Deadspin
Eight Belles is probably in Heaven by now, galloping in fields of clover on four sturdy legs and eating tasty apples. No, I'm not sure which friends she's romping about with up there (a safe bet; one of them is not Christopher Reeve). Down here on earth, though, things are quite unsettled. Who is to blame? Could the tragedy have been avoided? Does anyone know the whereabouts of Jeff Gillooly?
Such an ugly turn of events. As Unsilent Majority wrote on Saturday, it was rather disarming to watch all the smiling faces in the winner's circle celebration while a few yards away, a horse lay dying. NBC defended itself by saying that it didn't want to upset viewers by showing the dying horse on camera; but the loud gunshot during the Gabriel Saez interview was a dead giveaway.
Meanwhile, horse fans over at the Alex Brown Racing message board are furious.
I want to throw up still. Thank God I have all of you in my living room via the net. That innocent smokey gray creature with her adorable striped tube socks on her legs lying on the track still wanting to run is stuck in my head and I can't go to sleep. This is what nightmares are made of. Afterwards, these lady horses are forced to have sex with different men horses they don't know that well so they can become pregnant only for their baby to be taken away is sad. I will never see the Kentucky Derby as a festive wonderful event. We need to respect these creatures. Judgement day will come for us. — From: csantovena 2:07 am
So racing fans are not happy. PETA is on the warpath. And the Washington Post is asking the musical question, is horse racing on its way out? (I blame the blogs!).
But thoroughbred racing is in a moral crisis, and everyone now knows it. Twice since 2006, magnificent animals have suffered catastrophic injuries on live television in Triple Crown races, and there is no explaining that away. Horses are being over-bred and over-raced, until their bodies cannot support their own ambitions, or those of the humans who race them.
But at the end of the day, I think we're all left with one fundamental question. All of this animal suffering, and yet Wizard Cat does nothing?
Is Horse Racing Breeding Itself To Death? [Washington Post]
Death Looms Over Churchill Downs [Deadspin]
PETA Wants Eight Belles Jockey Suspended After Horse's Death [SF Gate]
Alex Brown Racing Message Board
Comments
Please oh please let there be another message board...
How guilty did people feel cashing those winning Place tickets? Not that guilty?
csantovena would make a kick-ass ESPN commenter.
Affirmed.
/getting it out of the way
Which will come first: Elmer's Glue joke or Alpo joke....
I was up until 2:07 in the morning mourning my closely missed trifecta.
miniature horses > regular sized-horses
I'm just sayin'...
Someone should check on Dee to see if she's ok.
Afterwards, these lady horses are forced to have sex with different men horses they don't know that well so they can become pregnant only for their baby to be taken away is sad.
I didn't know Santonio Holmes had any kids yet......
Think Barbaro has tapped Eight Belles yet in Horse Heaven?
What's with the background of that picture? Did Barbaro and Eight Belles drop some acid? Or did I?
@Spanish Necktie: I was asked to keep the Show Bet ticket, but I certainly cashed that exacta!
This thread is useless without input from Dee Mirsch.
Really, I thought that gunshot was hilarious.
Didn't Barbaro and the Eight Belles open for The Association back in '67?
SoccerThreadjack
Since when does Newcastle have the Canadian Prime Minister as its goalkeeper?
/SoccerThreadjack
Should've have been you Colonel John.
Come for the snark, stay for the misspelled names of 90s hoodlums.
Now THIS is definitely the BLOGS fault. We can't make fun of the dead-Horserati until they actually reveal themselves to be engaged in acts of over-zealous mourning and Posthumous Equine Idolatry.
Afterwards, these lady horses are forced to have sex with different men horses they don't know that well
This is truly shameful when you consider that most horses participate in years long courtships followed by cohabitation in the wild prior to ever engaging in coitus.
Actually, i think the lady horses only get to do it with one men horse. It's the men horses who get 50 virginal fillies.
And a comment from Mr. Horse:
+ Watch video
@Afino: Actually, he had 3 kids with 2 women before he even left college. No way you can keep an anaconda like that caged up.
@Reasonable Doubt for a Reasonable Price: Since Shay Given decided he can't be healthy for more than 2 games at a time.
@Suss--: Yeah, they sang "The Tighten Up (Your Ankles and then Get Euthanized)"
If Tony Soprano is still alive -- that trainer better be lookin' over his shoulder.
That innocent smokey gray creature with her adorable striped tube socks on her legs lying on the track
Dear Penthouse...
As soon as Charlie comes back from Candy Mountain, he's gonna be pissed.
+ Watch video
At least Boxer has gotten some hommies in the last few years.
@Doyle McPoyle: Buzz?
Afterwards, these lady horses are forced to have sex with different men horses they don't know that well so they can become pregnant only for their baby to be taken away
Please don't spoiler the Sex in the City movie like that.
Afterwards, these lady horses are forced to have sex with different men horses they don't know that well so they can become pregnant only for their baby to be taken away is sad.
What happens when you're force-fed too much Disney bullshit as a kid? You grow up to actually believe stuff like this.
@Bobby_Big_Wheel:
My point is made! Thanks for the backup.
If the lady horses were better mothers and not hooked on Lasix, they wouldn't have their kids taken away from them.
serious
If science can come up with square watermelons, why can't they breed horses with stronger leg bones?
/serious
That innocent smokey gray creature with her adorable striped tube socks on her legs lying on the track still wanting to run is stuck in my head and I can't go to sleep.
I felt exactly the same way the first time I saw Catherine Bach on Battle of the Network Stars.
@shea_guevara:
Disney? These bitches watch Lifetime all day long. That's actually worse.
With my extensive background in internet trolling, I can say with near 100% assurance that csantovena is up to something.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that csantovena has a "schoolgirls in socks gangbanged" fetish.
Gunshot? Is that still the most humane way? I would have assumed some sort of injection....
/serious question
The text says "Eight Belles", but my mind reads "Eight Balls".
\Bissinger'd
Meanwhile, in horse hell, Mr. Ed keeps giving Secretariat wet willies.
My day was shit until Wizard Cat made an appearance. Bravo, Rick. Bravo.
Horse Hades, however, has plenty of free space to roam, and is populated only by the Headless Horseman and that fucker that paralyzed Chris Reeve.
What about for the men horses who have no other goal besides banging lady horses and never calling them again? She isn't concerned about their feelings, is she?
If you have a date with csantovena, she'll be waiting in Istanbul.
@Weed Against Speed: +1, I'm old enough to remember that show. They should bring it back.
William Rhoden wrote in the NY Times that horse racing is only a few steps removed from dog fighting. In other news, William Rhoden is an assmunch who sees everything in racial terms and will do or say anything to justify the crimes of a black man, no matter how heinous they may be.
@lisa: No, I'm sure it was an injection. I think the gunshot was a joke. I mean, I hope so and all.
Is Dee Mirich on extra-super suicide watch now?
@somethingvague2: I don't know, man...he's been a poster over there since March of 2007 and has over 1,000 posts. I bet if that website had stars, he'd have earned his already.
Thank God I have all of you in my living room via the net... these lady horses are forced to have sex with different men horses they don't know that well so they can become pregnant only for their baby to be taken away is sad.
I paid for that website once.
@UpstateUnderdog: +1
Who wants to see more reality stars competing in these things? I want to see Hurley from Lost going up against Judah Friedlander in an ABC vs NBC showdown.
I have Dwight Howard winning the Preakness by 3 lengths!
[onlinesportshandicapping.com]
yes...no
/Biss