I'm still in the process of putting my research together in terms of physical (actual) age, size, and overall health of the winners.

I never was aware of any drug use at the training stable, except an occasional shot for inflamation. Since one of my jobs was paying the bills, I would have noticed exceptional amounts of steroids being purchased.  Didn't happen.

Injuries, deaths are unfortunate in all sports, and in all activities where humans or animals are moving.  How many people have died or were injured in the auto plants in the last 80 years?  Should we stop building cars?  How many farmers were killed, or injured in the last 80 years?  Should we stop growing food?  How many deaths, injuries have taken place in airplanes?  Should we stop flying?  How many people have died, or injured in wars?  Should we eliminate the military?  How many people have been injured or died in other sports?  Basketball, football, baseball, NASCAR racing, soccer, Olympics.  Should we eliminate all these sports?

The answer to the problem is focusing on making all these activities for humans and animals safer.

Louis Komaromi

Texas

One thing I've read on here a couple times over is about horses needing more time between races.  I for one am a big fan of Australian racing for the fact that I can watch horses run a G1 one weekend and turn around and do it again the next weekend.  Sebring just missed winning the 2 year old Triple Crown down there by a nose, he ran 3 straight weekends in G1's as a 2yr old! Too much time off and medication is ruining our thoroughbreds, we need to see horses be raced into shape instead of drugged into shape. my2cents.

These PETA must pray that horses like Eight Belles die, otherwise they'd have nothing to do with their lives. No way Eight Belles could make it to the Kentucky Derby without wanting to run, she was a competitive elite race horse who was not only bred for this race but trained for it everday of her life. It's a shame something so uncommon happened to her after the race, as if she were galloping in a pasture, it could have happened then too, because it wasn't caused by anything in particular. It's an even bigger shame that these people focus on this single occurence, think of all the horses and races that this doesn't happen in, and think of the other poor horses that gave their lives for our enjoyment, apparently you don't care about them.

FYI, PETA has always objected to horse racing, however, no one listens until there is a high profile incident. I'm not saying I always agree with PETA's methods etc, but they have presented some valid points with regards to adjustments that need to made in the industry, a fact many  of you agree with.

I do disagree with comparing the risks of horse racing with those of "human sports" as people choose to put themselves at risk, the horses have no option. Whether the horses enjoy racing or not, I cannot say, I just know that it is animal instinct to keep themselves from unneccessary risk.

But it is true, you cannot call for the abolishment of such a well established tradition/sport as horse racing, you can just ask for reforms and work on increasing safety, as has been done over the years, though possibly not as much as we'd like.

"For the most part, Thoroughbreds are well cared for and they enjoy running"

I galloped horses at Belmont Park for 10 years. Well-cared for? Let's see, horses beaten with buckets for losing, horses jolted with a battery in the backstretch barn to jazz them up before a race, deals made with the secretary of racing to enter a horse to fill a race with a short field, in exchange for the track vet passing a horse to race that never should have allowed to run (yes, he broke down), milkshakes, illegal medication...I have seen it all and it made me sick. I am glad I am out of the game. Whenever gambling is involved, it's never in the horse's best interest.

Really well written piece with lots of common horse sense.  Thank you.

Great article, Thank you Jason

This commentary makes me feel both sad and angry. Are the people in the horse racing industry so absorbed in it that you can not see how it is failing to protect the very animals that make it possible?  Perhaps those of us who only watch the Kentucky Derby once a year are not as well-informed about the racing world, but the same goes for the racing insiders....you are obviously too close to be truly objective. Horse racing needs some drastic changes and if you can't manage to do that yourselves then someone like PETA will do it for you.

One last comment. I went to the peta site to rebute some of their false accusations, first thing I found out to say anything I had to make a donation of some sort, I didn.t proceed any further with that., but I did read a lot of the talk on there, Here we go <1> A jockey has a riding crop not a whip it has a piece of leather at the end to make a noise also, it does not have the effect of a real whip. <2> here they are calling for an end of racing , but in the next breath are calling for all tracks to be synthetic, looks like some out interest from syn track people. Trying to do personel damage to trainer and jockey is absolutely absurd

Thank you for your article! I completely agree that it was just an accident.  The PETA are needlessly attacking the jockey, owner, and trainer.  I do not believe that Saez knew there was anything wrong til she went down.  Every person involved with Eight Belles loved and cared  for her.  They would do nothing to harm her.  And yes they loved her, but let's also think about the money factor. Would they really put something so valuable in danger. I not saying she's only a way to make money but we all know how people are, they don't want something valuable ruined.  Steroids and medications need to be stopped, period. It's not natural. Synthetic surfaces are not the answer either, I don't not believe that they make a great deal of difference. It is entirely natural for horses to run on dirt. Syntheteic surfaces are an interesting concept, but not neccessarily the answer.  I do believe the amount of horses in entered in the Derby should be lowered to at least 15.  I just lowers the possibility that a horse will have traffic problems and will be bumped by another competitor.  And then there's the whipping issue.  Look at those horses when they come back from a race. Do you see any welts or whip marks?! NO!! The jockeys don't abuse the horses! Many times the jockeys just tap the horse or wave it out where the horse can see it.  The horses know when to go, it doesn't take much.  It is very unfortunate accident that Eight Belles died.  But I wish that everyone would stop placing blame the jockey, owner, and trainer.  

They did nont harm that horse, they loved her!

You are one of the few people that make sense, I have had more and more people say the trainer is to blame and just as has been written the jockey...but these people that have critizied have no Idea or have ever been around horses, don't understand any of the tell tale signs of when  horses are and are not in distress, half of the people that own horses for pleasure don't even know when their own horses are in distress or pre distress, most of them walk into the barn throw grain in the feed tub and water and hay them, and walk out the door. No I am not saying they are not good owners, just saying a good majority of them don't really stand and watch their own animals eating or in general just spend time with them with or with out riding them. Mr jones is like alot of trainers that really love their horses they train, there is a big hole in their heart as well as the owner and sometimes more than some of their owners.  Their jockeys as well. So the media do their jobs, create contreversy as well as help in other way. It is just that there are a few uneducated human beings that spout off with out knowing the real facts.

Everyone here has valid points.  It angers me that there are people out there (who know nothing about the sport) finger point and assume fault.  The comments of abuse and how horses are forced to race are not valid.  Sure horses are in some way forced to race but they love to do it.  People have pets, and we force them to live with us.  Is that abuse too?  So sad that we have an organization in this country that rather than try to solve the problem they use it as a spring board to benefit themselves.  

Three things:

1) National Racing authority, just like in Japan, or our big three sports (baseball, football, basketball)

2)Three strikes and you are out forever for medications infractions. Period.Go sell insurance.

3) Absolute ban on anabolic steroids and other performance enhancers (Clenbuterol: please don't argue that it is a bronchialator - it grows muscle mass!). At the track, at the yearling sales, at the two-year olds in training sales.

And, yes, when most of the bloodlines are a Mr. Prospector crossed with a Northern Dancer and they had the same grandfather, any idiot can see that is not good for the breed.

Cgrif:  You stole my thunder.  I think the more fragile speedballers that are being bred today are a result of both market conditions and the current rules of racing. The industry has allowed race day meds and created huge incentives to breed precocious speed above all else.  If the industry would reward stamina and durability through some longer, high profile races on both turf and dirt and cut out the acceptable meds, the breeders and buyers would change their habits.  Until the rules are changed and stamina and durability is rewared at the track, then we'll keep getting horses bred to go short, fast and early.

I am glad to see some of this comments about PETA,when i first saw what they were trying to do i just couldnt't believe it....stuff like if Gabriel Saez did wrong they should take the 2nd place money from the owner(???)where did they came up with that"brilliant"idea?,it's not like saez hit the horse a million times(like Victor Espinoza on Kafwain,Lousiana Derby i think)to even begin with the idea that it was his fault,i know it's been said already but the jockey had no fault at all......

Jason's keen observations could not have come at a better time, as post-Eight Belles were are being confronted with PETA's mindless ethical absolutism of "racing horses inherently immoral", and the industry's own all-too-typical non-response of "all is well". Somewhere in between lies the essential truth: I can only hope against hope the NTRA CEO's call for a "Safety First Summit" will get us moving toward a truly diagnostic look at ALL the relevant issues and variables, to include training and breeding practices, racing surfaces, and likely the single biggest determinant for these catastrophic breakdowns, medication, both illegal and legal.

Friends, the modern day horse is a four-legged chemical factory. Sadly, on the administrative front, little is likely to really happen, unless and until we get a single regulatory body with the power to  investigate and really penalize the Biancones, McLaughlins, Pletchers, Asmussens and Dutrows of this world, while making sure the literal and figuratve "white hat" guys like HORSEMEN Larry Jones are not inadvertently and legally making their barns toxic, multiple drug-interacting Chemistry 101 lab experiments.

That said, I am sure the drug-related vet bills for the horses in Larry Jones' barn a fraction of what we incur with our still competitive in the eventing world and now 19 YO off-the-track t-bred. So, one somehow doubts the Eight Belles breakdown anything but a cosmically freak occurence, which PETA now seeks to cynically exploit to promote ITS agenda. Cynically, I conclude, because, pray tell, when was the last time you heard about PETA speaking up for the claimer who breaks down in December at Penn National? As for Eight Belles, when was the last time YOU saw an ears nicely pricked horse at the finish line break two ankles on the gallop out? Make that a "never" for me.

As Jason prudently concludes-- long past time to stop pointing fingers and instead, getting down to conducting some real science and making some informed judgments as how to make this sport a safer and better one for all, to include the four-legged athletes who make it ALL possible.

FINALLY!!!!  Thank You!!  This is everything I've been wanting to say but couldn't put into words!

Just read that the Jockey Club and NTRA are forming committees to address this and the cause of horse and rider safety and health in the industry.

This won't be the first time Dinny Phipps has given some "straight talk" to the industry regarding poor breeding practices and especially the rampant use of drugs.  But the problem remains - who in the industry will listen to the Jockey Club?  They have some influence, and their membership is some of the last great old racing families in the game - but if the corporate track managements don't want to adhere to their suggestions - who's going to make them?

And NTRA - well - that organization was a great idea (a central agency over all of racing) that died at birth.  It took no time at all for the various interests and groups and tracks to eviscerate what little sway the NTRA and Tim Smith had at the beginning.  Now, anyone within this industry knows that they are a symbolic mouthpiece only - they are impotent otherwise regarding the making or enforcement of policy.

Still - that Jockey Club committee are the heavy old time hitters in the game - you'll notice they are not including the new corporate big commercial breeders in this mix.  Most of these names are basically 100 years or more in the business.  

I'll be interested to see what they recommend - and more interested to see how long it takes to implement across the board - IF they can get it implemented across the board.

Here's hoping for the best!

Your column is more of just the same, and what angers so many fans.  The "breakdowns happen" let's continue business as usual approach just doesn't cut it anymore.  No, I don't agree with PETA and I certainly don't blame any of the connections.  Yes, it was a horrible accident.  But it gives racing an opportunity to make some real meaningful changes, such as banning race-day medications, banning the whip, examining the practice of tracks making tracks "fast."  Instead, you're just offering the same-old-same-old.  

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!

Everyone knows the risks and PETA knows the only way to get attention is to take advantage of the situation .. ..

What about CHELOKEE on Friday? Where is their clamor there?

In such a satisfaction-oriented culture, everyone has to feel good about themselves by finalizing blame on something, as long as it's not themselves .. ..

yeah,and why don't we quit using the bite too,might hurt their mouth...

JASON - I think the point here is that you and all your so-called followers should stop referring to yourself as horse-lovers and admit the truth - you are GAMBLERS who would could care less about the welfare of the horses.  You care only about how much your winning ticket cashes in for (although, judging from your handicapping comments, this winning ticket comes very rarely!!!). Horse racing has and always be a hobby (note not a sport) for the HAVES and HAVE NOTS.  Most of you apparently HAVE NOT.  

Quote: "These same people who are protesting that horse racing is "barbaric" and pressing for rule changes such as banning the whip and forcing every racetrack to switch to synthetic surfaces, should learn the facts before causing a stir. They are grossly misinformed and only looking to place blame where there is none. "

Can someone point me to information that would inform someone about these common misconceptions? I am genuinely interested!

THANK YOU!

Mississippi Rick: I have been a horse lover my entire life, I have been following this wonderful sport since the age of 12. I never bet on the horse races I got to see live. I watch them in the paddock, pick one that I like, but I don't bet.

It's the so called 'animal lovers' that come out only when tragedy happens, that makes me sick.

Nothing can change or make the sport better if we keep saying "accidents happen"

Why is it happening so much now?? People don't come out of the woodwork for a $ 5000 claimer because the general public aren't enough educated about the darker side of racing...so of course w/ breakdowns such as Eight Belles and Barbaro which get national coverage ...you shouldn't be that surprised to see an uproar.

You bring up some good points about stricter drug testing and more research on breeding... that needs to be done most definitely along with looking at the horses' age that are racing ...I being a horse person myself know that the skeletal structures of horses of this age are still not fully formed. A lot of horses are backed at 2 yrs. of age ...but very lightly ridden at this tender age.

Not all the majority are pointing fingers and and looking for who to blame ...but a lot of us truly are tired of hearing "accidents happen"... yes they do....but there is a very alarming number going on in the racing world of today.So instead of pointing fingers we are just looking for answers on how to make a change for the better.  

If I were to point to a horse being euthanized after a small race at a small track, you and the rest of your degenerate cronies would not care because there would be a 99.9% race you didn't GAMBLE on that race.  Since it was the Ky Derby, it is much more publicly known of course.  That goes without saying, but the big QUESTION: Are you a horse-lover or a horseracing-lover Jason?  Ha, as I figured.

Native Dancer was a great horse,  but he did have major ankle problems.  Get a detailed biography on him,  his ankles were a constant problem.  I believe its the reason they retired him. Ruffian traces to him, and conformation weaknesses are passed on through the genes. Conformation is always sacraficed for speed in the horseracing world. In the United States anyway. I can't tell you how many racehorses I've seen in person that have no clearly defined ankles. You just can not see where the ankle starts because it appears that the fetlock and ankle just run together without any clear definition. This is a serious conformation flaw and thoroughbred breeders don't seam to care. It's all about speed and a huge insurance policy from Lloyds of London.

In response to Jack's comment about Big Brown being the only Boundary horse that went 1/4 miles further in distance well I recall a horse by the name of Bold Ruler who was not suppose to sire horses that could handle 1 1/2 miles...anyone remember a horse by the name of Secretariat a son of Bold Ruler there are always exceptions to the rule as far as breeding goes Ole Bob Bowers was not an exceptional sire and yet he gave us the legendary and sound John Henry, I have been studying pedigrees for along time and all it takes is one horse in the pedigree that was known for distance that can add the gene thats needed also there is alittle thing called heart that goes along way with this breed.

post breakdown stats reveal 90% of all catestrophic break downs are at the fetlock. It also shows a pre-existing weakness at the breakdown site in most cases.The horse will not always show signs of any problem due to the weakness and visual vet inspections will not identify them. Lets use 21st century science to help identify these fetlock weaknesses before a Breeders Cup or Triple Crown horse runs in each race. A mobile MRI unit can pre race inspect all 4 fetlocks and the horse must have a negative MRI to start. The technology is there,The ability to construct a mobile MRI unit is there. 90% of all catestrophic breakdowns can be eliminated at these races. This is the solution.

With all due respect the author of this article DID NOT EXPLAIN why a jockey needs a whip????!!!

I'm stupid but please explain.

Give me one good reason.

Many of the above angry comments have made me feel worse than ever.

I stick to my original comment that the inept, tasteless Derby TV coverage made the fans feel even worse than they would have if the horrific event had been more sensitively handled. Not to say that true horse-racing fans won't mourn the loss of Eight Belles for a long time. They will.

I'm still waiting for someone to suggest a good, solid horse welfare organization to which I might donate the small sum I won on Eight Belles.

R.Oliver: Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farms has approved a wristband in memory of Eight Belles with the proceeds benefiting Midlantic Horse Rescue.

I work in the standardbred industry and it is common for horses to race every Saturday YEAR ROUND. We have much harder tracks (compacted gravel). Our horses race until they're 9, 10, 11, 12 and some even get to 13 (most starting at 2, btw).  Since January at my local track we have had ONE horse break down, which unfortunately led to him being euthanised (first fatal break down in over a year). Clearly it's not an issue with that track surface, or how often she was started (she would be laughed off the grounds here for such a light schedule). The fact is horses sometimes just take a wrong step. That's what happened to the horse the broke down here. It's unfortunate, yes, but I've also known horses do the same thing in the pasture.

Racehorses are an investment, and any decent trainer isn't going to risk that investment, plain and simple. Larry Jones would not have entered the filly if he had any suspicion of this happening.

WOOOT!!! GO JASON!!

on the other hand...

"Yea, lets just accept the fact that horses will die. Thats bull.  20 horses in the Derby are too damn many.  2 weeks between the Derby and Preakness is too short.  Wake up, no more  UNECESSARY horse deaths.  I am not blaming the owner, trainer or jockey at all.  I AM saying lets make the sport safer. 4 weeks between Triple Crown races, and limit the Derby to 13 entries. There are more things we can do, so lets just do it."------that is what MAKES the triple crown....it's a test for the best three-year olds. i hate it that Eight Belles was hurt and had to be put down. When was the last time a horse was put down at the kentucky derby/triple crown? long before i was born....GUESS WHAT? the sport is not going to die from people seeing horses be put down. horses with strained ligiments since the beginning of the 20th century were put down, and people still supprted it more than any sport.

Eight Belles, AND most thoroughbreds love to race. trust me, you can't make a horse run and win if he didn't want to, even WITH drugs. i've riddin thoroughbreds, and you can't make them do what you want.... a jockey is 100-120 pounds, against a 1,500 pound horse. yeah, who would win that battle?

Alex K: it helps to steer a horse and also for encouragement. I'd rather tap a horse on a shoulder with a crop then run into a horse a foot away going 40 MPH, which would be fatal. Throughbreds are very energetic horses that love to run....in every direction, lol. a bit isn't always going to help. a crop doesn't hurt them, if you use it correctly. some horses are trained to "make a move" during a race a ceratin way, and a crop flashed by their eye, or a tap on the shoulder says "let's move". Some horses detest crops, and you don't want to use crops on those guys, because that is one way to land on you butt on the track, is a nice way to put it=)

seabiscuit19382002:  You're right many of her early races were "tune ups", but as one blogger said " Eight Belles ran every month for 10 consecutive months !! Do the horsemen not say the Triple Crown is a grueling schedule on a horse, yet Eight Belles did not have any time off. "  My point:  9 Pre-Derby races didn't break Eight Belles down.

Flyinhome, very well explained! I would like your take on Jerry Bailey's response to a point blank question as to whether he favored doing away with crops. His answer was yes. This was Saturday during the ESPN coverage. I was surprised.

Thank you for this, this is probably the most rational arguement I've heard in a long time. There are so many of these activists saying that horses are FORCED to run, they are FORCED to do this and FORCED to do that. Take Seabiscuit's sire for example. Hard Tack didn't want to run one day, and sure enough, when the starter rang the bell, that horse did not budge.  The activists that have no clue what horse racing is have no room to talk, and I'm really glad to see someone who can openly contest this madness.   ---Kudos =)

Whenever a sport suffers a tragedy of some kind people start looking for a fix, and many times a fix of some kind is implemented.  For example, when Dale Jr crashed and was killed, NASCAR did a study on seat belts and after many test, implemented a safer belt.  Last year, when a minor league 1st base coach was hit on the head during a game by a line drive killing him, MLB now make base coaches wear a protective helmet. Unfortunately, there isn't a quick fix for a horse break down, but I can assure you all that the industry is trying.  Horse racing is very complex with many tangables that could play a factor in a break down at any given time. I guarentee changes will come, but it's not going to happen overnight, and I rather we study and get it right then to come out with a quick fix (like banning the whip). And all sports should be pro active in making their sport better at all times, and not waiting for a tragedy to happen before taking action.  

And for all of you who think the Derby should cut down to 12 or 13, 16 runners, etc...should the Preakness slim down to 6?  I mean, there were only 9 running when Barbaro broke down?

TV makes the race look as though they are going to crumble at any minute and cause a domino effect.  Watch the race from an ariel view, you'll clearly see that horses are 4-6 wide on the 1st turn and aren't even close to each other in most respects.  Cutting the field from 16 is a knee-jerk reaction with NO VALIDITY!!

(Although I have no problem seeing the Derby field cut by a few, my reason is to make it tougher for a horse to enter...not for fear of break downs.)

c griff: dont get mad won the 05 derby trail and came back to run fourth and got beat by 2-4 lenghths.

This isn't about PETA. They're nuts.

This is about the growing number  of people who "can't" watch horse-racing any more because horses die. And YES, it IS about the $5K claimers, too. That's why I won't go to Bay Meadows, and perhaps part of why that historic old track is nearly gone for good.

But go ahead, engage in group think and tell each other that your critics are "outsiders" who "don't understand." Reassure each other that this will all blow over.

We're not all ignorant outsiders and it won't all blow over. Look for Congressional hearings, and have the old money and nouveau riche tell it to the politicos how horses have to die so drug-pushers like Dutrow can win Derbies and Arabs can bid against Irishmen in ego-driven battles for multi-million-dollar embarassments like The Green Monkey.

My order form for the Breeder's Cup came last week. I was really looking forward to going, and now ... I'm going to spend the $2K I was planning on for a pair of seats on something else. Maybe a donation to ReRun.

Eight Belles isn't the problem; she's the symptom.

UCLinden: she did run every month. YOU need to know more about racing before starting to talk. yes horses have a heart, and they also LOVE to run. Have you ever heard of standardbred racing? well, horses do heats. which means racing several times in one day. those are some hardknocking horses. many race like that all year around, once a week, and race till they're about 15. Storm Cat was a successful stallion by the time he was 15!!

have you ever been on a thoroughbred? most are incomplete without running, and will run their hearts out. Ruffian, since people are bringing her up. she kept on fighting her jockey to keep running.....on a shattered barely-there fetlock. THAT is heart. that is the unbeatable spirit of the racehorse....THAT is the spirit Larry Jones saw in his filly, along with his wife Cindy and Gabe Saez.

Okay - it looks like four horses have actually won the Derby Trial and turned back around to win the Derby:

Black Gold - 1924

Bimelech - 1940

Dark Star - 1953

Tim Tam - 1958

I don't think it's coincidence that Tim Tam marked the last horse to complete the double. The Sixties were dawning and already the trend to start horses fewer times had begun.

I have been in thoroughbred racing all of my life most of it with claimers at a small track in Ohio. I have studied the stretch runs of potential claims for many years. That is the best time to check for soundness and fatigue. I have studied  Eight Belles stretch run in the Derby very closely and she had no issues. She switched leads right on time and accelerated late in the stretch. She did not switch leads back and forth or drift out as a sore horse would. She was certainly not tired. She took a bad step galloping out. It was not the racing surface, there is none better than Churchill. Tragic yes but there is no blame. She was certainly not over matched or over medicated. Let me tell you it is rare for a "sore" horse to suffer a catastrophic breakdown because they know to protect themselves. Please don't blame her owner, trainer, or jockey it was just an accident a misstep. Just like when an apparently healthy high school athlete collapses and dies on the basketball court or the football field, a sad sad tragedy but no warning and no blame. All of those horses ran on the same surface in the same conditions and 18 finished behind Eight Belles and they are all just fine, all of their riders used the whip, etc.  

to R. Oliver.  If you are seriously considering donating the small amount of money you won on Eight Belles to a worthy horse charity, try the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. Commonly known as the TRF.  I adopted an off the track horse from them 4 years ago. Eight Belles death was tragic and has left many of us searching for answers with very broken hearts. Unfortunately, this is just one of the dark sides of horse racing. Another big issue is the careless disposal of unwanted horses that either never made it or quit winning money.  Ferdinand was slaughtered. Many former race horses are found emaciated and in very poor condition. I think the industry needs to contribute a percentage of every purse to the retirement facilities that work to save this breed.  I think I read somewhere that 95,000 colts were born this year? Only 20 make the derby. I love this sport more than anyone. The thrill I feel when I watch them run is like a drug to me. Every one of them are beyond beautiful to me but the breakdowns and the treatment of the horses of yesterday disturb me. I do believe while these horses are in the hands of most trainers they are cared for and loved. Unfortunately there are the bad ones. I would just like to close with something that some of you non horse people don't understand. When people say they were bred to run and love to run...they mean it. It is true. I spend countless hours watching my retired thoroughbred running through my pasture just for the sheer fun of it. My quarter horses look at him like he is crazy. But I know he isn't. It is clearly in his blood and man, is he a sight to see.

QUESTION?  HAS ANYONE SEEN A PICTURE OF BIG BROWN WITH THE BLANKET OF ROSES DRAPED OVER HIS NECK.  THE KY DERBY IS A RUN FOR THE ROSES.   WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?  IF ANYONE HAS SEEN A PICTURE WITH THE ROSES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHERE.

Jason- thanks for finally saying exactly what I was thinking! The whole blame game thing is getting old fast and it is not making the situation any easier with everybody looking to blame somebody for something that can clearly only be described as a freak accident. I spent time at Delaware Park this past summer and it makes me really angry when all these people are even considering for a second that Jones, Porter, or Saez are to blame. The filly was in the right race and she showed that, and none of her connections would have hesitated to take her out of that race (or stop her during the race) if there was any indication of a problem. We all know that the issues in racing go far beyond Eight Belles and there is no single person to blame for that; every sport has it's dark side and that is the nature of the game. I love horses as much as the next person and have been riding show horses for 12+ years and before I knew anything about racing I thought it was "mean" and I did not like it-then I started reading about it and actually took the time to learn all about it and I can now look back and see how stupid I was to form opinions of something I knew next to nothing about. So to all those people who want to ban the whip or make any other ridiculous changes- why don't you take the time to LEARN why the whip is necessary for safety and do some research about the other things before you propose radical changes.

Bottom line: Yes racing has some big issues that we need to look, and I agree with the fact that we need a commissioner, but we need to accept the Eight Belles tragedy for what it is (a rare freak accident) and STOP looking to blame anybody, and use all the energy that people are putting into this to try and come up with positive ways to make necessary changes to the industry to protect the safety of horses and jockeys.

It is necessary to point out that horse racing can be made safer for all horse by installing a synthetic surface such as a "polytrack." Other sports such as auto racing work continiously by making safer cars, tires, and more cushioning barriers. Every sport continiously makes safety improvements. The only positive thing about the "Eight Belles" tragedy is that the general public will be more aware of horse related injuries. The general public needs to be made aware that there are more frequent than is reported. The public needs to be aware that there is little to no effort made to protect the typical race horse which includes geldings that have no future value or the $4000 claimer.  They just die in vain. Since synthetic race surfaces have been proven to reduce injuries they should be mandated. Churchill Downs needs to be forced to install an synthetic track. They can certainly afford it.

Fortunately the real insiders in racing-people like Dinny Phipps, Arthur Hancock, the head of NTRA, Jerry Bailey (Not the only jockey who has criticized whipping), and several prominent trainers and owners recognize that while "accidents will happen" in racing-and the injury to Eight Belles may have been just that-it is time to start taking a serious look at what can be done, rather than just moving on again. The NTRA statement even acknowledges that the racing community itself has already been discussing some of the very same issues raised by PETA. And most of us who have been involved with and follow racing have been aware of that. So I find it very strange that so many posters here claim that only uninformed people have issues with some aspects of racing, and that their complaints "have no validity." Having spent much of my life in barns, in my experience Grade 1 horses from the big stables live much better lives than do most race horses-and I have to doubt that very many posters have seen the worst- case scenarios first-hand. If it takes the death of top horses to kick-start positive changes that might trickle down to the claimers in Montana, then we should all be happy.  

jshandler...thanks for your input.

I understand that "whips" (I believe I read somewhere that they aren't really whips but more "noisemakers") are used to help keep the horses from running into the rail or maybe even other horses. Without them injuries would occur much more often.

I had thought that not long before or after Barbaro's accident that some agency had decided to start keeping track of incidents in races. I thought this was to help prove (or disprove) the safety of synthetic surfaces. I was hoping to find information like that.

I think it is much to early to tell if sythetic surfaces will reduce (but not eliminate) accidents like these.

I would agree that perhaps some genetic research into why certain lineages have more fatal breakdowns can help too...but that stuff doesn't happen overnight.

It is truly heartbreaking to see such accidents. These beautiful animals in pain and yet still wanting to run...but I believe the most significant improvements will come from within the industry itself not from the pointing fingers of "activists".

I appreciated your blog entry!

Karen, Thank you for your suggestion about where to donate in the memory of Eight Belles. My dream is to adopt a horse, too, though I'm not sure I can afford to take care of a horse at this point.

I don't think many of us will get over the untimely death of Eight Belles very soon, and my hope is that we insist that some of the long-standing problems in the racing industry--particularly that too many horses are bred and end up disposable each year--be dealt with rather than bemoaned and set aside.

Ummm...Dena...if a gelding has no value and they just die in vain, can you explain John Henry???

Bet you can't!

Tip pointed out what a grueling schedule she had. 10 months of racing and no break, another thing in the current Bloodhorse magazine there's an image clearly showing she was wearing front shoes with toe grabs. These are very hard on the front legs and ankles and should be filed off before nailing them on or just use Queens plates.

Her race prior to Derby required 8 strikes of the whip in order to catch and overtake the leader to "get the W". It was a different jock than Gabe. Also in her more recent starts E.B. was always going into the rail towards the finish, requiring her head be jerked back and away to the right. This is a filly out of balance. The faster you go the faster things go wrong.

Those big 'W' checks are addictive. Hadn't $he done enough for the year? The same for Go for Wand, Ruffian, how much do you need to get from them? What's wrong with turn out?  Like Billy Turner told the Taylors 'Your horse is tired, he just won the Triple Crown in New York, don't send him to California to run in the Swaps -turn him out.' Colt didn't die but he almost did. You know... Seattle Slew? He got time off 'cause he got sick.  But after the Rest and Relax he came back and outran a triple crown winner among others. REST IS GOOD.

Finally, young Jock Gabe Saez did only his job. The trainer D liked him enough to put him on for both the filly and colt classic races in Louisville. Gabe won one and finished second in the other. Fair and square. There was nothing to blame him for. The ultimate welfare of the horse always lies with the trainer.

In the weeks to come we will see how great E.B. was to get so close to Big Brown.

Fillies in the Derby? They need more than a little weight break. Let them run when they are 4 against 3 year old colts. OK I was just playin.

I'm sorry for all who suffer. Sometimes in the rush of things bad judgements are made. We all do it. But we can learn and make better choices later.

It's very comforting to know that wristbands to honor Eight Belles are being made and the proceeds will go to benefit equine rescue.

As sad as I am over Eight Belles' death, I won't lose hope in the future. Her legacy lives.

Hey, Jason again thanks for the blog. I hate that all this is going on, especially when other horse sport out there in my oppinion or more dangerous. I'm a show jumper, who loves racing, and right now i have 2 horse, both thoroughbred, and there two favorite things are to jump and run. In my oppinion my sport is possibly just as bad, yet i don't see people trying to stop it. I am in full agreement with you jason and love reading your blogs. Keep on posting and stick to your guns, your 110% on the mark for ALL your comments.

To Former Facing Fan:

I'm sorry to tell you but your "facts" on Native Dancer are incorrect.  He did not have "serious ankle trouble".  I have two biographies on him as well as stacks of Blood-Horse magazines and 2 of the 3 American Racing Manuals from his time on the track.  He did in fact have large ankles-something that his trainer Bill Winfrey was worried MAY cause him problems during his career. (It's probably a good thing he had those big ankles-he need them to support his 1200 pound super fast super powerful body!) However-during his 3 years of racing he never had any problems with his ankles! He did have problems with foot bruises on two occasions but those were injuries and not conformational faults.  If you read about him - his conformation was excellent! Why on earth are you people trying to blame the recent breakdowns on a stallion that died 41 years ago?!  He was an awesome horse who passed on his speed, stamina and courage to his offspring - but there is NO evidence that any injuries to race horses today have anything to do with him!!!!!  

One last note: there is information available to be found that explains how synthetic tracks are as yet unproven and so far not reducing injuries much overall, there is information about how training young horses is beneficial for them, etc.  All you have is do is some research and you will have the actual facts so posts that are based on misconceptions should cease to exist.

yes Eight Belles ran every month, yes she was whipped in the stretch, But hundreds of horses run every month and are whipped in the stretch. Eight Belles ran a spectacular race and proved she had every right to be there, she was a great horse, who had a horrible accident.  I admit that when my husband called me at work to tell me what had happened, I cried, I felt like I was going to be sick, but never once did I ever think that it was the fault of Larry Jones, who is a great trainer, or the fault of Gabe Saez, or the Churchill surface. It was an accident.  Alot of people involved in horse racing have legitimate safety concerns, my problem is with the people who have seen four races in their lives, and they just happened to be Barbaro's Preakness, George Washington's Classic, some other race they can't remember, and Eight Belle's Derby.  They aren't getting the whole story. Oh and with all due respect to Eight Belles,  YEAH BIG BROWN!!!!!

Ban the Whip! It makes the sport look bad and it doesn't help the horses perform any better.

Thank you, Jason- it's finally nice to hear someone point out what Eight Belles tragedy really was.  It was an accident, sadly enough.

You can try to blame it on breeding (and I do agree with Jason that the Thoroughbred isn't the same horse from 30 years ago), you can blame the trainer or you can try to blame the jockey.  But the fact remains- IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.  She was a courageous horse who died doing what she loved and everyone is forgetting that.

Thank you again Jason for being the sanity and rationality among the choas.

To add a note on synthetic surfaces: as many people have said above, they are not proven to reduce injuries on horses and we do not know enough about them to be thinking that this is the solution. I did read somewhere on bloodhorse somewhere I think it was, something to the tune of this:

Synthetic surfaces (with the limited research that has been done) seem to slightly reduce the number of breakdowns but there was an increase in the number of soft tissue injuries.

That is just one observation that goes to show we have a lot of research and tweaking to do still on synthetics before we can decide that they are superior to dirt (which horses have been racing on safely for hundreds of years).

erin_heather:  I never said she had a grueling schedule. I was just trying to explain to another blogger that 10 races in 10 months is not uncommon, and I thought her prep races were right on for a race like the Derby.  That's why I told this person that, back in the day, people used to race every two weeks and Real Quiet had 9 preps and 4 starts prior to Derby and almost won Triple Crown.  UCLinden is the one that thought she had a grueling schedule...I was simply explaining it wasn't uncommon to have 9 preps.

I agree with you, and where will all these people be when all of the Thoroughbreds need re-homing when there are no racing prophets to keep the farms going that provide homes for them now? Will these people stand up and take them all in?  They don't do it now, what will make them do it if racing is banned as many have requested.  Most of these people couldn't handle a hot bred Thoroughbred anyway.  I think most of the criticism is stupid, and the rest is only as good as it's ability to help do something instead of bitching. Looking forward to the Preakness and Big Brown!!!!

I've seen many Thoroughbreds for adoption with postings that say, "didn't like running," or "not enough speed" - People need to get real and realize that these horses do have a voice of sorts. It is not going to make anyone any money to run a horse that doesn't want to run, and they do make themselves know. The ones who are running and winning, do love to run.  Yes, things should be done like not medicating them, so that they can say when they have had enough, but they do love to run. Look at Curlin. Does he look abused, or like he doesn't feel like running, or like he is dead tired at the end of his races? NO!!! Neither did Eight Bells.  Their is so much ignorance out there.  By the way, there are pet Thoroughbreds in peoples pastures that are skin and bones because people don't know how to maintain them.  Go rescue those  unwanted Thoroughbreds that probably were spoiled and babied on the track at some point in their lives.

Jason, I agree with your comments. Also, if we get down to 5 horses or less, isn't that getting pretty close to a match race which is where Ruffian broke down?  There were only two in that race.  Less horses does not make safer racing. The results of the derby had nothing to do with too many horses.  

Being around a great horse like Belles just about everyday, the ups and downs, the bond that you get to share is something I can bet that all of those pretenders (protesters) only read about in books so instead of making all that noise and wasting our time, they should accord Larry, Gabe and Rick some respect and some peace of mind as the entire thoroughbred racing fraternity mourns the loss of one of our own, MAY HER MEMORY LIVE FOR ALL OF TIME.

The breakdown of Eight Belles' was an accident. The media and the so called "animal rights groups" have no idea what they are talking about. How can you blame the jockey for breaking down the horse! What if the horse broke down in the stretch and hurt the jockey and other horses! What if the jockey got hurt when she fell on the backside! Get a life! What about the football , basketball and baseball players that that get hurt and cannot ever play again. What about the race car drivers who have been killed driving at tracks. Get your facts in line before you make a fool out of yourself. You have no creditability when you protest and write about racing. Move on!!

Katrina Hock: many Jockeys will agree with me, when it comes to the crop. it's a safety measure (in my eyes) and i don't know what i would do without it! i understand that rockbottom claimers are abused with a whip. crack down on that group, but PETA needs to stop grouping ALL thoroughbred racing together when it comes to the crop. did you see that a jockey named Vensuela (sp?) from texas was BANNED for 3 years because of an electric crop??

Flyinhome, I agree with you. I do not know how you would survive the chaos without some means of control. I live close to the Sam Houston track and nothing surprises me when it comes to Texas.

Thank you for the article, Jason.

My thoughts exactly ! ! !

Anyone that has a horse knows the whip is a tool..... come on....

Jason --- the voice of reason.

I couldn't agree with you more. These critics are coming out of the woodwork because the Derby is such a huge event. They don't follow racing and have rushed to judgment. How stupid to blame the connections...as if they wanted to jeopardize the life of their champion filly! I'm just amazed that over 4,000 of our men and women have died in Iraq, and this story (as heartbreaking as it is) is getting more press!

I think we should look at other countries rates of breakdowns and if they are less (and I believe they are)let's look at why.  If the industry knows what is good for it they are going to have to change some policies. With these continual breakdowns the casual fan will not watch the big races anymore and that will cause a massive decline in the advertising revenue that supports these events.I love watching the big races but, I have to admit I'm afraid to see them now. I come from years of owning Quarter Horses and have not seen one breakdown. I think al ot of good suggestions have been made:

1) National authority regulating meds

2) MRI's on fetlocks before racing

3) Revise breeding practices to create a more sturdy animal

Also, I think it is terrible how PETA has treated the trainer, owner, and jockey of Eight Belles.

They obviously love her very much and are grieving. Let's hope the deaths of Barbaro, Eight Belles, George Washington (should not have been in that race, he was a grass horse for cripes sakes) Go For Wand, Pine Island and the many others can have some positive meaning by making changes in the industry to protect the equine athletes.

Great article and discussion. Congrats! I don't think many people get the message of this article and attack horse racing in general. We are all devastated for this breakdown, but unfortunately our sport is not perfect. And believe us, we want to help make this sport better and safer. And I believe that is the reason this article and blog are here, to propose and discuss ideas that may help improve the sport and the breed. Now, we need to understand that organizations like PETA, even though they are extremists, they do have a role in our society and is to look for the safety of these animals. Now, their actions though are mediocre. They can actually meet w/ high officials of the sport and propose their point of views and help develop plans and research programs to help monitor the health of the horses better in the future, etc, but instead they are blind and "one-way spoken." They are fanatics of what they preach, they are not "thinkers," they are "talkers with a political agenda." To conclude, one thing I do not like is the bloggers that don't know about the sport and suddenly are experts in this - throwing synthetic tracks to the mix, the "blame Saez" thing, Churchill Downs is was too fast, we are "gamblers," the filly was in steroids... Where were all of you when Go for Wand was battling Bayakoa neck-and-neck in Belmont's stretch in the 1990 BC Distaff and she broke down,? I mean the camera was following them both and the world saw this. I think that has been the most horrifying break down in the history of TV, just because of how it happened and the magnitude of the event... Where was PETA then?

I did not read any of the preceeding comments; I just wanted to say that I am glad that somebody got it right. Thanks for the great article; all those "other" people are giving me a headache.  Peace - Eight Belles

Katrina Hock: i'm glad someone actually understands. i, for one, would have to do something drastic if PETA got their way with the whole crop incident. what does the crop have to do with Eight Belles? she broke down AFTER the race, no crop being used.

I am frustrated that the racing industry has overreacted to this situation and has not been proactive, letting groups like PETA and the media "define" the message.

I loved Eight Belles.  I spent Thursday at Churchill with her and I know Larry and Cindy Jones are amazing and wonderful horsemen.... so is Gabriel Saez, and these people did NOTHING either way to cause the death of this beautiful filly.  It was merely a freak happening.

I am terribly sorry over what happened, but had it not been such a highly broadcast race, this would have gone down as a sad end to a beautiful horse.... but the rest of us, including the racing media, would have been able to accept it, and not have it blown up into a crisis instead of the unfortunate situation it was.

I commend the KHRA for not being overreactive at first when delivering their response to PETA; however, they also now plan a committee... to add to all of the other "committees" being formed to study horse safety.

Can we all just get on the same page to control the message that is being sent?  It's confusing, at best..... too many chiefs and not enough solutions.

The "industry" needs to get together on this one.... and not have 100 different committees, panels, etc. to study this.

I think what you have wrriten states everthing clearly. It says all what I wanted to say in clear way I never could. Accidents happen and this is the fisrt fatal accident in the entire Kentucky Derby history. There is one thing good that has come of this. There is now a National Committe to study horse health, safety, and breeding. It is a dedication to horses like Eight Belles and Barbaro that there greatness lives on the positve chnages to the racing industry.

First of all, I commend you, Jason, on being a voice of reason and logic on this issue. You write a great blog that I enjoy reading, and I think that this entry only does you credit. Keep up the honesty and good work!

***

What happened to Eight Belles was horrible; she was a strong, beautiful, talented filly with a great heart. But what's happening in the wake of her death is a tragedy.

I can't believe the cruel and ridiculous accusations being made and they are a shameful cloud over the brilliance of her short career.

Anyone who saw Saez, the Jones's, Porter, and Eight Belles's other connections would KNOW how devastated they were. They loved that filly and did not look on her as a thing to be abused to gain a profit. Didn't Jones even say he would scratch Eight Belles if the track was sloppy since she had never run on one before? Would a trainer who didn't have her good interests at heart be willing to do that? They even talked to Lukas and  Jolley (other trainers to win the Derby with a filly) to see if they agreed she could be competitive in the Derby. They agreed. Are they bad trainers now too? She ran a superlative race, beating eighteen colts and clearly second best; her tragic death had nothing to do with a filly running against boys or in such a large field.

One of the things that touched me the most was a quote from Larry Jones about how the race was over, all they had to do was go home and be happy, but then he was on the track and found out what had happened.

Saez also should not be blamed, as if there's any way he doesn't already feel sick inside. Some say that his lack of experience cost Eight Belles her life, but even if Saez isn't a top 5 jockey he is far from untalented and inexperienced. He didn't feel her start to gallop strangely until they were past the wire and immediately tried to pull her up. As Dr. Bramlage said, it was a freak accident and he had never seen anything like it before. Something happened, yes, but not during the race, not because of the jockey, not because of the trainer, and not despite every possible precaution to keep these magnificent animals healthy.

Also, synthetic surfaces have a good purpose, but it is still way too early (and the different types too many) to accurately predict if they are, in fact, any safer than conventional dirt tracks. Sure, some tracks may be worse than others, especially hard etc. etc., but those problems are remedied as quickly as possible. As for Churchill Downs this year, it was another terrible incident/coincidence about Chelokee earlier, but overall the track is one of the better dirt tracks in the country. On Derby Day last year several horses came out of the race with injuries, some that wound up being career ending. Derby Day this year, thus far, I have not heard about any significant injuries having occurred, and the race itself was one of the smoothest I've seen. Doesn't that yet again point to the fact that it wasn't the track itself that caused her death? Wouldn't there have been other injuries as well?

All of this blame and harsh feelings sickens me. Instead of mourning the passing of a great filly by remembering her (and her connections) for the outstanding things accomplished during her short life, there are slanderous comments, accusations, and salt being viciously rubbed into the already smarting wounds of everyone who knew her. (She was a big filly, no one accused Larry Jones of giving her steroids that would lead to her downfall before the Derby.) (Where Saez has lost races in the past, he didn't have to endure shouted criticism from the stands as he returned after every lost race before this.)

I agree very much with Jason and many of the others who have posted here. Let us all grieve for the passing of Eight Belles, but can't we focus all of our passion to BETTER the sport as Barbaro inspired us before? Accusations, misguided anger, and scapegoats do nothing to help, and in fact only hurt racing by bringing the unavoidable darker side front and center and keeping it there. THAT hurts the sport collectively more than the untimely freak accident death of a horse (be it a 10,000 claimer, a Kentucky Derby winner, or a filly named Eight Belles who was just on the verge of a great career).

PETA and other protesters have the right intent in their hearts, but largely lack the proper understanding and information needed in the case of horse racing. The whip, while it can be abused, it largely used to focus the horse, force them to change leads, and run faster from movement that appears to be 'chasing' them. Horses are big animals, when used correctly (as is almost always the case) they don't inflict injury.

Often, when a horse continues to run after being injured, it's not because of the jockey, it's because that is what they were born to do (Barbaro certainly didn't want to be pulled up when he shattered his leg, all his training, all his heart told him he was in a race and to keep running). Saying we are forcing these animals to run is wrong as well since they were born and bred to love and excel at it. Not all do have that spirit of course, but, as you may have read in Nicanor's blog about Man in Havana, these animals are NOT FORCED to race.

Also, I have heard little said about the more positive actions Churchill Downs took. There were people with Eight Belles very quickly (an improvement over Fleet Indian, albeit that was a much less serious case), the fans were spared the sight of her being euthanized, and as soon as it was clear that she was in great pain and there was no chance of recovery the choice was made. Was that inhumane or cruel?

I'm also confused, and a little frustrated, that the backlash is so vicious when a horse is injured in a race, yet there are barely any protests when we hear about the hundreds of injuries that occur during works. The difference isn't huge in happenstance, but the reaction to it is minimal. Where are all the pointing fingers, poisonous words, and screaming protesters at those times? (NOT that I want that to happen)

PETA and other groups and protesters need to learn that what they are doing is hurting their cause instead of helping. I have not heard many plans (let alone logical or plausible ones) on how to achieve what they want. What they, and anyone who has ever felt their breath taken away by the beauty of a galloping horse, must instead learn is to funnel resources and use their publicity toward things that ACTUALLY MATTER. Things that are actually possible. Things that could actually help prevent future accidents.

Researching underlying causes or trends in horses that have breakdowns, is a given. Although this was not an issue (as I, and most other intelligent people see it) with Eight Belles, stricter and more in depth rules and testing involving medications is another. Developing mandatory tests/screens to all horses before they race may make big difference (a la Discreet Cat in the World Cup). Improving the quality of equipment and accuracy of scans for microfractures would prove invaluable. So many microfractures go undetected by not showing up in scans and result in injuries later.

I say, if there MUST be a bad guy in this unfortunate occasion, let it be Fickle Chance, Tragic Accident, or Unexplainable Fate.

I say, leave those blameless souls who knew her best to grieve; let us  give them only support and condolences.

I say, wake up people and let something good come from this tragedy. Build and learn, don't accuse and abuse. See the difference?

I say, goodbye to a great filly who could have become one of our most famous champions, but still may become a legend by inspiring change like Barbaro before her.

Very nicely said Amy :)

The fatality rate in US racing is nearly 10 times higher than UK (flat) racing

So everyone can just continue to stick their heads in the sand and just pretend it was an "accident"

The problem is right in front of you at every race and its in the shape of a needle.

There is no question but that people everywhere, racing enthusiasts, horsemen(women) casual observers and those opposed to animal exploitation for human entertainment, mourn the loss of this beautiful and talented horse.

However, I am tired of hearing people continue to say that these horses "love to run".  Please!  How do you know what horses love to do?  Have you actually exchanged dialogue with them to know?

They run because they've been conditioned to run.  I've already commented on various forums and I simply won't accept her breakdown as a "freak accident".  Something had to contribute to the collapse and fracture of not one, but TWO forelegs.  I've seen horses take terrible falls and get up without any serious injuries.  Either this horse had questionable leg faults that contributed to a weakness in both forelegs, or she had a hairline fracture in one leg and the stress of running a mile and a quarter just caused the bone to shatter after she passed the finish line.  Perhaps awkward distribution of her weight after the one leg gave way caused her to switch instantly off that leg and onto the left leg causing it, too, to snap.

Such catastrophic injuries to bones really raise significant questions about the soundness of the average Thoroughbred racehorse.

Frankly, I find it unacceptable that far too many people associated with horse racing are eager to chalk this up to a freak accident and simply move forward with business as usual.

My God!  How many more flesh and blood creatures must die because we continue to make excuses that its all part of the sport?

The Rolex Combined Event held in Kentucky a couple weeks ago also experienced not one, but two equine deaths as a result of injuries.  How much is too much?  Some of those jumps take my breath.

To push, and push and force these creatures to run faster and longer and jump higher and wider maybe just asking for them to die.  Humans can decide if they want to risk injuries and continue to push the envelope, horses can't!

They are animals and they have no voice in their fate and that's precisely the reason why we have a moral and ethical responsibility to protect them and do whatever we can to stop this unacceptable carnage.

I for one stopped being a horse-racing fan after Ruffian's tragic death.  Barbaro's poignant batttle for life just reminded me how much needs to be done.

People will simply stop going to the races.  No one wants to witness such disturbing outcomes like Saturday's Derby, especially when they can be prevented.

We don't live in a perfect world and accidents happen all the time all over the world in all occasions in all sports.

People need to put their efforts toward banning the slaughter of horses.

Is it okay for Thoroughbreds to give their lives to the track only to be dumped when they aren't earning money?

Please, EVERY horse owner needs to be prepared to offer RETIREMENT to their animals when the time comes.  That should be at THEIR cost, and if thats too expensive, then they should not be involved in the sport.  

This issue to me is just as important as racing safety.

As a person who has been in the racing industry,Susan, I find your comments to be rather uninformed. If a horse gets loose in the races, a large percentage of the time he/she will compete with the other horse... and usually will win the race... no jockey, no whip.

If you take the time to go to Lexington and watch the foals run in the field, clearly too young to be "conditioned to run", you will notice that they will run on their own to win.

So, have you ever had a horse tell you he/she doesn't like to run??? The door swings both ways.

My condolences to the owner, trainer and jockey. They are all wonderful people the would never take a chance like this unless this courageous horse who took them to the Kentucky Derby herself.

This is one lifelong racing fan seriously questioning further involvement with the sport. The old standby, "It's part of the game," won't cut it this time.

Blame for the poor filly's death? That deservedly goes to the owner who forced his trainer's hand by insisting she run in the Derby, not the Oaks.

Blame for the negative publicity this has brought about? To the human species, which has weakened the breed through excessive medication; has failed to address the perception of excessive whipping (cruelty); and casually dismisses talk of safer racing surfaces.

This time, this tragedy isnt going away. NBC is probably trying to bail out of its Ky. Derby contract as we speak ...  

Congrats to the author of the article.  I concur completely.  Do not place blame without concrete evidence.  These groups who picket are outrageous.  If they are so concerned about animals, spend some of their donations to purchase a farm where the animals that no one wants can live out their lives.  Of course they would not do that-they would rather picket, lay blame on others, and create complete disorder.  PUT YOUR MONEY TO BETTER USE!

An aside: PETA is not "nuts"...maybe wrong on this issue...but their efforts to ban factory farming, lab animal abuse, and trapped or ranched furs is commendable in its attempt to stop unnessary suffering.

DON: I don't know how you can sit there and seriously blame Rick Porter (Eight Belle's owner) for her accident. The track on Oaks day was wet and very sloppy and was not in as good a condition as it was on derby day, so had she run in the Oaks there was just as much, of not greater, chance of injury. I don't know if you know anything about racing but if you did you would know that Churchill Downs has an excellent racing surface. Also could you please explain to me how exactly did the choice to run in the Derby instead of the Oaks contribute the slightest bit to her injury? In case you have not been paying attention, all of Eight Belle's connections are absolutely distraught over her passing, especially Mr. Porter. He is a good owner and cares a lot about his horses and would never put anything before their safety and well being so I don't see how you could possibly be pointing fingers. Trying to place blame is a joke. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN to even the healthiest people/animals.

As many people have already said, we should all be celebrating the life of a great filly and offering our sympathies to all involved, and use this unfortunate situation to create more positive ones. Stop dwelling on the past and if everybody all of a sudden feels so strongly use that to create a realistic solution because we can't change the past but we can fix the future.

Oh and Don, one more thing: I seriously doubt that NBC is trying to bail out of their contract. There are still millions of people who watch the Derby and look forward to seeing the best of the generation and hoping that somewhere in that field there is a super star as we have seen with Big Brown. Nobody tried to bail after Barbaro's injury and what is the difference besides that Eight Belles did not have a chance at being saved? Both horses are no longer alive and if Eight Belles was a colt there would be much less drama. Everything went perfect for her up until she was galloping out. What about Barbaro breaking through the gate before the race? Maybe he should have been scratched but nobody blamed anybody for his accident. There was no indication not to run Eight Belles and she proved on the track that she more then belonged.

Is it just me or did it seem like Larry Jones, Gabriel Saez and Rick Porter were left hanging, with only Dr. Bramlage and the Kentucky racing authority to defend them in the press?

I see the NTRA has an opinion piece posted online at www.bloodhorse.com today, but it's almost a week late. Maybe the media just didn't print it, but I think the delayed reaction underscores why posters who are calling for a true central agency are right on.

And the NTRA is not it. I wanted it to be, but it's not.

Can you imagine if every racing official at every racetrack was operating under the same set of rules? Oh my God, how nice would that be?

Especially in regards to drugs. This jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction stuff must stop.

*** (also)

Jenny - If you saw all these terrible things at the track (and there are scumbags at the track like anywhere else) I hope you reported them. If not to the track, I'm sure the state gaming commission would have appreciated an anonymous letter...

Per gamblers -- For those new to horse racing, at the tracks I've been to, the truly big-money gamblers don't ride the horses, write about the horses or cheer on their favorite horses from the rail. They are inside the grandstand standing under a wall of televisions, probably watching races going on at least at four different tracks...And we thank them for being there. But to say people only like racing because we're terrible and make money is incorrect.

Tip - you make good points, but I feel I should tell you Dale Jr's still alive (the Nation is a little worked up this week, so be careful...)

ps - UCLinden, I'm sorry for being snotty in an earlier post. Uncalled for.

First off great article. Nice to see someone with a voice of reason on Eight Belles’ death.

Eight Belles’ death is a tragedy and it was a freak accident. I have been watching horse racing since I was a kid and I’ve seen many breakdowns over the years be it a Standardbred or Thoroughbred and I do agree with some that have said that something needs be done to reduce the number of horses that do breakdown.

I think it’s an absolute joke that PETA is playing the blame by blaming Mr. Porter, Larry Jones, and the jockey for her death. None of them did anything wrong. These people loved that filly and all the other horses that they’ve owned/trained/raced. These horses are very well cared for.

I agree completly with lmkas on  this. how in the hell could you say such things about Rick Porter, a man you do not know? And what in the world did the derby or oaks have to do with it? the race was over. She ran that race beautifully, was absolutely not interfered with in any way, and as she was galloping out, took a bad step. Or more accuratly, two bad steps. It happens, it happens to humans; you step on one leg wrong, then automatically shift your weight to the other leg, and if you step on it just right, you hurt the leg you shifted to. It was a different circumstance, but do we remember that Barbaro was put down after contracting laminitis in the opposite leg, laminitis that was caused from shifting all his weight off the injured leg. Eight Belles was still galloping, and when she stepped wrong, as Larry Bramlage said, it was extremely painful. It would be easy to believe she panicked, and threw all her weight off the leg she hurt, and created exactly the same situation for her other leg, 1200 pounds of horse slamming down on her fragile ankle bones. thats just one theory, of many possible and completly blameless ones.

1)Breed sounder horses.

2)Maintain track surface conditions to insure safety, whether dirt, grass, or synthetic. Either develop some type of protective tarp to shield surfaces from the elements in inclement weather, or call off the card during these kinds of weather conditions.

3)Discontinue the emphasis on speed, and begin to focus on stamina, especially in younger horses. Don't push two-year-olds to demonstrate speed in auctions.

4)ban drugs, including steroids, after the model in other countries.

5)Continue indefinitely with the injury reporting system already implemented and promote ongoing equine health research, including equine genetics.

6) Continue with the use and development of diagnostic tools to determine pre-existing condtions, weaknesses that could lead to injury, and any organic abnormalities.

7)Move forward to develop the postion of Thoroughbred racing commissioner with broad powers to enforce regulations, set policy, and carry out severe penalties against drug violators, or any other violations that compromise the health and safety of the horse and/or rider, and that threaten the integrity of the sport.

Kudos to your comments. We, in the Thoroughbred industry are very saddened with the loss of EIGHT BELLES; however, we would wish the right that is granted to every other sports' industry, to do our due diligence with our appointed 'capable' committees to study and research her death. Our industry loves our horses, and as Larry Jones stated "THEY ARE OUR FAMILY". Do not think that we are not taking this serious, BECAUSE WE ARE. Through this trying time in the Thoroughbred world, it is difficult to hear and read from PETA and other animal activists that we are 'cruel' to our horses. The opposite is true, "WE LOVE OUR HORSES". Then looking at your websites, it seems obvious that you are using 'our EIGHT BELLES' tradegy to raise donations. What horses are you prepared to save from these donations"? I recommend Thoroughbred Charites of America, Thoroughbred Retirement Fund, etc. etc. As an owner/breeder, and know that horses create their own demise (in a 40-acre paddock), is devastating. You hate that call, but it is just a part of breeding thoroughbreds that one has to accept. Also, some of your best yearlings can 'get spooked' and they run through fenches and have to be euthanized. IT BREAKS YOUR HEART! Unless you are an owner/breeder in the throughbred industry, you should not go to the national media and 'sell your story'.  

Speed and stamina are natural traits and thus fillies can compete with males in short sprints as well as long (1 1/2 or more) grass races---but 7 fur to 1 1/4 on dirt is about strength, and fillies are just not as strong as colts--Eight Belles had dead aim on the Derby field--or so she thought---Big Brown was way too much and I think she laid it all out there---in other words, WHY run a filly anyway, it doesn't make her worth any more like a colt so the only reason to run is "Derby Fever", which I believe Jones had...

Statistics ...... here is the scenerio .... a horse has run 6 times .... 2 on dirt, 2 on turf , 2 on artificial surface ..... OR the horse may have run 3 races on artificial surface and 3 on dirt ... the 7th race the horse has an injury ... as I see it presently, whatever track the horse got injured on, that surface got the " checkmark ". Perhaps, just perhaps , the present day

statistics are not representative

of the " total " picture.

Oglalla Sue,

 No need to apologize ....... "  ps - UCLinden, I'm sorry for being snotty in an earlier post. Uncalled for  ..... accepted , I can take criticism , I'm human, and do have an eraser on my pencils.

I take it, your apology was on your comments .... "

UCLinden,   One race a month is not a punishing schedule for a horse in the prime of its career.

You might love horses and know about them as a species, but you clearly don't know much about horse racing.

You sort of just showed your hand a little with that particular post -- and you're not holding that much.

Sue, I do concur that a horse that does race once a month " In The Prime Of It's Career " is not punishing.

I'd like you to see this thou ......

Britain's leading equine research centre, says: 'The epiphyseal growth plates are still open in the leg bones of a two-year-old horse. They are beginning to close in a three-year-old. Inevitably, these structures can be damaged by the stresses of training and racing. I strongly feel that two-year-old horses are just too young.'

My whole point was ..... Eight Belles had run 10 consecutive races beginning in Sept while she was a two year old. And, I've asked the question ..... do the leg bones have enough time to remodel when it is on a monthly race schedule at 2 years old ???

To answer some of the other comments about my not knowing about horses, racing , etc.  Yes folks, I have been around this business since the days of Braulio Baeza, Johnny Sellers, Willie Shoemaker, Kelso, Forego , and the list can go on.

Yes folks, I really, really do care about horses. As a matter of fact, one of my horse's in " the prime of its career " had run races a week apart. My horses are not allowed on the track until they are three ( 3 ) years old. Guess that leaves me out of Triple Crown contention, huh, ha ha ha ha.  What matters to me is the health of my horse.  I have spent countless hours, burned many a midnight oil, researching everything about a horse, yes, I really do care.

So, for anyone who wants to toss comments, be my guest , just do me a favor,  " show me " you have done your research to substantiate your claims. Unfounded claims have no merit. Folks, in ending , trust me, my horses come first.

Heres a thought... why don't we STOP racing horses at such a young age and give them the chance to mature and complete their growth stages.

Another thought.. somebody GELD Unbridled's Song and his sons. He is destroying the TB breed. Sure, he brings speed, but it only lasts for 2-3 races and then his offspring break down with career ending injuries or Death. STOP BREEDING FRAGILE HORSES! Put some strength and stamina back into the TB before we have so many deaths that horse racing is banned.

Most dangerous place to be:  between PETA and a microphone or camera.  

I really wish that the powers that be in racing would take a no-nonsense approach to meds.  Cheaters: you're outta here for good!  No more vacations while an associate runs your horses in his name. Three strikes?  I would make it one strike and I don't care whether you are Big Time Trainer or Piddly Jive

Trainer of Claimers.  Cheaters give the sport a bad name and the decent ones are guilty by association.  

I would also like to see the state racing commissions done away with (good luck with that I know) and the NTRA become the governing body of the sport.  They have to grow a backbone and a few other body parts first though.

I've no problem with 2yos racing, but I think the purses should be very small and the races short, no longer than 5-6 furlongs. Put the big purse money in the 3yo and up races.

As for yet another committee?  Puh-lease!  Know what a camel is?  A horse designed by a committee!

Last but not least:  I wish I could give all of Eight Belles' connections a big group hug and cry along with them; I don't think they did anything wrong.  Sadly, Eight Belles took a misstep, but lets not let her death be in vain.  

Racing muckety-mucks:  more action, less talk!!

Sorry, but as a long enough term fan of racing (25 years), I've had enough of watching the sport's current directions.  I'm tired of all the freak accidents on national television -- and yes, it does make me wonder about the average "nobody" claimer horses if these things are happening to the cream of the racing world.  

Please, please, please do start taking a very hard ethical look at your breeding decisions thoroughbred industry. It's time to reprioritze soundess, durability and distance over market speculator's fashions for weanlings, yearlings and super-precious two year olds....and lots of them.  And because of the current need to breed a bunch, I guess the industry really does needs to step up adoption/rescue/retirement programs like that other animal racing industry had too.

Your right, my choice and I choose not to watch anymore.

I couldn't agree more.

Good points, Dawn, and thank you, Jason for writing this piece.  I'm writing only from the perspective of a fan but it's easy to see that racing needs a governing body, strict regulation of drugs,limits on races open to two year-olds and most important, a humane way to deal with unwanted horses.  Most horses don't compete at the elite level of Barbaro, Eight Belles and George Washington and those horses end their careers treated like trash.  Racing has to fix itself or face the wrath of a bunch of misguided animal rights activists who believe this is no better than ***-fighting.  Who wants that?  

First of all Eight Belles wss NOT bred as a speed horse. Her dossage index was 2.25 which is not considered too speedy for the classic distances, so the "too much emphasis on speed" really doesnt apply to her. In fact, that cross is an awesome cross that wins stake races and that is what owners want. I dont get all of the "wrong breeding practice rhetoric that is going around.

I wanted to make a few comments about the Derby Saturday and what happened to Eight Belle's. I have grown up watching horse racing, and for the past forty years have noticed changes, gradual at first but becoming more apparent in the 90's. It would be easy to point the finger at the jockey as PETA has done. Or the racing surface, or to the breeding, trainer's or anyone else you would like to blame. Unfortunately like everything else in this country horses are being pushed along to bolster the bottom line. I don't believe any responsible trainer wants to run any horse at top speed before they are ready. I do believe however that there are some trainers and owners who will resort to almost any means for the big win or the big sale. Drug use in these horses is rampant and should be stopped immediately. I don't think this is true of most starters in high profile races like the Kentucky Derby but with that said the use of anabolic steroid's are not banned in Kentucky. Steroid's for the good that they can do in treatment of disease should not be used to bulk a horse up or make him run faster. Let’s also not forget that steroid use can lead to brittle bones.

No horse should be ridden under tack when it’s only a yearling. Like any other creature they need time to grow. I don't believe there is anything wrong with racing two or three year olds, but two year olds should not be raced until later in the season, after September of their 2nd year of life. If you think back to horses like Kelso, Forego, Secretariat and John Henry, although Kelso was reported to have foot problems, and with the exception of Secretariat who was retired at the end of his three year old career all had long and productive years. If you could stand any of those horses next to any thoroughbred today what you might see is finer thinner legs in the horses of today. We can't blame Northern Dancer or Native Dancer for what they've passed on to their many generations, because they created many champions for us all to enjoy but we can blame crossing of the lines too much. This is human error start to finish. Everyone likes to win, but breeding for durability more than speed might be a better option. The speed that Secretariat showed when he won the Kentucky Derby has not been matched since. There is a reason for that; he was the exception and not the rule. Accidents happen with horses, they love to run and sometimes it’s their undoing. As humans who love to race or watch horses run it’s up to us to do what ever we need to do to keep them safe as possible and to me that means no drugs, better breeding programs, and better screening at all tracks not just for drugs but soundness.

Eight Belles has become a lightning rod for concerns about the safety of horse racing and the integrity of breeding practices.  If some real positive developments for the sport can come out of all of this then both Eight Belles and Barbaro would not have died in vain.  The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.  Perhaps some serious consideration could be given to the question of how 'mammon' is corrupting the sport via compromising Breeding-for-sales practices.  

Eight Belles was not bred for the sales only. She accomplished what her breeders set out to do. They bred a muliple Graded Stakes winning filly that beat 18 of Americas best 3yo colts. So far none of the industry critics in here sujusted anything that would have prevented her breakdown or even pertained to her! She wasnt speed bred, She wasnt bred for the sales only, She only ran one leg of the triple crown. She wasnt breaking down while excellerating from the Quarter pole to the wire and her body language didnt not show her in distress. Only higher science of diagnostics perhaps could have prevented it by testing every horses fetlocks. Until this happens it will happen on National TV again and again

I must comment on the article written by Steve Haskin: Eight Belles gift to Seabiscuit author. First let me say that I admire Steve Haskin and have never read anything he has written and not loved it. He paints such a detailed picture of life inside the industry. He keeps those of us stuck far away from it up to date and feeling like we can almost smell the roses. He has the greatest job in the world and I have told him so on many occassions. I was greatly disturbed by this article in particular. Not because I didn't agree with him. This was a great rescue and something good to come out of Eight Belles tragedy, but because I was disgusted to hear that these horses were going to slaughter and it included Rudster. A 9 year old gelding.  9. He is in the prime of his life. He started 74 times for 9 different owners and won 3 times. Yes, a terrible record. But is this the fate the majority of these race horses face if they are not that great? Owners and breeders have a responsibility to these animals.  If there is no room for all of them then there shouldn't be so many bred.  Where does it end?  When does this industry decide to take care of the very animals that give them everything they have, even if it isn't enough to match the other horses of his/her generation?  We need many more retired race horse organazations but that takes money and time and lots of it. Most of these owners and trainers and breeders have lots of money. You want people to support this sport?  It starts with the horses.

Handicappers facts for betting the Derby-- NO horse who hadn't run 9 furlongs had won ---NO horse who had less than four starts had won both these rules were broke during this years race.  Eight Belles had never run farther than 8.5 furlongs the 10 furlong Derby cost her her life --Fatigue killed Belles but you have to wonder if her previous racing schedule played apart was she traveling on cannon bone with hairline fractures before she enter the race!!  The days when a trainer can just run his hand down a horses legs checking for heat are over---A infrared camera would have pinpointed any problems and x-rays should have been taken before the race---This crawl out of the dark ages and have these Triple Crown fields scanned before there names are dropped in the box.

Outlawing toe grabs and scanning legs with a infrared camera for unsoundness will prevent a lot of breakdowns on the track.

I wonder if Big Browns connections will make sure he's 100% sound (his last 1/4 time was slower than his previous splits his :25+ is a far cry from Secretariat's :23 and he's traveling on quarter tracks) or has the Triple Crown fever clouded there judgment??

yes, nmhiplains, but don't forget the Derby was run into a big homestretch headwind---did you NOT see him draw off into this?-times aside,"Brownie" did a helluva job!!! And, yes, it DOES seem like "less starts and more injuries" is the norm anymore---are horses too strong of muscle for their own tendons and bones? And if so, is it because of growth hormone?? Please, Brownie, stay healthy, and get that nasty (stupid) 1 1/2 on dirt Belmont....then stay around for awhile--we thought we had greatness with Smarty Jones but he left the scene too early--please stay and give us the 'Crown and the Travers, then come West young man for your appointment with Mr Curlin....Thank you and remember: PLEASE take care!--you're that good...

For those who think this was just a tragic accident pickup a copy of Tom Iver's --The Fit Racehorse II read how speed stresses bone and how long slow distance rebuilds bone--also how osteochondrosis (a bone disease caused by improper feeding of mares, foals and yearlings ,aggravated by steroids on the track leads to most breakdowns & fractures on the track. How to prevent breakdowns

Require a bone scan of these horses legs before there name can be dropped in the entree box---any horse who fails the scan is required to pass a x-ray exam--If owners and trainers insist there horse is sound require a cash bond be put up equal to winners pursue --forfeited if his horse breaks down.---And Yes there will be owners and trainers who insist there horses run even when a infrared bone scan shows they are unsound!!

I wish people would stop saying horse racing needs to ban whips.  The jockeys don't whip the horses abusively, and those that do are penalized.  The whip is usually just flicked near the horse which makes the horse speed up.  The whip is needed as a safety measure for horses that drift out or are still green and don't run straight.  The jockey can tap them away from the other horses and prevent MORE accidents.

ask any PETA member if they believe in late term abortion,I'll bet 90% of them do.But then again Dont whip that horse. Many screws LOOSE !!!!!!!! How backwards have some of us become ?

Get off it.... breakdowns are a reality.  When they stop running half grown, half ton animals on performance enhancing drugs, maybe there will be change

I totally agree with the guy who wrote this. There is no need to place the blame on the connections. I mean, Eight Belles was not "doubtlessly injured" before the finish.

Also, why are people like PETA chiming in now? They weren't complaining when Barbaro broke down. Pine Island? Not a word. George Washington? Complaining about fur and throwing pies at fashion designers. Day after day when horses break down? Tweet-Tweet. But when Eight Belles breaks down, they go crazy. Makes no sense.

 Also, the public has to know that horse racing is not as cruel and barbaric as PETA claims it is. The misleading was proven when on a recent America Online poll, 62% of readers thought horse racing was a cruel sport. Shocking.

wow uc linda nick zito runs his horses once a month sometimes twice depending on what races  and how they are training. back in the day people would run thier horses 2 times a week  rick dutrow does with his horse and they do fine . heres a fact for you horses only need 2 days of rest after a workout or race for the tendons to heal you can look it up yourself