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Eight Belles, 2005-2008
By Jeff Fecke | May 3, 2008
In nautical parlance, “Eight Bells” is the end of a four-hour watch. It’s also a nautical euphemism for the death of a sailor: his watch is over, eternally.
Eight Belles was the first filly to run in the Kentucky Derby in nine years. That alone was an accomplishment. But she didn’t just run the race — she excelled. Though she did not win, she placed behind Big Brown, which in a 20-horse field filled with the finest horses around is nothing to sneeze at. It was a fine run, until she crossed the finish line, and her jockey heard a sound.
Eight Belles crossed the finish line second in the Kentucky Derby today and then jockey Gabriel Saez heard the worst sound possible – a pop.
Saez said the filly did not take a bad step, but he heard the pop and tried to pull her up.
“I tried to get her to stop,” he said. “I tried to get her to stop, but she wouldn’t stop.”
Dr. Larry Bramlege the on-call veterinarian from the American Association of Equine Practitioners said the filly had a condylar fractures of both front legs. That is the same type of break that was suffered by 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro in one leg. She was euthanized on the track.
Speaking to media this evening, trainer Larry Jones said, “There was no way to think about even trying to save her. She ran the race of her life.”
Thoroughbred racing is a beautiful sport, but a dangerous one for the horses. Last year, I attended Canterbury Downs with a friend to watch the races, along with a simulcast of the Derby. In the first race run after the Derby, a horse collapsed down the stretch, and had to be put down. Barbaro, as you no doubt remember, won the Derby — and eventually died after breaking his leg in the Preakness Stakes. And this year, Eight Belles came in second in the Derby — and died but minutes after.
Thoroughbreds routinely race on Lasix to prevent nosebleeds, and horse racing has a higher death rate than any other animal sport. It may be beautiful, but it is also brutal.
Incidentally, in a little postscript, some idiots are already making a big deal about the symbolism of this, trying to tie it to the presidential campaign. After all, Hillary Clinton did suggest people bet on the filly — Eight Belles — and she didn’t win.
But the horse died on the track. If you think that’s a parallel worth pursuing, well, it’s your soul that’s in peril, not mine. As for me, I agree with Digby: “Resist the impulse to be cute about this. The horse died. You’ll like yourself better for it.”
Topics: Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, In Memoriam, Sports | 1 Comment »
May 8th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I am among those who are horrified by the death of Eight Belles. From this day on, I will not watch another horse race. It is one way that I can honor her. The death of Barbaro, which also affected me deeply, was separated by a significant period of time from the actual injury and therefore did not cause the justified outrage that the death of this equally splendid horse caused. These horses should not be racing – they have the hearts of champions but their legs are not built for this abuse. Now we will be terrified for the health of Big Brown as he races in the Preakness and, if he should not succumb to the same fate as Barbaro, the Belmont. When we all say “enough!!”?