For the last few years I see a pattern developing in the media around derby time that a breakdown story or a disaster newsreel(warning explicit content) is shown on TV around the time of the derby. This year is no exception. With the same message being repeatedly broadcast and printed the public is being indoctrinated to equate racing with cruelty. I notice that when I bring up racing at mainstream non-racing message boards the same response of racing is cruelty is mentioned time after time. The response is very consistent. Back at the school yard another consistent reaction was for a crowd to form around a fist flight. What kind of crowd would a kind gesture draw? It would barely turn a head. This is human nature in action and it seems like the media using the dark side of racing to draw a crowd the same way a fight would draw a crowd.
The media is exploiting breakdowns for the horror factor. There is an audience for this. Go on youtube, perhaps the most famous of races the 1973 Belmont Stakes has 265K views while a video labeled Eight Belles euthanzied has 842K views. If it bleeds it leads, the media has found that there is bleeding in racing and has found that there is a audience for this type of content. These breakdown videos are almost like the sports equivalent of "when animals go wrong" or "worlds wildest police chases". Like a schoolyard fistfight they draw a big crowd.
The responses and comments on the on-line articles are predicable. The most common response is; "This "sport" is nothing more then rich people, with nothing better to do, abusing horses. ". These people making these cursory judgments are not bad people, maybe under-informed but their reaction is nothing more than a function of human nature. It is an easy response to understand. I have that animal-abuse-outrage button too, and it gets pressed rather easily. If I hear a story about an animal being abused or dying in a cruel way it outrages me like nothing else.
For many people all they know about racing is from these tragic incidents reported in the media. Between tragic incident stories there is a void of no information at all. From their point of view they feel compassion for the animals, and we can all understand that. To hate the people that abuse animals makes you feel good about yourself. There is noting redeeming or virtuous in animal abuse. Animal abuse represents the worst for human behavior and is often an indicator of a person with diabolical tendencies. The thought of the racing community running horses to death outrages people. In the vacuum of information someone that has never enjoyed horse racing could easily be swayed into believing that racing is pure animal abuse. This is why it is of the utmost importance that racing does everything it can to promote the positive things that people in the horse racing community do. The stream of negative stories must be balanced with positive stories. The kind care that the horses receive and the tireless effort of people that do right by their horses must be highlighted as the false perception that racing is abuse grows.
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Showing posts with label eight belles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eight belles. Show all posts
29 April 2009
28 July 2008
Godolphin Should Enter Music Note In The Travers
The fastest classic race run this year by a three year old was run by a filly. After watching the Coaching Club American Oaks I think that Godolphin would be shrewd to run her in the Travers against the boys instead of the Alabama. This years filly group has been a bumper crop. Eight Belles, Proud Spell, Little Belle, Music Note and Pure Clan are the leaders of an outstanding group of three year old fillys. The Alabama could be as strong or even stronger than the Travers for a smaller purse. If Godolphin runs Music Note in the Travers they still have the capable Little Belle to represent the blue and white in the Alabama. Not only will Music Note have a great shot to win the Travers but she will have an extra week of rest to prepare for the race. It would truly be a highlight of the racing season at Saratoga if Music Note hits a high note in the Travers.
17 May 2008
Is Overbreeding to Native Dancer Responsible For All Of These Breakdowns?
Very interesting article by William Nack on the overbreeding to Native Dancer and how that is causing so many breakdowns in American racehorses. They just may be on to something, so I did some work on pedigree query researching the pedigrees of every high profile breakdown victim of the last few years. Every single one of them had multiple crosses of Native dancer in their pedigree, representing massive inbreeding. It inspired me to take a closer look at pedigree and breakdowns.
On the flip side I did some research on some of our old warriors. The iron horses that have campaigned year after year, virtually injury free. Out of a selection iron horses like Evening Attire, Spooky Mulder, Naughty New Yorker, Broad Brush, Say Florida Sandy and Arromanches only Broad Brush is free of Native Dancer blood so it is very hard to even find a horse out there without the Native Dancer blood. However most of the old warriors are not inbreed to Native Dancer like the tragic breakdown victims Eight Belles, Barbaro, George Washington, Mending Fences, and Pine Island. Most of the old warriors had balanced pedigrees with sound influences like Damascus well represented in the pedigree.
On a similar note there is the offspring of Unbridled and how it relates to Eight Belles. On youtube they have the ABC pre-race coverage of the 1990 Belmont Stakes available for viewing. It it an interesting watch as you can catch a glimpse of the game before drugs like Lasix were legal everywhere. Before the Belmont Stakes the hosts of the coverage openly doubt the favorite Unbridled's ability to race in New York due to the lack of lasix in New York. At the time New York was the only triple crown jurisdiction to restrict the use of lasix. As they hit the 3/8th pole Unbridled spit the bit. Did he spit the bit because he could not race on his anti-bleeding medication? The horses effort was completely unlike his derby triumph 5 weeks earlier when he had the benefit of lasix. Unbridled is of course the Sire of Unbridleds Song who retired unsound early in his three year old season and is the sire of Eight Belles. Could this be a case of a unsound, drug addicted sire passing his unsound genetic DNA to generation after generation?
On the flip side I did some research on some of our old warriors. The iron horses that have campaigned year after year, virtually injury free. Out of a selection iron horses like Evening Attire, Spooky Mulder, Naughty New Yorker, Broad Brush, Say Florida Sandy and Arromanches only Broad Brush is free of Native Dancer blood so it is very hard to even find a horse out there without the Native Dancer blood. However most of the old warriors are not inbreed to Native Dancer like the tragic breakdown victims Eight Belles, Barbaro, George Washington, Mending Fences, and Pine Island. Most of the old warriors had balanced pedigrees with sound influences like Damascus well represented in the pedigree.
On a similar note there is the offspring of Unbridled and how it relates to Eight Belles. On youtube they have the ABC pre-race coverage of the 1990 Belmont Stakes available for viewing. It it an interesting watch as you can catch a glimpse of the game before drugs like Lasix were legal everywhere. Before the Belmont Stakes the hosts of the coverage openly doubt the favorite Unbridled's ability to race in New York due to the lack of lasix in New York. At the time New York was the only triple crown jurisdiction to restrict the use of lasix. As they hit the 3/8th pole Unbridled spit the bit. Did he spit the bit because he could not race on his anti-bleeding medication? The horses effort was completely unlike his derby triumph 5 weeks earlier when he had the benefit of lasix. Unbridled is of course the Sire of Unbridleds Song who retired unsound early in his three year old season and is the sire of Eight Belles. Could this be a case of a unsound, drug addicted sire passing his unsound genetic DNA to generation after generation?
16 May 2008
More Riding On The Preakness Than The Purse
My most prominent wish for the Preakness is that all the horses return to their barns ambulatory and safe. Never before have a felt like this before a horse race. It is like the game of racing is carrying a Ming vase while crossing a tight rope, fighting a strong crosswind with a huge crowd watching every move. If racing breaks the Vase public opinion may damn the game to exile, like fringe sports such as dog racing or Jai-Alai. Despite the promises of many not to watch racing, I am sure the Preakness will garner a huge TV audience, fueled by the headlines of Eight Belles breakdown, people will be very curious to see what happens in the Preakness. Should tragedy strike once again, it would be like racing broke the Ming vase they promised to carry to safety, the uproar will be deafening and certainly understandable. The public is losing patience with horses breaking down on TV.
The Preakness axis of attention centers around Big Brown. He is of course a prohibitive favorite to win. I will be rooting for him to win to set up a huge showdown at Belmont. Racing needs redemption and Big Brown and his connections can redeem the game with a few more wins and doing the right thing with the horse and his campaign. IEAH has taken a beating in the media but it is not justified. So far they have been nothing but successful in a very tough game. Perhaps they are victims of racetrack jealousy, and having names that end in vowels. Hopefully they do right for the game.
Like Washington Irving would, I will be making a few bets on the New York Bred Icabad Crane. Hopefully he can figure out a way to finish off the exacta as Big Brown romps to a commanding victory. Mostly I hope they all come back safe.
The Preakness axis of attention centers around Big Brown. He is of course a prohibitive favorite to win. I will be rooting for him to win to set up a huge showdown at Belmont. Racing needs redemption and Big Brown and his connections can redeem the game with a few more wins and doing the right thing with the horse and his campaign. IEAH has taken a beating in the media but it is not justified. So far they have been nothing but successful in a very tough game. Perhaps they are victims of racetrack jealousy, and having names that end in vowels. Hopefully they do right for the game.
Like Washington Irving would, I will be making a few bets on the New York Bred Icabad Crane. Hopefully he can figure out a way to finish off the exacta as Big Brown romps to a commanding victory. Mostly I hope they all come back safe.
Pavlov's Dogs Have Learned Their Lessons Well After The Eight Belles Tragedy
In the wake of the Eight Belles tragedy, the masses have learned to make an association between horse racing and animal cruelty. 38% of Americans questioned a a gallup poll support baning Horse racing. The association between racing and cruelty has spread fast on the heels of the publicity generated by the triple crown races. Soon going to a horse race will be the social opposite of buying organic food from whole foods, it represents greed, cruelty to the environment and not feeling good about yourself and your consumer purchases.
Interesting read over at the Daily Mail from the UK. The interesting part was all of the American posters on this article on horse racing basically said the same thing over and over again. It looks like some of the European posters have learned some of these lessons too. Like Pavlov's dogs answering a bell Americans seem to give the same reaction over and over again when the subject of horse racing is brought up. Looks like racing has made it's way to the same list as child abductions, Nazi's, the war in Iraq, terrorists and high gas prices. Just go against any of these things and you can instantly claim the high moral ground and feel good about yourself fighting the good fight while giving no effort to the cause and knowing absolutely nothing about what you are talking about. Racing now generates a response or more of a reflex that it is "all about greed and human entertainment". It is the same response over and over again.
While it is certainly valid to feel empathy towards an animal in distress these people are not showing empathy, this is something different. They are saying I am better than you because I do not approve of an activity where a horse can be hurt, you are a disgusting, greedy, animal abuser for liking horse racing. Publicly denouncing racing on the internet or the water cooler is the new and hot way to feel good about yourself. While I hate to see racing dragged through the mud like this, I do hope this black eye on racing is necessary to bring about positive change.
some American responses to these photos;
This is animal cruelty.
Interesting read over at the Daily Mail from the UK. The interesting part was all of the American posters on this article on horse racing basically said the same thing over and over again. It looks like some of the European posters have learned some of these lessons too. Like Pavlov's dogs answering a bell Americans seem to give the same reaction over and over again when the subject of horse racing is brought up. Looks like racing has made it's way to the same list as child abductions, Nazi's, the war in Iraq, terrorists and high gas prices. Just go against any of these things and you can instantly claim the high moral ground and feel good about yourself fighting the good fight while giving no effort to the cause and knowing absolutely nothing about what you are talking about. Racing now generates a response or more of a reflex that it is "all about greed and human entertainment". It is the same response over and over again.
While it is certainly valid to feel empathy towards an animal in distress these people are not showing empathy, this is something different. They are saying I am better than you because I do not approve of an activity where a horse can be hurt, you are a disgusting, greedy, animal abuser for liking horse racing. Publicly denouncing racing on the internet or the water cooler is the new and hot way to feel good about yourself. While I hate to see racing dragged through the mud like this, I do hope this black eye on racing is necessary to bring about positive change.
some American responses to these photos;
This is animal cruelty.
- Romina, Pennsylvania, USA
I don't like horse racing. I couldn't care less if it is the sport of kings or traditional. It is hard on the animals. But no one cares since it brings in millions. Makes me sick.
- Louise, USA
Poor horse! I'm so glad she was uninjured!
- Lisa-Marie, California, USA
Horse racing and shows make me so sick for the animals. They run such a terrible risk of injury and are often put down when that happens. It's simply disgusting.
- Melissa Kairuz, NYC, USA
First the Derby, now this. Poor animal. Even though she is okay, it is cruel and inhumane to continue with races. It's all about greed and human entertainment.
- Maria, Maine, USA
13 May 2008
Are the masses really this dumb?
Since the Eight Belles tragedy a whole lot of people have come out of the wood work to comment about racing. Now that we have heard what they have to say it is a bit laughable how the complexities and vague questions associated with racing stump the average sports writer. The sportswriters are better than the internet commentators who are woefully misinformed. While the temporary presence of the masses may be helpful to initiate much needed change their constant presence would be annoying. (maybe good for the parimutuel pools though) Here are the top three articles representing the clueless. However the most laughable comments are available in the comments section of many articles.
1. Is racing barbaric?
2. The Cancer of Sports
3. This article was soiled with condiments
1. Is racing barbaric?
2. The Cancer of Sports
3. This article was soiled with condiments
08 May 2008
Realistic Change Is Quite Simple For Racing
In the wake of the Eight Belles tragedy, there has been a tremendous amount of talk about the safety of racing. Some of the talk has been moronic, uninformed while some has been on-point. It is important that some changes are made at this time while the spotlight is on racing and the game has tremendous public opinion leverage. The changes must be realistic and directly effect the results while not causing any undue economic harm to people that are struggling to make ends meet within the industry. Over at Paul Moran's blog Mr. Moran posted a letter from a fan that was completely on-point and I would like to echo that fans sentiments here. Ross A. Fowler really got it right and I hope his letter becomes the axis of change in the industry. The focus in the wake of the Eight Belles death should be on banning all raceday medications and a focus on safer dirt tracks. These are workable areas where the industry can affect real change.
Safe dirt surfaces exist. This wheel does not need to be re-invented. At Saratoga the cushion is deep and it is rare to see a scene like the one we witnessed in the Kentucky Derby 134. If dirt tracks are maintained like Saratoga with a deep cushion and not compressed hard as a rock every time it rained, a safer surface would be a result. We all know it rained hard the day before the Derby and the morning of. The track maintenance crew was out there sealing Churchill's dirt track down to a hard super-highway to make it impervious to the rains. When horses run over this hard super-highway we get Eight Belles type incidents. If Churchill had the most modern drainage system there would be no need to seal the surface every time it rained. The focus should be on, optimum drainage and a deep cushion. A sound surface is well engineered from top to bottom. We do not need slow synthetic surfaces with drugged up unsound horses toiling from wire to wire, in a unformful poly-procession. Dirt form has been established as the form of American racing and safe dirt surfaces are available if tracks have the knowledge and ability to install and maintain them. Poorly maintained surfaces like the old dirt at Santa Anita, Del Mar and Arlington should have been engineered with Saratoga as a model. They did not need to be scrapped for the poly-track band-aid cure with its empty promises of no maintenance and fewer injuries. Adding safer, deep dirt surfaces to existing tracks will protect the integrity of the horses legs while protecting the interest in the game.
The second change that needs to be made is on raceday medication. The USA should adopt European medication standards and ban all raceday medication. Now is the time while the public sentiment is huge, the leverage is there to change the game. This is a realistic change that can happen soon. Most of the world races clean of drugs, with American horses racing on a mix of lalix, bute and who know what else we are the cesspool of equine substance abuse. The time is now to stop taking shortcuts and get back to fundamental horsemanship. The long term repercussions of drug abuse in the thoroughbred are beginning to dominate American bred thoroughbreds as generation after generation of drug aided inferior stock enter the gene pool. Stop the legal drugs and everything else will fall into place.
Realistic change should focus on these two areas of concern. There is a wide range of nonsense out there concerning use of the whip, moving the triple crown to four year olds, synthetic surfaces and increasing the minimum age of racing to three year olds. These are all band-aid approach measures that ignore the core reasons of the problem. It is impossible to legislate the type of horses that people buy and mandate a market that focuses on sound stamina horses. However the NTRA and the tracks can legislate that horses run over a safe dirt surface and do so without any drugs in their system. This is real attainable change for the greatest game and it should be done now while the leverage is there.
Safe dirt surfaces exist. This wheel does not need to be re-invented. At Saratoga the cushion is deep and it is rare to see a scene like the one we witnessed in the Kentucky Derby 134. If dirt tracks are maintained like Saratoga with a deep cushion and not compressed hard as a rock every time it rained, a safer surface would be a result. We all know it rained hard the day before the Derby and the morning of. The track maintenance crew was out there sealing Churchill's dirt track down to a hard super-highway to make it impervious to the rains. When horses run over this hard super-highway we get Eight Belles type incidents. If Churchill had the most modern drainage system there would be no need to seal the surface every time it rained. The focus should be on, optimum drainage and a deep cushion. A sound surface is well engineered from top to bottom. We do not need slow synthetic surfaces with drugged up unsound horses toiling from wire to wire, in a unformful poly-procession. Dirt form has been established as the form of American racing and safe dirt surfaces are available if tracks have the knowledge and ability to install and maintain them. Poorly maintained surfaces like the old dirt at Santa Anita, Del Mar and Arlington should have been engineered with Saratoga as a model. They did not need to be scrapped for the poly-track band-aid cure with its empty promises of no maintenance and fewer injuries. Adding safer, deep dirt surfaces to existing tracks will protect the integrity of the horses legs while protecting the interest in the game.
The second change that needs to be made is on raceday medication. The USA should adopt European medication standards and ban all raceday medication. Now is the time while the public sentiment is huge, the leverage is there to change the game. This is a realistic change that can happen soon. Most of the world races clean of drugs, with American horses racing on a mix of lalix, bute and who know what else we are the cesspool of equine substance abuse. The time is now to stop taking shortcuts and get back to fundamental horsemanship. The long term repercussions of drug abuse in the thoroughbred are beginning to dominate American bred thoroughbreds as generation after generation of drug aided inferior stock enter the gene pool. Stop the legal drugs and everything else will fall into place.
Realistic change should focus on these two areas of concern. There is a wide range of nonsense out there concerning use of the whip, moving the triple crown to four year olds, synthetic surfaces and increasing the minimum age of racing to three year olds. These are all band-aid approach measures that ignore the core reasons of the problem. It is impossible to legislate the type of horses that people buy and mandate a market that focuses on sound stamina horses. However the NTRA and the tracks can legislate that horses run over a safe dirt surface and do so without any drugs in their system. This is real attainable change for the greatest game and it should be done now while the leverage is there.
07 May 2008
Derby Shines The Negative Spotlight On Racing
Very few people take pleasure out of abusing animals. Our furry friends are mostly innocent, honest creatures who bring tremendous joy to our lives. When my cat died last year my family and I cried for a week and I still tear up when I look at the collage of photos we display in his honor. When a person is revealed to be an abuser of animals the immediate emotional reaction is that person is a scumbag. Racing is being called a scumbag everywhere we look today. When people lash out at those that abuse animals it is a valid reaction. However it is not a valid reaction in this case as people with little knowledge are judging racing on the merits of a extreme incident and racing is a very polarizing game where things are always at extremes, good and bad.
Larry Jones loves his horses. They receive the best of care and in return he asks for everything from his horses. Is he wrong to ask for everything? The fact of the matter is that thoroughbred racehorses receive the best of care on a daily basis. In return for asking for everything these horses receive daily baths, legs wrapped in lineament, a coat groomed and brushed to meticulous standards. There is medical care, legs are checked daily, the best food money can buy, daily rubdowns and rest when needed for top tier contenders like Eight Belles. The calls for the ban on racing are completely absurd. A closer looks reveals that the horses are like family to the connections and far from abused. It is a truthless statement is that these horses are abused on a daily basis. They are loved.
We have many people completely uneducated on the most complex of games coming out of the woodwork and pointing fingers at the connections of Eight Belles. Do these people understand the daily life of a thoroughbred and the daily life of the trainer, groom, hotwalker and owner? Greed drives these people? What a ridiculous statement. The fact of the matter is that most owners lose money and are in this for the love of the game. It is truly the greatest game in the world. The life of a trainer is a life of hardship, early mornings, late nights of worry filled with complex lingering questions with vague answers. The trainer operates on a level of passion that would burn most people out in months if not weeks. The grooms have a life of poverty and hardship so extreme that most of not all Americans have opted out of this line of work, leaving it to the only people willing to do the hard work necessary to get horses ready to race, illegal immigrants. Are these people animal abusers who take pleasure in the pain of their horses? They are not animal abusers. It is very easy for Joe Sixpack and Jane Do-gooder to use carte blanche and claim the high moral ground by pointing the finger at those involved with racing. However these accusations made at the Eight Belles connections are invalid and without truth. What happened is unquestionably horrible and unfortunate. The fact of the matter is that it was more accident than abuse.
Racing is a game where everybody gives everything. The owners risk their money on a dream and sometimes lose it all and usually lose most of it. The trainers forsake a normal life to be with the horses and do what they love. The jockeys risk their lives for the love of speed. The best horses like Eight Belles put it all on the line and they do it willingly. All for the joy of speed, the validation that comes with proving you are best, they continue with that game. Yes sometimes the horses do breakdown. Is it worth pushing these horses to extremes to extract the glory, excitement and triumph to endure a few scenes of horrible gore? I do not know. What we do know is that the racing is one of the finest strains of spectator pleasure when everything goes well. But if someone did not want to watch racing due to the small chance of witnessing a breakdown I can understand that.
The entire game is a beautiful spectacle of nature. In nature it is the best that thrives. Racing is a game that reflects nature in its truest sense. To be the best in nature one must give their all, there is no society to protect mediocrity like the protections that people enjoy. Like in nature those that take the biggest risks in racing become boss. Some want to do away with racing for the ugly risks that are inherent with horses giving there all. Leaving us with no great game to follow and just some mediocre games to follow where people wear helmets, pads, complain and there is little glory, passion or excitement. Unfortunately where there is a overabundance of passion, adrenaline, speed and emotion nature extracts a cost. The glory, excitement and triumph is not free. Unfortunately on the biggest of stages a gallant filly who truly gave her all went over the edge in a ugly, gruesome and horrible way. Nature extracted a payment while a champion basked in all his glory mere yards away.
Larry Jones loves his horses. They receive the best of care and in return he asks for everything from his horses. Is he wrong to ask for everything? The fact of the matter is that thoroughbred racehorses receive the best of care on a daily basis. In return for asking for everything these horses receive daily baths, legs wrapped in lineament, a coat groomed and brushed to meticulous standards. There is medical care, legs are checked daily, the best food money can buy, daily rubdowns and rest when needed for top tier contenders like Eight Belles. The calls for the ban on racing are completely absurd. A closer looks reveals that the horses are like family to the connections and far from abused. It is a truthless statement is that these horses are abused on a daily basis. They are loved.
We have many people completely uneducated on the most complex of games coming out of the woodwork and pointing fingers at the connections of Eight Belles. Do these people understand the daily life of a thoroughbred and the daily life of the trainer, groom, hotwalker and owner? Greed drives these people? What a ridiculous statement. The fact of the matter is that most owners lose money and are in this for the love of the game. It is truly the greatest game in the world. The life of a trainer is a life of hardship, early mornings, late nights of worry filled with complex lingering questions with vague answers. The trainer operates on a level of passion that would burn most people out in months if not weeks. The grooms have a life of poverty and hardship so extreme that most of not all Americans have opted out of this line of work, leaving it to the only people willing to do the hard work necessary to get horses ready to race, illegal immigrants. Are these people animal abusers who take pleasure in the pain of their horses? They are not animal abusers. It is very easy for Joe Sixpack and Jane Do-gooder to use carte blanche and claim the high moral ground by pointing the finger at those involved with racing. However these accusations made at the Eight Belles connections are invalid and without truth. What happened is unquestionably horrible and unfortunate. The fact of the matter is that it was more accident than abuse.
Racing is a game where everybody gives everything. The owners risk their money on a dream and sometimes lose it all and usually lose most of it. The trainers forsake a normal life to be with the horses and do what they love. The jockeys risk their lives for the love of speed. The best horses like Eight Belles put it all on the line and they do it willingly. All for the joy of speed, the validation that comes with proving you are best, they continue with that game. Yes sometimes the horses do breakdown. Is it worth pushing these horses to extremes to extract the glory, excitement and triumph to endure a few scenes of horrible gore? I do not know. What we do know is that the racing is one of the finest strains of spectator pleasure when everything goes well. But if someone did not want to watch racing due to the small chance of witnessing a breakdown I can understand that.
The entire game is a beautiful spectacle of nature. In nature it is the best that thrives. Racing is a game that reflects nature in its truest sense. To be the best in nature one must give their all, there is no society to protect mediocrity like the protections that people enjoy. Like in nature those that take the biggest risks in racing become boss. Some want to do away with racing for the ugly risks that are inherent with horses giving there all. Leaving us with no great game to follow and just some mediocre games to follow where people wear helmets, pads, complain and there is little glory, passion or excitement. Unfortunately where there is a overabundance of passion, adrenaline, speed and emotion nature extracts a cost. The glory, excitement and triumph is not free. Unfortunately on the biggest of stages a gallant filly who truly gave her all went over the edge in a ugly, gruesome and horrible way. Nature extracted a payment while a champion basked in all his glory mere yards away.
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