Mint juleps, big hats and dead horsesBy Ken Burger (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Monday, May 12, 2008
 The reality of thoroughbred racing hit home last week when millions of viewers watched a horse break down after the Kentucky Derby. It happens more frequently than horse people like to admit because these specialized animals run along a fine line between speed and death. Just moments after favorite Big Brown won the annual "Run for the Roses" at Churchill Downs, just as the crowd of 150,000 was cheering the 134th victory in this sport of kings, the second-place filly named Eight Belles went down on the backstretch. With two broken ankles, the horse that had just been the toast of many a mint julep and the favorite among all those pretty ladies in very big hats was done. A pall fell over the festive crowd. Everybody knew what came next. Within minutes, track officials rushed to cover the scene and put the animal out of its misery. One shot of a drug-laced cocktail, similar to what they use to execute criminals by lethal injection, and Eight Belles was dead. What will last much longer is horse racing's hangover. Razor's edge Two years ago we got a glimpse of how much people love these magnificent horses when a colt named Barbaro shattered his right leg just after the start of the Preakness. Having won the Derby, Barbaro was a favorite to take to the Triple Crown, racing's coveted trifecta that includes the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont. No horse has done it since Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed into the record books in 1978. Barbaro's fate became a tragedy played out over several months as every effort was made to save him. So compelling was the story that it came in daily, even hourly updates, as hope lingered for his recovery. In the end, however, the beautiful beast was put down, as they say in the business. Unfortunately, that happens more often than we care to know. Thoroughbreds are the product of selective breeding that produces big, powerful horses with small, swift legs. Racing takes this science to the razor's edge. And often beyond. Seven minutes Truth is, most of us watch less than seven minutes of horse racing a year. That's how long it takes to run the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont, combined. We gather in front of big-screen TVs, we bet, we drink, we celebrate, we move on. But there are thousands of races in America each year at dozens of tracks where scores of horses meet their demise in the name of sport. Horse people consider it a part of the game. A cost of doing business. Risky business. It's always been that way, but it hasn't always been so closely scrutinized. A hundred years ago, horse racing was one of the most popular sports in America. Right up there with boxing. Today, we've turned our backs on boxing because of the brutality. The question is, can horse racing be far behind?
Reach Ken Burger at 937-5598 or kburger@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 6 comment(s)
Posted by theronce on May 12, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I do not see much difference between this and dog breeders who breed dogs that have a high tendency to contract one disease or condition or another.
Posted by Thoroughbred on May 12, 2008 at 7:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would say that fatal injuries in horse racing occur LESS often than most people think.
The Kentucky Derby has been run for 134 years and 1,693 horses have competed in it. This year's fatal breakdown is the only one that has ever happened in the Derby.
While the Kentucky Derby may be the most well known aspect of horse racing to most Americans, in reality it's a small part of horse racing. The Kentuky Derby is just one race. Last year a total of 51,304 horse races were conducted in the United States. The number of fatal injuries sustained in those races was less than two fatal injuries per thousand races. We all wish that number were zero, but I still suspect that the number is fewer than most people would think given some of the media hysteria and comments from radical groups like PETA.
The high profile fatal injuries that have happened in high class, televised, races such as this years Derby and the Preakness two years ago are not representative of racing as a whole. One reason that you see more injuries in top class races, and injuries sustained by top class horses, is that what makes these horses top class is that they have incredible heart and desire to win and will, on their own, run beyond their limits to win. That's what makes them good horses. This isn't something you can teach a horse. And despite the best efforts of breeders it's not something you can reliably breed into a horse either. It's a gift that some horses are born with, but it can also be a curse as it is these horses with such great desire (the ones who will one day run in a top class race on television) that you have to worry about hurting themselves.
Horses die in a lot of different ways. Horses running free in a field have run into trees and fences and fatally injured themselves. The number one killer of horses is colic. And there are other fatal conditions and diseases that can befall horses no matter what they're being used for. The champion thoroughbred sprinter of 2005, Lost In The Fog, died of cancer. Horses have been killed in traffic accidents while being trailered from one place to another. Horses competing in horse shows have been fatally injured.
People involved in thoroughbred racing and breeding do not accept fatal racing injuries as "part of the game", they accept fatalities as part of life. And as part of a life that is centered on animals. Animals in zoo's and acquariums sometimes die. I've seen birds killed by baseballs and golf balls before. We've all seen cats and dogs run over by cars or seen them succumb to illness.
There's no way to make anything 100% safe.
Posted by cougar on May 12, 2008 at 9:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
way to jump on the media bandwagon, mr. burger. i'm glad you decided to write this article one week after the event. couldn't you come up with something a little more current? and, were you at the derby? and did you do your research? about 1 horse dies in every 1000 starts, a figure that has not significantly increased or decreased over the past 20 - 30 years. i'm sure the local carriage horse population has a higher mortality rate than thoroghbred racehorses. why are we not writing about them? it just so happens that there have been two instances at two very prominent races that has brought this issue to the forefront.
Posted by theronce on May 12, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe the horse racing industry needs to do something and maybe not. By the statistics cited in the posts, maybe there's nothing much to it. However, in today's world, perception is often reality. With that in mind, in the last what...9 or 10(?) widely televised races over the last 2 years, we've WITNESSED 2 fatalities (Barbaro belatedly) out of 10 races, 1 fatality in 5 races...not 1 in 1000.
Posted by KidYendor on May 12, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They need to test those new racing surfaces and see which ones may make it safer for the horses.
Posted by dmwallac on May 12, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm surprised Ken Burger has not yet broken his leg as a result of his serious knee-jerk problem.