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Eight Belles' jockey should not be suspended as her death was not due mainly to his actions. Eight Belles' death was due to inbreeding, bad training practices inherent in Thoroughbred racing and human greed. Eight Belles' two front legs imploded very suddenly at the Kentucky Derby finish line. A necropsy on her showed these implosions did not come from a previous injury. So, the jockey found out about Eight Belles' injuries when everyone else did.

Although this writer would love to see an end to Thoroughbred breeding and racing, pointing the finger at just one or two people will not get anywhere. This will make those pointed at become martyrs, in a way, and in the general publics eyes look as if they are being victimized. This can wind up doing more damage in public support to ban Thoroughbred racing than originally anticipated.

Some animal rights organizations like PETA are struggling with a public relations problem, where in they are seen as aggressors rather than as activists for positive changes. They are seen as being kill-joys who get off on telling other people what to do. Even PETA's vice-president made a podcast in May, 2008 urging members to be more polite and less "vegan police".

This does not mean that animal rights groups should just roll over at the issue of the inherent cruelties in horse racing. For decades, animal rights groups like the American Horse Protection Association and the Doris Day Animal League have been telling people that horse racing is a bad bet for horses. But not all racehorses that die on the track die on TV. 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand, for example, was sent to a slaughterhouse. There is not much of a general outcry about that.

When Eight Belles died on the track in one of the world's most televised horse races, it's only natural that animal rights groups would talk about the public's sudden interest in what really goes on in horse racing. In reading PETA's entire press release, they say that there should be an investigation first of the jockey and trainer before any suspensions are made.

One of the advantages of being PETA is that when you put out a press release, it makes headlines. In contrast, the ASPCA also put out a press release, and no one except ASPCA members know about it. The ASPCA did call for any one particular person to take the blame. They but the weight of blame squarely on the entire industry, especially in the breeding of animals whose legs suddenly implode for no apparent reason.

Sadly, until the inevitable happens and horses start dying in nearly every race or from training injuries will the public be shaken from its apathy. But until then, trying to make one trainer and jockey out as a scapegoat will not be the way to help any horses.

Learn more about this author, Rena Sherwood.
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