An Animal Rights Activist's View On A Tragedy...

Although this is a blog meant to focus on baseball, I must address the tragedy that occured at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3, 2008.  Big Brown hardly shocked the racing world with his prowess on the track, proving to everyone why he was the favorite for the race.  Yet deep down, most observing the Derby were cheering for a filly named Eight Belles.  A gorgeous thoroughbred who had only five races under her belt prior to Saturday's Derby, Eight Belles shocked the world with her glorious second-place finish as a 20 to 1 shot.  Only moments after her achievement, Eight Belles suffered a gruesome injury that resulted in both of her front ankles breaking, one of which broke the skin.  Thankfully, equine vets acted quick and put the horse out of her misery but not before sparking a bitter debate on the future of the "sport."

As an animal lover, I was heartbroken to hear of what happened.  After 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke down during the 2006 Preakness (he eventually was euthanized), many believed the sport would change.  I personally swore off ever viewing the sport again, as I still firmly believe it is a form of animal cruelty in the disguise of the term "sport."

As a supporter of PETA, I am often torn between my own moral fibers and the fibers of an organization which more often than not, crosses the line between good and bad taste.  PETA tries to get too much done at once and, in turn, looks like a bunch of raving nut-cases (which some of them are).  Rather than calling for a ban on horse racing altogether, they should have stuck to one thing: seeing that a ban be made on 2-year-old racing, since a horse's knees don't fuse until age 3 and a half.  PETA is an organization that gets things done, but when you try to make huge leaps before baby steps, you don't get things done...you just look like a falling moron.  Horse racing needs to change.  There's no doubt about that.  Eight Belles' owner, Rick Porter, said she loved to race and she was happy giving her life for the sport.  She was a true athlete.  Rick, until you show me a horse that can say those words, I'm calling your bluff.  You're a liar and you are exactly what is wrong with horse racing.  Let's face it, horses are often sold to stud for an astounding $25,000,000.  It's a lucrative business.  But that's what it is...a business. 

In Japan, once a horse has proved to be un-productive, he or she is often "disposed" of.  Bill Finley, a writer for the New York Times wrote in an article on July 23, 2003 about Ferdinand.  He reported, "Victories in the 1986 Kentucky Derby and the 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic figured to have earned Ferdinand a cushy retirement when his racing days were over. Instead, his life apparently ended in a grisly manner, in a Japanese slaughterhouse in 2002, according to the racing industry trade magazine The Blood-Horse, which will report his death in its issue dated July 26. It is believed that his carcass was used to make pet food."

We don't do that with today's modern athletes so if we are going to call these horses athletes, we should treat them with respect.  Horse racing needs to change, but society must change first.  It's too late for Eight Belles, and unfortunately this will not be the final tragedy horse racing faces.