Weep Once More, My Lady

I love animals. If you have read this blog at all, that should be abundantly clear to you. I have been known to catch and release yellow jacket wasps from fast food restaurants and I contribute to no less than 9 different Animal Rights organizations. My yard is a veritable smorgasbord for neighborhood wildlife. And, I have come to love horse racing. And right now, I am wondering – again – if the two are compatible.

For the second time in 25 months a catastrophic injury suffered in a major stakes race has caused a magnificent Thoroughbred to have to be euthanized. In June of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, broke his rear leg at the start of the Preakness. While Barbaro eventually recovered from his original injury, a resulting hoof disease, laminitis, cost him his life in January of 2007. I was deeply touched by Barbaro’s story and after his death I lead my Rotary Club in the singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” in his honor. And now, it has happened again. I had only a brief moment to enjoy Big Brown’s convincing victory in the 2008 Kentucky Derby. While the announcers had just begun to speculate – again – on the possibility of a long-awaited Triple Crown winner, word had come that the runner-up, a filly named Eight Belles (pictured), was down on the back- stretch.

First speculation was that it might have been a heart problem. Jockey-turned-analyst, Gary Stevens, tried to be hopeful, saying that they may have been keeping her down to prevent further injury or to keep her quiet. But, within a minute, we all learned that the filly had broken both front ankles and had to be euthanized on the spot. My joy turned to an utterly sick feeling and once again I had to ask myself if I were being hypocritical in watching the Derby that I have come to love.

PETA, of which I am a card-carrying and financially supporting member, has called for the jockey’s suspension, saying that he rode Eight Belles through the wire knowing that she was injured. But, there seems to be no evidence to support that claim. All indications are that she made it through the race clean and healthy with her ears perked up happily. It was, inexplicably, during the cool down jog afterwards that she collapsed.

So, as I struggle with my own ethical position, I look for hints as to what I should feel. I try to tell myself that racehorses lead a pampered life, with the best care, the best food and the best possible conditions. Horses are born to run and enjoy running. That’s what I try to believe. Even PETA, the most radical of all-animal rights organizations, is blaming the jockey more so than the sport itself. Unlike auto racing fans, who revel in the most spectacular of crashes, there is no blood-lust among horse-racing fans.

But still, again, we have death on the track. And so, for now, with apologies to Stephen Foster, we sing: “So weep, once more, my lady / oh weep once more today.” But for Eight Belles, the first filly to run in the Derby since 1999, the weeping has stopped. Let’s hope this great sport finds a way to stop it permanently for the rest of us.