Paw Print
Champions of the Heart.Passions and Impressions... all things canine, feline, equine and more.
Eight Belles
I worked at the Sun for ten years beginning in the mid-eighties and each year I spent an entire weekend entertaining out-of-town customers Preakness weekend, beginning with Black Eye Susan Day on Friday. It was enjoyable spending time at Pimlico and in Corporate Village (the more civilized part of the infield) and watching the beautiful horses run, although I was always pleased when the last customer headed home Sunday afternoon. Somewhere, somehow, since I left the Sun in 1995 I have developed a fear of WATCHING horse racing, either at My Lady’s Manor race or Shawan Downs. I saw at least one horse go down and kinda like eating fish—once I get a bone I’m DONE. The last time I saw a horse go down was at Shawan Downs and it was the LAST race I’ve been able to watch live. A horse down instantly zaps the sport and fun out of it for me, so I no longer choose to watch. Last night when I was reading the trailer on the news and saw that the favorite Big Brown won the Derby and the filly Eight Belles came in second, but had to be euthanized, I had the same experience I’m sure anyone that actually watched the race had, happy and then immediately devastated. After a restless night this morning I HAD to read the details; what could have gone wrong? How does this happen?... Why?...Why?...Why? How does a horse run a great race and then break down when galloping off? Of course I did not know this filly, the owner, the trainer or the jockey, but I do know it’s tragic. My heart breaks over all of the above; Larry Jones, Eight Belles’ trainer, left his seat in the stands to go down to the track and celebrate his filly’s finish only to find out she had to be euthanized; that’s tough stuff even if you don’t have a racing phobia. Eight Belles’ jockey, Gabriel Saez, only 20 years old, said “Mr. Larry, they had to put her down,” then immediately left the track without changing his silks. Jones somehow mustered the strength to say, “She ran the race of her life. She went out in glory.”
It’s difficult to say whether Eight Belles was better off than Barbaro, who fought for his life for eight months before being euthanized. It’s absolutely not hard to say that it’s very sad.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/04/08 at 05:12 PM
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