Comments on: Holy crap.

By: Ledasmom

Ledasmom — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:00:10 +0000

I’ve heard that Eight Belles’ sire has produced weak-legged horses before. She was quite tall for a thoroughbred, 17.1 hands, I believe - five feet nine inches at the shoulders; she may not even have been done growing.

By: columbusqueen

columbusqueen — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:13:27 +0000

The source of Eight Belles’ flawed breeding is Native Dancer, the “Gray Ghost” of the 50s. He was a brilliant racer, but had a problem with mushy feet that seems to be a dominant gene. He appears on both sides of Eight Belles’ bloodline.

By: evil fizz

evil fizz — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:06:13 +0000

Thomas, I think Fash is referring to two different things: Ruffian being put down as a three-year-old (which makes it all but impossible for her to have corrupted the gene pool) and then this year’s Derby.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:48:07 +0000

FE, Ruffian was not put down at the track. They operated, but coming out of surgery she flipped out and rebroke the leg, cast and all. She was put down 24 hours after the race — though I wouldn’t be surprised if the announcer said they were going to put her down; the injury isn’t usually survivable and surgical repair is usually a failure.

By: FashionablyEvil

FashionablyEvil — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:04:00 +0000

Thomas, I don’t see how they could blame a horse that was put down as a 3 year old?

I saw the race–it was sad to watch. The NBC announcer said they’d have an update in 30 seconds, and 30 seconds later the track vet was announcing they’d had to put her down. Very sad.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:26:22 +0000

FE, I’ve heard a different kind of misogyny: the theory that Ruffian (one of the all-time great horses, a filly who entered a match race in 1975 undefeated but broke down and was put down) bred an unsound gene into the population. Folks I know who train horses think this is just flat nonsense; thoroughbreds have been bred to be so light and so strong that they overpower their own bones and their own internal organs, and are always precariously balanced on the edge of ill health or injury. But some folks blame the filly.

I didn’t see the race, and I’m glad.

By: FashionablyEvil

FashionablyEvil — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:52:37 +0000

That’s disgusting, Lauren. Just eeeew. Yuck yuck yuck.

(I can’t imagine anyone who’s been in the horse business making remarks like this).

By: Zuzu

Zuzu — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:16:44 +0000

No kidding, Lauren. Lots of snickering about euthanizing the filly.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:46:47 +0000

Jesus Christ, I’ve heard more than one person (dudely persuasion) laughing about Eight Belles’ death today as a metaphor for the Democratic Primary. Because you know what’s funny? When females lose and die. It’s awesome, is what it is.

Watch out, Hillary.

By: Kristen from MA

Kristen from MA — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:41:25 +0000

To me this is just more evidence that when you mix $ and animals (dog racing, horse racing, factory farming), the animals suffer. I have retired racing greyhounds, so this is a trigger for me.

had moved to Chicago to get away from the mob thing now that’s ironic.