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| No | 49% | 63 votes | Total: 128 votes | |
| Yes | 51% | 65 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThe accident at this year's Derby was tragic and detracted from the excitement of a magnificent win by Big Brown, but I do not see any reason to blame Eight Belles' jockey for it. The gallant little filly ran a great race and might even have won if she had not had Big Brown to contend with. She was still running strongly at the finish and did not show any signs of pain or stress before she went down. Her jockey did not appear to be doing anything out of the ordinary, just letting her finish her gallop at the end of the race. If there is any blame to be laid, perhaps it was wrong to race a filly at all in what is normally considered to be a solely colts' race, but this would be unlikely to be the jockey's decision.
There has been a lot of talk about breeding, and in my opinion that is probably where the fault lies. Hybrid vigor should not be underestimated, and if horses are continuously bred from the same line, this is asking for trouble. It is common knowledge that highly bred dogs inherit weaknesses particularly in their hips and hind quarters; who is to say that brittle bones cannot be inherited from the small gene pool of thoroughbred horses? Is there not a risk in breeding from horses like Barbaro, with a history of broken bones?
Then there is the question of using steroids or other performance-enhancin g drugs which could have caused extra stress to her bones. If anything of this sort was used, I am sure it would have been a decision made between the owners and trainers, once again nothing to do with the jockey.
Another possibility to be considered would be a fault in the track of some sort, but surely other horses would also have been affected when running on the same course, and once again the jockey could not be blamed.
Racing horses at all at such a young age has always been controversial and anyone buying a retired race horse often has to contend with problems caused by this very practice. The veterinarians and trainers know of weaknesses that can develop in young horses, and even have a name for these - "DOD or Developmental Orthopedic Disorders". This is a subject that deserves further scrutiny.
All in all, I would say jockey Gabrielle Saez rode Eight Belles well, without putting any excess pressure on her to win once he saw the way Big Brown was performing. He deserves the sympathy of the public for such a tragic end to a well run race. Let's not forget that she ran a very good second even though she was one of very few fillies that have ever competed in the Kentucky Derby.
Learn more about this author, Colleen Taylor.
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Yes
One of the most noble acts we can do as humans is speak for those who have no power. It also can be difficult and unpopular, even dangerous. People who have a financial interest in using those who have no power want you to shut up. You're affecting their wallet. So they say you are crazy. They say you lie and all of your ideas will lead to all hell breaking loose, the end of the world. Whatever it takes to shut you up and keep you from talking about the facts.
So instead of angry rhetoric from those who have a financial stake in horse racing, let's look at some facts. First, a young horse died in public. (Actually she was killed after she was injured, but that's another debate.) Second, there was a person who had control over her during the last, fatal minutes of her life. His job is to win races, not to love animals. Finally, the jockey, the owner of the horse, and horse racing in general have a vested financial and legal interest in this tragedy being considered "an accident." They could lose a lot of money, and maybe even go to jail if any blame is found. This is why they want this debate to go away as soon as possible.
But maybe the most important fact is: we don't know exactly what happened. So why on earth would we let someone who may have killed a horse get near another one until we find out what happened? What if someone was taking care of a child, and that child died? Would you let them around kids and hope for the best? Or would you keep them away from kids until you knew what really happened? Maybe they're innocent, and maybe they're not. That's the point of a legal investigation.
And whatever fate awaits the jockey, it won't be as bad or as tragic as what happened to Eight Belles. Before you start feeling too sorry for the jockey, remember that is was Eight Belles that broke two of her ankles, and it was Eight Belles who was killed in front of a stadium full of people. And we're worried about hurting the jockey's feelings by questioning his actions?
Don't we have deserve to know what really happened to this beautiful creature? No one is saying the jockey should be locked up until there's a legal investigation. All we're saying is, "hey, the last horse this guy rode is dead. Maybe we should keep him away from horses until we know what happened." It's the right thing to do. And if you've ever cared about Eight Belles or any other animal, I hope you'll agree.
Learn more about this author, C. David Harrison.
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