Full of Run

Practically growing up on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway teaches you things. One of the most painful lessons is that sometimes racecar drivers die. Luckily, that is not the only lesson. Heck, it’s not even the only lesson involving drivers dying. In their death you learn that they didn’t just die racing, they lived it as well. They were doing what they were born to do.

And so it is with the Thoroughbred. Designed for speed, these magnificent beasts only appear comfortable doing two things. One is standing regally, and the other is racing at full speed. They stand that we might admire their beauty, and they race that we might admire their heart. Like the brave men and women of Indy, they also sometimes die doing what they were born to do.

There are those who say that we should not race horses, calling it “animal cruelty masquerading as a sport.” They jump on any chance they have to show horse racing in the worst possible light. They will take a moment of tragedy and seize it to further their own agenda, often accusing those most in mourning of the worst kinds of behavior. Lead by PETA, these people are not much different than those who would protest a war at a soldier’s funeral. They are blinded by their own hatred of an industry they don’t even bother to understand. For if they understood, they would know that racing a thoroughbred is no more cruel than allowing a golden retriever to swim. But, since sometime somewhere a golden has drown, I am sure they’d want to ban all of them from swimming. THAT would be cruel, indeed.

The tragedy of Eight Belles breaking down while galloping out past the wire in Saturday’s Derby cast a pall over one of the truly great American events. Having just witnessed the tour de force put on by Big Brown, our eyes turned to the second place filly, lying on the track, outriders and security guards holding her head and scrambling for the screens they put up to prevent viewing by spectators. I know what goes on behind that screen and it’s gutwrenching. But, should this horrible event and ones like it prevent us from racing altogether and therefore stop breeding the thoroughbred totally?

As heartbroken as the thoroughbred community is as a whole in the face of such events, it pales in comparison to the devastating loss felt by the breeders, owners, trainers, and jockeys of these fallen athletes. Yet, time after time, these are the same people targeted relentlessly by PETA. Those suffering the greatest loss must further suffer the onslaught of insults, accusations, and calls for “investigations.”

Take PETA’s own words. They claim that Eight Belles was “doubtlessly injured before the finish,” but then go on to say “[If not] then we can probably blame the fact that they are allowed to whip the horses mercilessly.” Those statements can be easily translated to say “We don’t know what happened. We just know that human beings are evil and that this has to be the fault of one.” (For the record, the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority does not allow the “merciless” whipping of horses and has been known to hand down steep penalties for “abuse of the whip.” Something PETA would know if they truly paid attention.)

There will be those who, because of this event, never watch another race. That is certainly their right. There are also those who, because of these kinds of events, work relentlessly within the industry to learn how to minimize their occurrence in the future. Those are the people who are truly interested in the “ethical treatment of animals.”

My deepest sympathy goes out to the connections of Eight Belles, both for their loss and for the inappropriate attacks they are now enduring. I hope they never forget that there are plenty of us who know that they were just allowing Eight Belles to do what she was born to do. Her life brought excitement, joy, and fulfillment to theirs. And to ours as well.