In the 2008 Kentucky Derby, there was only one filly entered. She was a tall dark grey filly. Her name was Eight Belles. Eight Belles had a pretty good chance of winning The Kentucky Derby. She had several tough opponents. One of them was Big Brown, the winner of the Derby. When Derby Day came, Eight Belles had her own group of supporters, and most of them were women. In the end, Eight Belles came in second place and Big Brown won the Derby. It was an amazing feat for the filly. Shortly after she crossed the finish line, Eight Belles collapsed. She broke both of her front ankles. The track veterinarians and track attendants were there with Eight Belles trying to make her comfortable. After several minutes of trying to help the injured filly, the men realized there was no hope in saving her. She was so injured that the men couldn't even move her off the track. The track veterinarians brought out a giant screen and put it around Eight Belles. Behind this screen, they put the filly down. Eight Belles is a filly to remember. She also brought up the question, did the veterinarians really do everything they could for the filly? The results of the filly's death has made the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) alert and aware of the fact that there are things that are being done to horses that should come to an end.
Could the filly have been saved? Some people could argue that she could have. They say that maybe they should have tried to move her into surgery and operate on her legs. I don't think she could have been saved. There are risks when trying to move an injured animal, especially one that weighs about 1,000 pounds. The veterinarians said that they wouldn't have been able to move her because of the excessive trauma she had. The 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, received a similar injury, but only in one leg. After several months, Barbaro seemed to be improving. Soon after, Barbaro developed laminitis (an incurable hoof disease) and was put down. Eight Belles broke both of her ankles. It would have been unbearable for the young horse. A horse needs its legs to survive. In the end, I find it hard to believe that the filly could have been saved. She was too injured to move, and even if they did it would only take time for a disease or infection to take the young horse's life.
The death of Eight Belles was a wake up call for the PETA. PETA is the largest animal rights group in the world. When they heard about Eight Belles they took action. The group confronted the National Horse Racing Association (NTRA). PETA wanted the NTRA to ban drugs from being given to racehorses. The most common drug was steroids, which enhances the horses' muscles and breathing. The PETA didn't stop with drugs. They also wanted the NTRA to ban whips from being used in races. Some jockeys go overboard with hitting the horses. The horses could get physically and emotionally hurt if they were hit excessively. The last thing the PETA was trying to do was push the age back for racehorses to start racing. Horses can start racing at age 2. At 2 years old, a horse's bones haven't finished developing and has a higher chance of getting injured. This problem has arisen recently due to the way thoroughbreds are being bred. Sportswriter Sally Jenkins brings up this issue when she's talking about Eight Belles, "She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Belles This is a rising problem with today's thoroughbreds. They're bred for speed, not durability. Hopefully, in the future we can prevent an accident, like Eight Belles, from happening. It will always be a gamble with horse racing because in horse racing anything can happen.
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