Racing Kills the Filly

[Lora]

[QUOTE=Swale01;3187834]
Flame suit zipped, but I feel like this is something that SOMEONE needs to say.

I, too, am crushed by what happened to Eight Belles…but unlike a whole lot of people who want to canonize her connections and wrap them in sympathy, I am furious with them. I do a handicapping sheet that I circulate to a rather large requestor list as a hobby, and in my sheet I actually said that I bet she’d be ruined as a racehorse after this and might never race again. And it turned out so much worse than even I thought - because I underestimated her HEART, but not her body…

This filly was not properly prepared for the Derby. Period. She was the only HORSE in the field of 20 who had never even attempted a 1 and 1/8 distance. She had never faced Grade 1 Stakes competition. She had never run against colts. And they throw her in to this 20 horse madness, and she just outran what her body could handle. Recall that Winning Colors and Genuine Risk had both run against colts before their Derby attempt - and beat them - at longer distances. We owners of thoroughbreds know that there is a burden on us as owners not to overface them, because they are likely to try what we ask, wise or doable or not, with the work ethic they have that seems a part of their genetics. Her connections did not look out for her here - they wanted a Derby horse, already had their Oaks starter, so they sacrificed a great filly to get one. As all this sympathy pours out for them, I just feel anger towards them for doing so wrong by her.[/QUOTE]

fyi - on another site it was posted by people that were watching the derby horses train that she looked sore behind??? and did not look good.

[DickHertz]

[QUOTE=rabicon;3190771]

My question is Why do they start the TB so young? [/QUOTE]

$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$

[sisu27]

[QUOTE=cloudyandcallie;3186672]
Eight Belles was not “injured” as the TV people say. She was murdered by the racing industry which insists on running TBs too young on too hard surfaces too fast. Barbaro and Eight Belles and Ruffian and Go For Wand, wasn’t she the one who broke a leg in the Breeder’s Cub Distaff along with 2 other horses dying in Breeder’s Cup races that day? And every day in training horses break their legs at tracks all over the country. But it is not convenient financially to wait till horses are 4 or 5, and train them on turf and run them on turf. So the racing industry will continue to kill and kill, and the unknowing public will be told about “missteps” and “injuries” and continue to rmanticize horse racing. My mare survived 3 yrs on the track, and amazingly was sound. Go watch horse racing for a few days at any track, and watch the horses “break down”. Let’s see, what if we bred horses with gasp, bigger bones, and not those llittle spindly legs, and if we waited till their bones developed and matured??? nahhh, racing cannot be bothered with that. :eek:[/QUOTE]

[edit] Bet you think eventers are murderers as well eh? My eventer is an OTTB that raced for 5 years…you must feel really sorry for him, escapes the dangers of racing to be thrown into the perils of eventing. I am cruel.

I hate what happened at the Derby. I hate what happened at Rolex. We all do. BUT…you need to direct your energy elsewhere and get a grip. How about the back yard breeders breeding [crap to crap] and then are unable to afford to feed them? How about all the horses that live miserable lives and suffer at the hands of abusive idiots? Maybe you should try to get slaughter reinstated in your country so these same poor souls are not subjected to one last miserable, terrifying truck ride to be slaughtered up here in CAN or down in Mexico?

I’d love to see some improvement in all horse sport towards safety but if you think the racing industry is the most hideous thing that can happen to a horse you need to wake up. And if you really feel this passionately then get off your ass, up from your computer and go do something about it.

I get that actually seeing these things happen illicits an emotional response in people but that doesn’t make it ok to come onto a public forum and dismiss an entire industry as murderers.

[2_tbs]

@DickHertz;3191051

$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$

Yes, money would be a big reason but it’s not just cold hard cash and it’s not the only reason.

Horse racing is a BUSINESS! It takes a lot of money to put a horse in training and keep it in training. Just like anything else in the world, if you want to turn a profit and make a living you have to get your product to the public asap. Horses are no different. I addressed this somewhere already.

Livestock are all the same. Chickens need to lay eggs, cattle need to produce milk, etc. If they don’t they have to go. For the ones that are producing they need to produce asap so the consumer has their goods and the seller can afford to feed the livestock and the human family.

There is nothing different from a business perspective when it comes to horse racing. But again, that’s not the only reason. How about the Jockey Club put official rules in place regarding races and age groups around 1814??? Can we say history of the sport? This is an age old game, the sport of kings, and it comes with quite an extensive background. It wasn’t just eenie meenie miney moe when picking age groups.

[DickHertz]

[QUOTE=2 tbs;3191775]
Yes, money would be a big reason but it’s not just cold hard cash and it’s not the only reason.

Horse racing is a BUSINESS! It takes a lot of money to put a horse in training and keep it in training. Just like anything else in the world, if you want to turn a profit and make a living you have to get your product to the public asap. Horses are no different. I addressed this somewhere already.

Livestock are all the same. Chickens need to lay eggs, cattle need to produce milk, etc. If they don’t they have to go. For the ones that are producing they need to produce asap so the consumer has their goods and the seller can afford to feed the livestock and the human family.

There is nothing different from a business perspective when it comes to horse racing. But again, that’s not the only reason. How about the Jockey Club put official rules in place regarding races and age groups around 1814??? Can we say history of the sport? This is an age old game, the sport of kings, and it comes with quite an extensive background. It wasn’t just eenie meenie miney moe when picking age groups.[/QUOTE]

I said $$$ - because everyone knows if you have a precocious 2 year old the races are really easy to win. Everyone wants to win easy races by having a mature 2 year old which is why they want to race them so young.

[2_tbs]

@DickHertz;3191894

I said $$$ - because everyone knows if you have a precocious 2 year old the races are really easy to win. Everyone wants to win easy races by having a mature 2 year old which is why they want to race them so young.

I’m going to have to whole heartedly disagree with this. Does it make sense to get out there, make some money by winning early in the “easy” races? Sure. But that’s not why they do it. Most trainers have a plan for a horse. They don’t just enter into races for the sake of entering into races.

Again. This is a business. Not a joke. I’m sure there are some out there that don’t care but for majority it is a means of making a living. They aren’t going to do fly by the seat of their pants and hope for they best - they plan and they aim for the races based on the standards of the sport that have been set in stone for ages.

[wineberrywillie]

Bramlage comments…off Yahoo Sports

The Humane Society of the United States also weighed in Monday, arguing that horses are becoming more fragile because they’re being bred for speed, not durability.

“There are problems coming to light more than ever—problems related to breeding,” said Wayne Pacelle, Humane Society president. “Breeding too many horses, and waiting for someone else to clean up the problem. And breeding them for body characteristics that make these animals vulnerable to breakdowns, especially those spindly legs on top of these stout torsos.”

Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian at Churchill Downs during the Derby, acknowledged there was merit to that argument. He suggested there should be more financial incentives for horses who display longevity, rather than just the ability to come up big in one huge race.

“The value of a horse is no longer related to how much he can win on the racetrack,” Bramlage said. “It’s related to how likely he can get you to one of those events. The breed creeps toward a faster and faster individual, but that individual may be brilliant because they have a lighter skeleton. We’re inadvertently selecting for the wrong thing.”

To consistently say, death is a “part of the sport” is no longer acceptable. That only condones the fatalities instead of working to correct or greatly limit the deaths. There are those who came to the charge for the greyhounds but we seem to turn a blind eye to horse racing, defending the casualties as “a part of the sport.” The same goes for eventing (yes, I know I’ll get flamed big time) as the results from recent USEA events proves there is room for improvement. When was the last time we heard of a Dressage horse being euthanized in the ring? Point being, we should not accept any the conditions in any sport whereas death can be a consequence.

Those who profess, “I’ll never watch another race” only add to the problem. Your absence of viewership will not make a dent in the industry. Instead, champion the cause, unemotionally & intelligently, placing energies into making changes.

Those who defend the sport & it’s casualties, put it into perspective. 2 out of 1000 horse died needlessly. Surely that is an underinflated figure as it does not include horses in exercise & I am doubtful that smaller tracks keep accurate figures.

[Showpony]

“The value of a horse is no longer related to how much he can win on the racetrack,” Bramlage said. “It’s related to how likely he can get you to one of those events. The breed creeps toward a faster and faster individual, but that individual may be brilliant because they have a lighter skeleton. We’re inadvertently selecting for the wrong thing.”

Wouldn’t Big Brown be an example of that? He wins some huge races, maybe the triple crown, then is retired to stud to pass on his speed and bad feet. There probably are mares out there who also have bad feet but are fast and will be bred to him too that will compound the problem.

[EMWalker]

I just read this article of ESPN and even though it is by a sports writer it has many valid points.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3382235&sportCat=horse

I really believe that line-breeding has become a major problem for the TB horse industry.The racing gene pool is becoming so small and I personally think that this is why so many more breakdowns are happening today then ever before. Breeders need to get back to breeding not solely for speed but also for sturdiness and stamina.

This article goes into her pedigree and that her grandsire, Unbridled, all be it sires fast horse, he also has been known to sire brittle horses. Two of his breeding sons (Grindstone and Unbridles Song, Eight Belles sire) were retired due to leg injuries.

And yes, Big Brown has some horrible feet (I know all about quarter cracks having dealt with one the past two years with my low slung heeled warmblood) and just because he is big and fast will he really pass along the genes that the racing industry needs???

Anyway, RIP Eight Belles. If the Barbaro tragedy didn’t open enough eyes, I really think this one did so maybe there is some light at the end of this.

[Anne_FS]

The video link has Randy Moss saying upfront things like “PETA makes sense” and “I agree with PETA about some things” - for instance, the banning of whips.

During the interview RM said that PETA was totally wrong about the jockey (but we all knew that was just their brilliant this’ll-get-the-wire-services-to-pick-up-the-story ploy).

He also said that the whip issue has been in discussion, that he wrote a column about it several weeks ago, and that he talked about the idea with Jerry Bailey, who agreed with him. IMHO he should’ve said that FIRST. I don’t think everyone listened to the entire interview and what they’ll remember is “PETA said” “PETA’s idea” “PETA is right.”

Those on here are exactly right who said RACING needs to have someone who will speak IMMEDIATELY after tragedies like Eight Belles’. Reporters need sources. They have to quote somebody. They have to. Like Larry Bramlage. Always on to give the veterinarian POV. In the absence of a racing spokesperson, they still need quotes, so who’s there? PETA.

[Old_Equine_Lady]

I agree that breeding, the footing and the money all play a part. The issue as I see it is when are horse people going to wake up and start regulating themselves, before someone else does? That should be the first priority for all of us, setting up some rules that help prevent this kind of accident happening. Fix the footing, limit the age vs. length and work towards making the money out of a longer lasting racer, instead of a quick one with breeding as the final goal.

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;3193588]
The video link has Randy Moss saying upfront things like “PETA makes sense” and “I agree with PETA about some things” - for instance, the banning of whips.

During the interview RM said that PETA was totally wrong about the jockey (but we all knew that was just their brilliant this’ll-get-the-wire-services-to-pick-up-the-story ploy).

He also said that the whip issue has been in discussion, that he wrote a column about it several weeks ago, and that he talked about the idea with Jerry Bailey, who agreed with him. IMHO he should’ve said that FIRST. I don’t think everyone listened to the entire interview and what they’ll remember is “PETA said” “PETA’s idea” “PETA is right.”

Those on here are exactly right who said RACING needs to have someone who will speak IMMEDIATELY after tragedies like Eight Belles’. Reporters need sources. They have to quote somebody. They have to. Like Larry Bramlage. Always on to give the veterinarian POV. In the absence of a racing spokesperson, they still need quotes, so who’s there? PETA.[/QUOTE]

I kid you not, there was a reporter from the Washington Post wandering around the backside at Pimlico this afternoon “interviewing” the drunks. I can only imagine what that article is going to look like.

[TBHunterJumper]

Rest In Peace, Eight Belles… your legacy lives on, let your spirit gallop free in heaven.