Eight Belle's Tragic End

Yeah, I agree. This is getting to have an unpleasant odor about it. I listened to a large animal Vet talk today about durability, and he made the point that there are breeders who do strive for it. So, it wouldn't have to detract from racing to require it. As for steroids, look what they do to NFL players.

I subscribe to a German Shepherd Dog database discussion board, and although it was a bit off topic for us we did discuss this tragedy. There are a lot of horse people who subscribe to that board, and it did make for interesting comparison as how breeders and fanciers are continually manipulating genetics through our selection to produce extreme traits that may negatively impact other parts of the body. It is very sad when something like this happens to such a gallant animal as Eight Belles, and it has happened to other fine racehorses as well.

Physical maturity; the entire package-not just the muscle mass, has to be complete. I understand now that a horse's bone plates (of the long bones) can require up to four (4) years to completely ossify and fuse. We have similar issues with the German Shepherd Dog breed, and know very well that we must allow a puppy to sufficiently mature before placing him in working exercises. lest we destroy developing joints.

I found it most interesting, that when a horse runs at full speed only one (1) hoof strikes the ground at a time. I cannot venture to say what is the impact force or its magnitude when a single front hoof strikes the ground at such a speed. The horse is a massive animal whose lower limbs seem to be quite small in comparison to its overall size and strength. A very slight mistep or twist must have catastrophic effects.

I personally think there is much blame to pass around with this sad death. Eight Belles was a filly competing with young male colts-theoretically she was no match for them. She was not yet physically mature, but was being placed in the toughest challenge of her racing life on a long course. Obviously she possessed a heart and sense of valor that would not let her finish in second place, and to some end this was her undoing.

We have watched similar, yet different type of manipulation with what we call the "American" German Shepherd Dog, or just American Shepherd as we say. These dogs are now for more than forty years bred for a look that nature did not select. And the "look" is so important that the health and longevity of the animal seems to be no one's concern. The animal has lost its working ability, its ideal temperament, and most importantly, its health. Why? To make fancy trophies and quick breeding bucks for the breeders and fanciers.

So, who is to blame? Perhaps all of us who choose to partake in the sport of horse racing, whether we are a breeder, trainer, exhibitor, jockey, or just a work-a-day Joe placing a bet. And even though there is post-race drug testing for all horses, certain drugs are allowed to be in the bloodstream during the race. I personally wish that PETA would crawl back under a rock, but I guess they have the right to exist. At least they will do what few horse racing fans are willing to do, and that is try to make the sport more humane.

Best Regards,

Ing. Robert Forbus

In some breeds or individuals, it can take even more than four years for a horse's bones and ligaments to mature.

The gallop (and it's lower impact friend, the canter) is the only gait of the horse where there is only one hoof on the ground at a time. Things like propelling forward and landing from a stride put a large amount of force on a horse's joints.

Yes, breeding and drugs definitely play a role in how the thoroughbred has turned out today. So does repeated pounding on hard surfaces before the bones are fully formed.

But we can't forget the size of the joint bearing the load. Look at the horse's "ankle" compared to the human's ankle. (I realize they're not true equivalents as the horse is actually running on is toe or toenail, but they do perform similar functions.)

I immediately thought of the filly Ruffian who suffered a similar fate in 1975 in a match race at Belmont Park against the colt Foolish Pleasure. The fillies should not be allowed to run against colts in these major races.

Three year olds should not be raced hard against four year olds and older horses. I'll never forget seeing Secretariat (3 year old) getting beaten by Onion (4 year old) at Saratoga. Of course having Allen Jurkens as trainor didn't hurt Onion's chances.

There is a lot of discussion lately about synthetic track surface as being less prone to injury. Apparently, it is widely used in California, but not NY or Kentucky (Churchhill Downs).

Another issue being discussed are drugs used to reduce pain and bleeding. The horse will keep running if he/she doesn't feel pain. AFAIK, these drugs were not used in Kentucky. Can someone verify this?

Finally, there has been talk about the whip. Is it really necessary to beat the horse hard? The good ones will run without being hit over and over. PETA will love this one.

Secretariat was a freak and his derby and Belmont times will never be beaten. His full stride was measured at 25 feet. He was 1,200 pounds and very strong and fit. Interesting that Ruffian and Secretariat were both sired by Bold Ruler. Secretariat's trainor claimed once that Rufffian was a better horse.

I don't agree that fillies shouldn't be allowed to race against colts. Look at Rags to Riches - yes, she was retired with a hairline fracture, but that's not uncommon among colts either. And she beat the boys quite spectacularly in the Belmont.

Go For Wand was a champion who broke down without racing against colts. It happens both ways. It's all about the individual's competitive nature and how hard they push through an injury. Some will stop when they start to feel pain. Others see the finish and continue to drive through it.

Unfortunately, until money and fame are not the ultimate goals in this sport, we're still going to continue to see a lot of breakdowns.

True. Both Ruffian and Eight Belles were extremely competitive fillies who refused to lose and this cost them. My point is that against other fillies they won easily thereby avoiding the extreme leg stress that they ultimately did face when running against colts. If these fillies were less competitive, they would have just quit like the other eighteen ("Eight Belles" case). Their breeding would not allow them to quit.

For Ruffian, it was a match race, quite different as there was no pack to fade back into. No way was she going to let any horse "beat" her. As I recall, she hit her head on the gate and for part of the race favored one leg.

The quarter mile stretch and the mile and one quarter distance at Churchill didn't help. None of these horses had ever gone that far over a stretch that long before.

The dirt track was supposed to be fast although it had rained heavily the day before. You will never see a synthetic surface at Churchill Downs or Belmont IMO. Tradition.

I agree with you in that fillies should be able to race against the colts. I saw all the races you mentioned and bottom line is if a horse can run, gender is not an issue. There is no way that I will sit in judgement of the owner, trainer, or jockey of Eight Belles because I know that this was not the outcome they were looking for. The industry as a whole needs a little revamping starting with the breeding shed and ending with drug use. There are many things in between that could use some modification, but in my book these are the two biggies. Check out www.allbreedpedigrees.com and type in the name of any horses from today or the past and look at their breeding. I think you'll understand what I mean by diluted.

I wasn't placing the blame on the owner or trainer of Eight Belles for racing her in the Derby. I think there are a variety of factors that have brought racing to its current state as it is in America today. Poor breeding decisions, drug use/abuse, and faulty footing are a few.

Pushing horses for decisions based on money rather than a carefully thought out training plan is just one piece of the puzzle. (Take the two-year-old in training sales as an example.)

I know you weren't placing blame on the connections of Eight Belles for what happened, sorry that comment of mine was made in frustration over the blame game going on right now. I realize that you are seeing the bigger picture. I think I mentioned in my original statement about the money issues, although I did not mention the two-year-old in training sales specifically it is another good point and definitely another piece of the puzzle.

Ruffian was sired by a horse named Reviewer who was the son of Bold Ruler. Reviewer was retired from racing early because of leg fractures and destroyed at the age of 15 (not old for a horse) because he again fractured a hind leg. While on the track Reviewer showed blistering speed and reproduced that in Ruffian along with his bad legs. I think what were dealing with here along with many other problems is a very diluted blood line. I know that we can't prevent this Eight Belles kind of accident from happening again in racing because accidents will happen, but we can make it better by changing the way race horses are bred and handled. As far as I know for the Derby they test the first for finishers along with a random horse from the field for drugs. The only drug they should be on post race is Lasix, if needed. I'm thinking that a synthetic track surface might be a better option for these horses but this is a fairly new thing in racing and like everything else we need more data. From what I've been seeing in statistics in California is that they are seeing less catastrophic injury in their horses racing on this surface.

It's good to see that there is some interest in this subject, even if it's a tragic one. There's also a been a good discussion of horse racing over in CR4's Animal Science blog. Check it out sometime. The blog's owner, SavvyExacta, would like to hear from you.

I strongly aggree with you. We don't make our own children walk before their time. ..... And if our children have weak bones, or not up to confirmation....we surely would not put them in a soccor game or cross country track...would we?

Breed for strong, healthy horses, and God Bless the farriers of these horses too.

Thank you, just trying to stir up enough dust to create change in a sport I love.

All genetic dead-ends are eventually self-correcting.