Run for the Roses

One of my favourite sporting events of the year, the Kentucky Derby, the first Saturday in May. Big Brown swept the field with a five lengths win, he just might be the likeliest (and most realistic) Triple Crown hopeful that we've seen in years. And the filly 8 Belles actually came in second, with a couple lengths lead over Denis of Cork, being ridden by last years derby winning jockey, Borel. But the excitement was quickly dashed. Big Brown spooked and his jockey came off on his feet and hopped back on, it was a little odd, they're usually spooky before a race, not afterwards. But then the camera panned to what he had spooked at, 8 Belles was on the ground and not getting up. For those of you that know horses, this is NOT normal, horses don't just go down and stay down, especially in the 150,000 crowd that was there. She lifted her head and looked at the growing crowd around her. The view was quickly blocked by an equine ambulance pulling up and the camera trying to find some celebration to pan to. When they went back to her, there was two equine ambulances, one on either side of her. Not good I thought, they're trying to block the cameras and the crowd. I was hopeful that MAYBE, by some miracle they were not putting her down right there on the track.

I found out later the trainer and owner were celebrating as they made their way down to the track and didn't know what happened until a jockey rode over and told them that she was down and they were going to euthanize her. She was the first horse to die on the track at the Kentucky Derby in the 134 consecutive years it has been run.

We later found out that she broke both her ankles and seismoid bone. She was a beautiful dark filly and I'm very sad that she is gone, I would have loved to see what she could have done.

I'm going to keep my preaching to a minimum, but this is what happens when you ride yearlings and two year old (even 3 year olds). Horses aren't fully grown until they are 5, they have bones in their back that do not fuse until then. This is why these horses are retired so early, they're broken down. Maybe I'm a hypocrite for saying the industry is wrong but then watching the big races. I don't know what the answer is, maybe rounding up the age for all the races so that the derby is for 4 year olds, make everything a year later for everyone, than they would be at least 2 when the are started.