Anybody watching the Derby?

[sitzlejd 0]

Just wondering if anyone else is watching. I'm picking Colonel John (10) to win and using Court Vision (4) and Adriano (15) as my sleepers. Good luck to those who are wagering!

[Chadd 916]

As exciting as the Derby was, the fact that they have to put horses down so frequently makes me believe that horse (and dog) racing should be stopped.

[Krev 86]

That filly ran a helluva race too.

[bheidepr 0]

That filly ran a helluva race too.

I saw that he is 4-0 and has won by a combined 34 lengths. Might be a contender for the Triple Crown.

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

That filly ran a helluva race too.

I saw that he is 4-0 and has won by a combined 34 lengths. Might be a contender for the Triple Crown.

The filly is done racing. She's dead.

[bheidepr 0]

That filly ran a helluva race too.

I saw that he is 4-0 and has won by a combined 34 lengths. Might be a contender for the Triple Crown.

The filly is done racing. She's dead.

I was talking about the winner of the race and you must have been talking about 2nd. my bad.

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

That filly ran a helluva race too.

I saw that he is 4-0 and has won by a combined 34 lengths. Might be a contender for the Triple Crown.

The filly is done racing. She's dead.

I was talking about the winner of the race and you must have been talking about 2nd. my bad.

Big Brown definitely dominated that race. I agree that he'll be the favorite to win it all. Alot depends on where his start position is. His trainer was really afraid that he'd have trouble if he was stuck in the pack and getting dirt kicked in his face.

[sitzlejd 0]

As exciting as the Derby was, the fact that they have to put horses down so frequently makes me believe that horse (and dog) racing should be stopped.

I guess I'm a little biased b/c I've grown up around racing, but I don't think that the tragedies outweigh the benefits. These horses love to run, it's their natural instinct. Thoroughbreds aren't strong enough to do labor, they're only true purpose is racing. That said, I feel the impact of the death of a horse pretty strongly. It's extremely sad, especially when the horse runs her heart out like Eight Belles did.

[Chadd 916]

As exciting as the Derby was, the fact that they have to put horses down so frequently makes me believe that horse (and dog) racing should be stopped.

I guess I'm a little biased b/c I've grown up around racing, but I don't think that the tragedies outweigh the benefits. These horses love to run, it's their natural instinct. Thoroughbreds aren't strong enough to do labor, they're only true purpose is racing. That said, I feel the impact of the death of a horse pretty strongly. It's extremely sad, especially when the horse runs her heart out like Eight Belles did.

They're bred by man to run. Without people breeding for traits like that, the desire to run isn't as strong. They put down a couple horses a week at the track near my house. If that happens at each of the hundreds of tracks around the country, let alone the thousands around the world, where is the benefit? Investors making money off of ownership is a pointless arguement and the money lost gambling on them is often lost by people who can't afford to lose the money. In any case, there really isn't any justification for the continuation of the "sport", other than "it isn't that bad."

[mrusse01 0]

I read it's around 2-3 horses per 1000 races that need to be put down...pretty startling numbers I thought when you consider all the tracks in North America and the number of races they run.

[wildebeest 0]

I read it's around 2-3 horses per 1000 races that need to be put down...pretty startling numbers I thought when you consider all the tracks in North America and the number of races they run.

If 2 or 3 out of every 1000 hockey players died on the ice, hockey would be outlawed in the US.

Not judging horse racing, just saying.

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

He said races, not players.

[mrusse01 0]

Also, I said 'horses' not 'people'.

As much as I love animals, their lives are not, and should not, be valued as much as a person's.

[wildebeest 0]

He said races, not players.

ok then, that makes it worse. 2460 regular season NHL games equals 7 dead players per season if you use the 3 per 1000 stat, or 5 dead if you say it's 2 per 1000.

Like I said, I'm not judging horse racing, just making a point.

[Chadd 916]

Also, I said 'horses' not 'people'.

As much as I love animals, their lives are not, and should not, be valued as much as a person's.

That doesn't mean we should accept a number of deaths simply to amuse ourselves or to stroke the egos of rich people.

[brettlynch11 0]

Also, I said 'horses' not 'people'.

As much as I love animals, their lives are not, and should not, be valued as much as a person's.

That doesn't mean we should accept a number of deaths simply to amuse ourselves or to stroke the egos of rich people.

This may be a dumb question, but is it really necessary to euthanize a horse duie to a broken leg? I do not get why it cant just be rehabilitated to be able to live a life, even if it does not involve racing again.

[Chadd 916]

Also, I said 'horses' not 'people'.

As much as I love animals, their lives are not, and should not, be valued as much as a person's.

That doesn't mean we should accept a number of deaths simply to amuse ourselves or to stroke the egos of rich people.

This may be a dumb question, but is it really necessary to euthanize a horse duie to a broken leg? I do not get why it cant just be rehabilitated to be able to live a life, even if it does not involve racing again.

How do you keep an animal that large from putting weight on the leg? Not to mention the fact that in many cases the legs don't just break, they shatter.

[sitzlejd 0]

A horse with a broken leg/ankle etc. can sometimes be rehabilitated, I wouldn't say often, but sometimes. The major deal breaker is if the bone breaks the skin (compound fracture??? Is that what it's called?) Since horses stand nearly all the time, it's very hard to rehabilitate these injuries, and it's better to put the horse out its misery. Coming from a family that owns several horses and works in the industry, I have seen these rehabilitations go poorly. Remember Barbaro? They tried for a long time to keep him alive but to no avail.

Worst horse injury I've ever seen was at this years QE race at Keeneland. Picture thousands of well dressed people gathered around an ivy draped campus watching the horses parade before their race. One horse gets spooked, rears up and falls backward, cracking its head open on the brick pathway in front of everyone. They had to winch it up and drag it away. Ugly stuff...

I think racing is just one of those issues that will always have two sides at odds, with little middle ground. I can say, however, that the people that train/own/ride these horses do not see them as disposable. I've seen many trainers, owners, and jockeys cry after a horse goes down.

[Chadd 916]

They had to winch it up and drag it away. Ugly stuff...

That's generally how they get the corpses off the track.

[Hordie Gowe 17]

Finally got back to the track yesterday to cash in my winning tickets. My winnings from my $5 20+5 exacta is a nice addition to the hockey stick budget.

[brettlynch11 0]

A horse with a broken leg/ankle etc. can sometimes be rehabilitated, I wouldn't say often, but sometimes. The major deal breaker is if the bone breaks the skin (compound fracture??? Is that what it's called?) Since horses stand nearly all the time, it's very hard to rehabilitate these injuries, and it's better to put the horse out its misery. Coming from a family that owns several horses and works in the industry, I have seen these rehabilitations go poorly. Remember Barbaro? They tried for a long time to keep him alive but to no avail.

Worst horse injury I've ever seen was at this years QE race at Keeneland. Picture thousands of well dressed people gathered around an ivy draped campus watching the horses parade before their race. One horse gets spooked, rears up and falls backward, cracking its head open on the brick pathway in front of everyone. They had to winch it up and drag it away. Ugly stuff...

I think racing is just one of those issues that will always have two sides at odds, with little middle ground. I can say, however, that the people that train/own/ride these horses do not see them as disposable. I've seen many trainers, owners, and jockeys cry after a horse goes down.

Ok, I understand now...I'm not against Horse racing by any means, I was just curious.

[mrusse01 0]

Also, I said 'horses' not 'people'.

As much as I love animals, their lives are not, and should not, be valued as much as a person's.

That doesn't mean we should accept a number of deaths simply to amuse ourselves or to stroke the egos of rich people.

Like it or not, horse racing isn't going anywhere. There just isn't enough public support to even think about banning the sport. These animals can be worth millions of dollars, that fact alone is enough for the industry to police itself somewhat to ensure that conditions are as safe as possible and to continue to examine new technologies like synthetic tracks, medical procedures, etc.

[Gwyren 0]

My issue with horse racing more has to do with what traits they are breeding for rather than the racing itself.

Are the horses, in general, faster than what they used to be? I have little doubt of that as the fastest horses are what are bred, leading to more speed.

However, is there a loss along with all of the breeding for speed? Durability, maybe? How many races did the derby winner run beforehand? 4 total?

While this is HARDLY a conclusive study I do believe that the reason we are seeing more of these injurys in big races is due to the fact that durability is ignored to gain speed as part of the breeding program.

[sitzlejd 0]

bump for the Belmont.

Casino Drive is a scratch, meaning the path is wide open for a Big Brown Triple Crown. Tune in today to see history.

[sitzlejd 0]

I may be talking to myself here but here goes...

Strange race to say the least. Once the race wasn't in reach Desormeux eased him properly. After all, the horse is worth upwards of $100 million in stud fees.

A little disappointing but I'm not a huge Big Brown fan anyway, basically b/c of Dutrow. I'd rather see someone win it after roids are banned.