Tragedy at the Derby

byL Frank Carpano

As the only Phillie in the field of 20, Eight Belles was the Sentimental favorite among the over 150-thousand fans at Chuchhill downs.

In the grandstand where we sat, many had picked the number 5 horse and were thrilled at the race the horse ran.

From our seats, we couldn’t see the horses after they crossed the finish line. The first indication that something was wrong was when the horse ambulance went racing by in front of us… about 15 minutes later word spread through the crowd…that Eight Belles had collapsed and had to be euthanized.

It had been a wonderful day with a very festive atmosphere that quickly turned somber. Many Derby veterans said that they had never seen anything that tragic in the 134 year history of the race.

Bringing a tragic end to an otherwise thrilling day

(more to come later)

Iam a seasoned equestrian and proud owner of my third “ Off the Track “ Thoroughbred and not a fan of the racing industry. What the general public does not realize is these magnificent animals, who are out there running there hearts out, are still babies. It is not until the age of five that a horse stops growing & the bones in there legs are fully developed. Unfortunately, what happened to Eight Belles is not an uncommon occurance. There are horses being put down everyday on racetracks all over this country. I’ve spent time on the backstretch and have seen first hand what goes on “ behind the scenes”. As a matter of fact, there were four carcasses in a trailer behind the stable the day I went to pick my new horse up from a Massachusetts track. Through the help of volunteers & people like myself ,many of these horses find new loving homes & go on to be successful in new carreers.But unfortunately, many more are not so fortunate. These particular horses have sustained injuries so bad that they can never be ridden again. Some will find there way to foster homes through great orginizations like CANTER or RERUN but many will end up at auction and from there a slaughter house.