Would there be this uproar if it wasn't Eight Belles who broke down?

Question

Any time a horse gets injured in a major race, there's a lot of attention. Barbaro got a lot of attention because he had won the Derby. But George Washington didn't get this kind of response at all. I'm thinking that this is getting tons of attention because it was the filly... everyone loved the filly and she ran a great second against the colts before breaking down.

So... if a horse that got less attention and ran poorly in the race had broken down, would we see all of this uproar. Say it was Monba... would people care?

Answer 1

being in 1 of the usa's major races it would get attention.... how much? who knows!

the fact is horses break down dailly, world wide.......but unless it happens to a champion, you dont here about it!  i think the reaons for 8 belles getting all this attention are

: it was a major race

:she was the only filly in the race

: she was destined for bigger and better things

Answer 2

I agree any horse that broke down immediately following the Derby would be getting this much attention.  It is not that the filly Eight Belles was the one, it is the fact that it happened at the end of the Derby.  Does many people know that a colt was euthanized on Friday before the Oaks?  What was the name of the horse?

I would like to add though that Eight Belles had every right to be running in the Derby. She did beat 18 other colts by a good margin.

Answer 3

Any horse that broke down and was euthanized on the track would have gotten the same amount of attention. Most people know darn well what's going to happen when you see more than one van on the track.

Answer 4

There are people that would say you sound heartless.  I don't agree with them -- valid question, and probably accurate.  It's the "other" versus the "norm" that always draws the most attention, and as a filly, she was the "other" in this case.

Once again, you don't sound "bad" in any way to those that think about the question from a psychological perspective.

Answer 5

Probably not. I think you are right- all of the uproar about Eight Belles is due precisely to the fact that she was a filly, and that she managed to finish second in what is perhaps the biggest race of the year before breaking down and dying. If it had been one of the last place horses that broke down, I doubt anyone would have given what happened a second thought. When I learned of the filly's tragedy on Saturday, I knew right away that PETA and the other animal rights groups were going to be up in arms about what happened- because this plays right into their philosophy that animals should not have to suffer or be exploited ( and racing is exploitation of the worst possible sort, at least in their eyes) so humans can be entertained for a few minutes. PETA is now calling for a ban on racing as a whole, and they are trying to get Eight Belles' jockey, who was in no way at fault, blamed for her breakdown and death, and suspended. Their goal is to make a public scapegoat out of him, and out of the trainer, Larry Jones. They also want to see the entire sport of racing outlawed permanently, without regard to what that would do to both our national economy, and to the economies of the states where racing exists- this is no fly by night sport. It's a multi-BILLION dollar industry which provides jobs and resources for MILLIONS of people nationwide. Not everyone involved in the sport is wealthy and a million or billionaire- there are plenty of small-time people out there, as well as professionals who don't even own race horses, but make their living off the industry nonetheless. No amount of ranting and raving on PETA's part is going to shut down an industry this strong- and any attempts they might make to get the government involved are going to end in failure. There is just too much money, and too many lives are at stake for that- both human and equine.

I agree with you- you are very correct in saying what you have. Eventually, this is going to blow over, because there is so much else going on in the world right now, and there are too many other things to occupy peoples' attention. If it had been any other horse that died on Saturday, no one would have paid any attention to it. It's just unfortunate that this happened where and when it did.

Answer 6

What's up Majestic Warrior,

i think because it happened during one of the most watched events (the Derby) along with Barbaro (not that long ago) it has gotten a lot of attention.  

Statistics show that there are 1.5 fatalities every 1,000 races (so it doesn't happen as often as people would like to have us think).  

i think PETA may be making the whole Philly issue a big deal- but Eight Belles was a big horse and it wasn't like she was so undersized compared to the Colts she ran against- i mean she was in 2nd...

i think a valid point to consider is that both Barbaro and Eight Belles came from the same breeding and so you have to wonder if they were just breeding for speed (that is actually quite a relevant question).

The truth is i think had any other horse died- it definitely would have been a big deal- just because something of this sort- is just so unusual and rare.  

Nickster

Answer 7

No.  I read an article last week saying that the day after Barbaro got injured, another horse was euthanized on the track and no one cared.  People don't realize how often this happens unless it happens during a big televised event.  And what about Chelokee (he is another Michael Matz trained horse who almost made it to the Derby last year but didn't and he won the inaugural Barbaro Stakes. He dislocated an ankle and needed surgery just last week.  The doctor says his chances are 50-50.  I haven't heard anything or seen many posts about him.

My guess is that at least one horse a day dies at some track in the U.S.  However, I don't think racing is animal abuse.  I think we need to look at ways to make it safer.  In Europe the main focus isn't on speed and they have a better safety record than us.  Most of their races are on turf and involve endurance as well as speed components.  We should also be searching for a synthetic surface that works (the ones we have now aren't much safer for the horses but at least people are not trying).

One unrelated note: While I don't think that horse racing abuses animals, I think the jockeys are treated worse than any animal should be.  Especially the weight limitations.  Something needs to be done about jockeys who put their lives on the line everytime they get on a horse for a measley $50.  See the article below which discusses "jockey abuse."

See the articles below.  The first one talks about the many other horses who got injured (with no fanfare) on the very same day as Eight Belles.

Answer 8

Any horse that suddenly broke both of its front ankles would get this much attention! Yes people would care. Do you care if someone dies?

Answer 9

ANY horse that broke down during the derby and died right on the track would be getting this much attention!

Answer 10

no....some felt she should have ran in the oaks. i say after the fact, she did beat 18 of the 19 she faced, she was deserving

of being in the big dance....