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May 8, 2008
So we all dressed up last Sunday for a Kentucky Derby party and placed our bets based more on sentiment (the ladies favored the one filly Eight Belles) and semantics (Bob Black Jack was a favorite) than any knowledge of the horses.
And we drank mint julips and were amusing in a fragrant way. And after an hour or so, we watched the race and were delighted or disappointed depending on our level of interest and the extent of our bets.
And then we were horrified when Eight Belles, who came in second, had to be destroyed after collapsing with two broken ankles.
The accident highlights the trend in modern horseracing to produce horses than can bring in trophies for a limited time before being retired to the breeding sheds. Such an emphasis on speed per se has resulted in horses that are often inordinately fragile.
At the same time, public interest in horse racing has been declining for decades and for a very simple reason: Horses are not part of our everyday lives any more.
Before the automobile, our lives were intertwined with the horse. We all rode or drove/were driven in carriages/carts/wagons and so everyone was interested in horse racing. But just over 100 years ago, the horseless carriage made its appearance and now dominates our lives.
So it’s hardly surprising that as horse racing has slumped in popularity, interest in auto racing, especially NASCAR, Formula One and drag racing has soared. Let’s face it, NASCAR racing is basically a flow of traffic – and we can all identity with that – but at 180 mph.
And we’d all love to drive at 180 mph on our daily commutes!
To be sure, interest in horse racing was sparked by such great horses as Triple Crown winners Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed. But Affirmed was the last Triple Crown winner and that was back in 1978.
Every year, we are treated to breathless speculation about the Triple Crown as the winner of the Kentucky Derby moves on to the Preakness Stakes in Maryland and the Belmont Stakes in New York.
But just as interest can be sparked by great horses running great races, it can be turned off by horrible accidents such as the one that brought down Barbaro a couple of years ago when he shattered his leg at the Preakness and had to be destroyed after lengthy rehabilitation proved fruitless.
And the revolting spectacle of Eight Belles floundering on the ground with two broken front ankles is certainly not going to attract the casual fan who dresses up but once a year to have a flutter on the horses.
- Peter C.T. Elsworth
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 11:51 AM to commentary
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