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Animal ATTRACTION |
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May 2008
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Eight Belles euthanized on track. The cheers for, Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby winner were cut short when Eight Belles, the runner-up, was euthanized on the track minutes after the race when she collapsed with two broken front ankles. Eight Belles was attempting to become the fourth filly to win the Derby. However, as the horses galloped out around the first turn, the filly fell to the ground and jockey Gabriel Saez jumped off. The injuries were profound: condylar fractures of both front legs, a dislocated left ankle and an additional sesamoid fracture of the right front. The filly could not be saved, said Dr. Larry Bramlage, the Derby's on-call veterinarian. Questions like should horses run this young; is a 20-horse field too filled with danger; should fillies be running against males; does medication play any role in this; are dirt surfaces, such as those at each Triple Crown track, more dangerous than grass or the new synthetic surfaces; and has breeding caused a weakening of the talent pool, are being raised. Here is a collection of reactions from around the country. Note: Other national animal-related organizations did not have columns or information posted on their websites as of 5:45 am. 2 CommentsLeave a comment |
As a horse lover, this really upset me. What a tragic end for such a grand filly! Eight Belles was a magnificent horse! It's a shame that her life was cut short by such a tragic accident. There are so many things that are wrong with animal racing. Yes, improvements have been made over the years, but not enough. How do you protect these beautiful animals from tragedy such as what happend to Eight Belles? Yes, as the blog stated, there are so many questions. So sad that this had to happen!
RIP Eight Belles!