8 Belles at the Kentucky Derby

Such a beauty. I'm still crying about her. And so hard to like any sport which ends in death...

Ya know, I'm being a killjoy fuddy-duddy, but it seems to me the elite level in sport has gone as far as it needs to go when we involve animals. A week ago at a 3day, two horses were killed and a rider critically injured. A month ago at Red Hills, same thing-two horses killed, one rider critical. Every year in the Iditarod, an average of 1-2 dogs die. I get the moose thing, but prime dogs are dropping dead in the hours and day after now, as mid-packers are now accomplishing times that were extreme winner times just ten years ago. The bar has been raised over and over and I think it's been raised a tad high.

No, I got no suggestions for a fix...none that can be implemented.

In essence, they do the same thing to human kids (think kiddie beauty pagents, gymnastics and other sports etc...the box "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" offers lots of insight into that). If children are expendable in pursuit of fame and fortunate, why does it surprise us that animals are too? Granted, you can say the kids have some voice in it while the animals don't, but with as young as they start I don't think they have the knowledge to make those choices any more than a horse can say, "I don't want to race!"

Horseshoes said:

Ya know, I'm being a killjoy fuddy-duddy, but it seems to me the elite level in sport has gone as far as it needs to go when we involve animals. A week ago at a 3day, two horses were killed and a rider critically injured. A month ago at Red Hills, same thing-two horses killed, one rider critical. Every year in the Iditarod, an average of 1-2 dogs die. I get the moose thing, but prime dogs are dropping dead in the hours and day after now, as mid-packers are now accomplishing times that were extreme winner times just ten years ago. The bar has been raised over and over and I think it's been raised a tad high.

No, I got no suggestions for a fix...none that can be implemented.

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I was thinking about this a lot after it happened. Hope I am not too obnoxious.

They already understand that they are breeding TBs too light now, and also racing them too fast. The horses in those races are juveniles whose bones have not completely hardened. Each time they run micro-fissures occur. In a normal situation, the 2 weeks or so layover between races is enough time to heal these cracks. Some though are over-trained. Someone runs them too fast or hard during breezes or clocked gallops. Often a horse who has not totally healed will just say, "I'm not going," and you lose the race. Eight belles ignored her pain if she was in pain. Under the stress of the race, the legs can shatter. Crucial to this discussion are the drugs they give horses. Bute is a pain killer which dulls the horse's pain allowing him to run, and not to try to protect himself. You find many of the "class dropping" horses drugged up so bad they shouldn't be out there. The owner, usually , is trying to squeeze out as much money as possible, irregardless of whether the horse will die or not.

When ever you run a colt or filly, their legs are at risk. They are trying to get all tracks to change over to the new polytrack. which is safer for the thin legs of the horses. Churchill downs/ Saratoga/ Bellemont resist getting the safe track because of "tradition," even though other tracks like Santa Anita have the Polytrack. Cheaper tracks don't want to go over because they lose their vigorish. It took many deaths to get the NTRA and Jockey club to allow jockeys to wear protective gear, or to use a portion of the tracks take to create an insurance fund. (The average jockey makes about 30 dollars per ride (mount fee) if he/she is not a winner, minus deductions). It's not bad for 2 minutes of work.

Eight Belles was a great filly, but she had genetic unsoundness in her lineage-- I forget the line--Unbridled Song/Northern Dancer. In other words, her lineage is prone to leg-breaks. This is sort of like an Italian Greyhound. They break their legs at a higher rate than other dogs and when young have a very high risk. They put her down, sadly, because the lower legs of a horse are nearly impossible to fix is there is an open wound involved. Like the recent death in the Breeder's Cup Classic, George Washington (the name of the horse) had an open break. He was put down on the track. Barbaro did not have an open break. Barbaro was being kept alive because he could run stud with a gimpy leg no matter what, his running days were over. (He died of lamenitus, not the broken leg). A horse has very little circulation in the lower leg. A break is generally fatal, in any horse-- even pasture grazing mustangs who accidentally trip in a burrow.


She was running against a genetic "freak" named Big Brown. No horse in that entire race could have outrun him because he was of a different "type" of horse. A genetic freak is a different kind of horse. They have a larger heart, better circulation system. Secretariat was a freak. (The kicker here is that Big Brown ran with quarter cracks on his hooves. They too, need repair time. He was running injured during the KD, and will be running injured in the other races. It is highly possible that something will happen to him on the track as well.)


Horses are very single minded when dueling for place in the front of the herd which is what a horse race boils down to. This happens in the wild as well. This is how leadership among horses is determined. On the track, the horses who are all strangers quickly establish a pecking order with the dominant horse taking the lead. A lot of the "horse race" happens in the saddling ring when the horses all see each other.

I don't blame anyone. One horse dies per every 1000 starts. In the History of the Kentucky Derby this was only its second horse death. If I were cold-hearted (which I am not) I would say that these are basically livestock animals and races are run so that they can chose the top sires and broodmares. That is the truth. Its not about how fast a horse goes, it is about who gets the rights to sire the majority of horses from then on in the country. Unfortunately, as with Secretariat, the sort of bigger, tougher horse like Big Brown is a random occurrence.

Eight Belles wanted badly to be the Alpha horse, and she would have been if it was not for Big Brown. Like the Filly Rags to Riches she was the top dog among all those other horses. It is very sad what happened to her, but it was almost inevitable given the variables.

I never realized that race horses were not fully mature. Why is it done this way? Are they faster than adults, or is it just seen as a waste of money to have a horse standing around eating up money for so many years before you race them?

A horse's bones are not fully grown until it is 5 years old. A lot of the bone breaking problems occur among "Colts and Filly," not full grown horses (though in a more severe case, horses can break their legs as well). Racing is done in age divisions, also sex devisions. Three and over is common, or Mares and Fillies. The Kentucky Oaks that 8Belles was first entered in before her owner scratched her and sent her to the Derby is a Mares and Filly race for 3 year olds (still unformed bones but all the same gender). The Derby, Preakness, Belmont are all 3 year old races, but any gender can enter.

Colts are lighter and faster than full grown horses but only by tenths of a second. Horses are stronger and have more stamina, they are usually better trained so will win races over colts. The reason does in a way have to do with the cost of bedding and feeding a horse. It is a factory system. The horses get the best of everything, but if they don't win, they are sold to make room for others. They "fall" in class and end up in the boonies, eeking out a living until they are sold on the meat market. Many people think no one is trying to do anything about it. They are, but they are also hampered in their pursuit of a healthy solution because racing is in the hands of the capitalists.

A race horse is an investment property. Rich people buy syndicated shares and expect a return on their investment. They don't want to wait for 5 years before their investment is mature enough to run. They want the money now. The money comes from stud fees. They want a horse to move from purchase to breeding as quickly as possible.

The Autopsy came through. Eight Belles tripped on her own feet. She crossed them when she was running and they snapped. I don't think a safer track would have stopped something like that. She also hit her head when she fell forward. They sent samples to the University of Iowa for toxicology. No one thinks they will find anything, but the trainer wants the record to state it. Poor girl.

Use Her Name said:

The Autopsy came through. Eight Belles tripped on her own feet. She crossed them when she was running and they snapped. I don't think a safer track would have stopped something like that. She also hit her head when she fell forward. They sent samples to the University of Iowa for toxicology. No one thinks they will find anything, but the trainer wants the record to state it. Poor girl.

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Thanks for posting the update. I'll be nervously watching the Preakness tomorrow. Don't know if you all are aware that last year at the Preakness (not the featured race) a horse broke down and was destroyed on the track.

Horses are fragile creatures; especially young ones. I had a beautiful, sweet, Throughbred who was three years old, break his leg while alone in a pasture. I had him under saddle for a week; was training him myself. It was horrible; the worse thing I've ever seen...

:-(
EM

Amazing information here. Thank you for your insight. I'll be spending the day with my daughter tomorrow so I'll miss the Preakness. I'll certainly hope for a safe finish for all.

I have a big framed photo portrait of Big Red (Secratariat) and also a ticket stub from his last race at Woodbine. I had such a girl crush on that horse when I was thirteen.

I really think Big Brown is turning into another Big Red. If you saw the Preakness, you would notice that Desormeaux gave him what they call a "hand ride," which meant he never used a whip on him. He wasn't even pushing the back of his neck. BB pulled all of the way with his ears up. There was no competition. I was a bit worried because BB was the "Injured horse" with cracked hoofs. (Even with 8 belles, he was the one running with an injury) I was really worried because he was wearing bell-boots the day before. Desormeaux also said he was "nervous" because BB had never had sand kicked in the face because he'd never been wedged behind any horses like he was at the rail at the very beginning of the race. Barring any sad event he'll win the triple crown, a pretty hard feat if you know the problems.

Use Her Name said:

I really think Big Brown is turning into another Big Red. If you saw the Preakness, you would notice that Desormeaux gave him what they call a "hand ride," which meant he never used a whip on him. He wasn't even pushing the back of his neck. BB pulled all of the way with his ears up. There was no competition. .

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Yes, he certainly had an easy win. I wonder if it's because he's that good, or if the talent this year is not there (except for poor 8 Bells who gave him a run for his money). I haven't heard anyone say anything about his time in the Derby, so I'm assuming it wasn't close to record breaking

As far as him being another Big Red. That might be like comparing Barry Bonds to Babe Ruth. Steroids should be banned in racing as it is in any other sport.

He wouldn't have won nearly as easily had he been up against Bernardini or Street Sense.

Komnena said:

He wouldn't have won nearly as easily had he been up against Bernardini or Street Sense.

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Yes, there was not a great deal of competition in the Preakness. The KD though had the best. I think Colonel John or Pyro soulda koulda maybe won as well. 8Belles was great too. She was a late entry and a surprise to everyone. The saying in HR is that 1000 things can go wrong, but only 1 thing needs to go right to win. Whether Street Sense, or Bernadini were better or worse is not even a point of consideration. Certainly they would have been tough competition, but that is the same as saying that Big Brown would have lost to Secretariat, or Man-o-War. It is kind of well, silly to point out that he could have lost or had trouble against a horse that was not even in the race.

The triple crown is hard to get to because it is three of the longest races a TB horse can run and there is very little recuperation time in between. A horse needs to be a freak, which is a Horse Racing Term for a genetic mutation (sort-of). Horses like Funnycide, Street Sense, even Rock Hard 10 could win the first 2 races. The real test is the third. The Belemont is the hardest race to win because it is outside the abilities of most horses.

Horses are drug tested constantly. Before and after every race they do a spit test. They are seen by doctors almost daily. The only allowable horse drugs at Churchill Downs is lazix, a diuretic that helps with any accumulation of moisture in the lungs (and I really doubt bute is used, but if it is, bute is like asprin or tylenol, not a steroid.)

Horses at races are extremely monitored. They have vet checks before and after each race. They are kept in security barns, guarded, monitored. There are some trainers who have drugged their horses. They don't stay in business long. They deal mainly with getting one more run out of an obviously down-classed claimer. These horses do not enter G1 races.

Also, a note on whips. The whip, stick, or bat is a 3 foot long fiberglas and leather (or duct tape) steering device that certainly would hurt a human, but is used to tell a horse to switch feet, and to "pay attention." A human jockey is 1/10th the weight of a horse-- often less. This is like my chihuahua sitting on my back hitting me. I am often amazed by people who seem to think that horses are "forced" to run because of cruelty of a 110 pound guy with a good whip hand. If a horse does not want to run, he or she will not run. Most of what happens in a horse race happens between the horses. The jockey puts the horse in the best position possible, "driving it" but the speed is up to the horse. No horse can, or will run faster than that horse is able to. 8Belles died because she crossed her feet while running. It was an accident. No one did anything to her. She unfortunately had an injury that could not be healed, well or even "if-ever."

Use Her Name said:

to win because it is outside the abilities of most horses...

Horses are drug tested constantly. ...

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No argument regarding the difficulty of a tripple crown win; but of course it also depends on the competition from year to year.

Big Brown's trainer is on record stating he uses steroids on his horses --a once a month shot that he says he has no idea what it does; it's something his vet recommends. (yeah, right. Cough, cough.)

Some states ban steriod use~ I know PA and DE don't allow it; Maryland does. And a horse only has to test clean the day of the race. Racing needs to establish national race standards, something I think will be done in the next few years. It might slow the times, but at least all the horses will be racing clean and we'll get a better, healthier field of competitors who's musculature isn't more that the developing bone sturcture can support.

I didn't see anything about 8 Belles tripping on her own feet. I do know the autopsy didn't even look for microscopic bone damage, which some researchers feel is *always* present in catasrophic injury. I would also note that research has shown that 2-3 years olds are not at increased risk of catastrophic injury. What seems to matter is genetics and training (not to much to stress the bone, not to little to leave ot weak) is the issue. But racing at speed is likely to cause the current 1.2-2.2 deaths per race unless pretty major chamges are made. Like only running on softer tracks to slow the speed or changing the whole way prizes are distributed.

Quotes from her trainer on Courant.com


There also will be routine post-race drug-testing and further medication tests requested by Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones. Jones has said he wants the extra scrutiny to prove the large, muscular filly wasn't on steroids at the time.

A lab at Iowa State University is conducting the drug examination on behalf of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority. Results are not expected for at least several days. The necropsy — as the autopsy is known in horse racing circles — said no toxicology test had been requested, but the samples were being saved in case one is.

Jones said in a phone interview Thursday that he believes the horse just
tripped over her own feet.

"She's bad about stumbling while pulling up," Jones said. "She's doesn't pick her feet up very high. It's one reason she could run very fast and far. She had the perfect motion for being effective and efficient. However, those horses who do that have a tendency to want to stumble."

http://www.courant.com/services/new...ts/hc-preaknotes0516.artmay16,0,1246411.story