Unbeaten Big Brown comes through to win Kentucky Derby

[Cobra]

Hey my horse won, too bad I didn't bet any money.

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slug=ap-kentuckyderby&prov=ap&type=lgns

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Big Brown backed up his trainer’s boasts with an explosive finishing kick and won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday—a day marred by the fatal breakdown of the filly Eight Belles.

The cheers for the winner’s decisive victory were cut short when Eight Belles, the runner-up, was euthanized on the track minutes after the race when she collapsed with two broken front ankles.

The unbeaten Big Brown took charge when the 20-horse field turned for home. Under the urging of jockey Kent Desormeaux, Big Brown cruised to a 4 3/4 -length victory to become the seventh unbeaten Derby winner with his fourth consecutive win. The last one was Barbaro in 2006.

Eight Belles was attempting to become the fourth filly to win the Derby. However, as the horses galloped out around the first turn, the filly fell to the ground and jockey Gabriel Saez jumped off.

An equine ambulance came onto the track, but the filly could not be saved, said Dr. Larry Bramlage, the Derby’s on-call veterinarian.

“When we passed the wire I stood up. She started galloping funny. I tried to pull her up. That’s when she went down,” a distraught Saez said.

[Alonzo]

Horse wins race and horse dies, sad world when the winner gets the headline. Also ridiculous that they euthanize an animal over broken ankles instead of treating it.

[Cobra]

are you a vet, those horses are worth big bucks, they don't want to hafta euthanize them but that's the normally the only option when a horse breaks it's legs.

[Alonzo]

They're worth nothing if they can't race. I'm sure broken ankles essentially eliminate any realistic chance at that, unless they have breeding potential.

My father used to work at the dog races, and he said, on a few occasions, he found bones of greyhounds on the grounds and said most owners treated them horribly, only doing things that affected their racing performance. I doubt the horse owners are any better.

Oh well, no surprises I guess. You think my views on animals are absurd and I think yours are disgusting.

[Cobra]

They are still worth a lot when it comes to breeding them and posterity, a winner that makes it to the derby definintly is. These horses are super-stars and get treated quite a bit better than most "working" horses. This horse was hurt way worse than barbaro and even he had to be put down after extensive surgies to try to save him.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=2747087

The bay colt underwent nearly two dozen surgeries and other procedures, including cast changes under anesthesia. He spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted and was fitted at the end with an external brace -- extraordinary measures for injuries that most horses never survive.