Wager On Horses - Crack the Books, Not The Whip

[Shame About Ray]

Following last week's Kentucky Derby tragedy of filly Eight Bells, there's a buzz swarming around The Sport of Kings and online horse betting fans across the nation. With hopes of not offending purest of the game or other hardcore rail birds, I'd like to chime.

You all know by now I'm one of the biggest degenerates in the sports betting business, after having made public I'd bet the over/under of another man's blood-pressure just for action if given the chance, so you know I frequent my local track (Beulah Park in Grove City, OH), and that makes me as guilty as the next track monger looking to make a quick buck off a sporting event fueled by greed and features total disregard for its athletes.

Coming from a family of hunters and fishermen, I rarely see eye-to-eye with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Yep, the same group of folks that'll push for the death penalty on a human that squashes a Daddy Long Leg whom suffers from arachnophobia. But being an animal lover, and having the utmost respect for the industry, I have to omit, I fully agree with PETA resurrecting the issue of whips being used on horses in races.

Also, I'm not ashamed to tell you, I've refused to watch replays on television or clips online of last week's Derby. Or, shy in saying there was nothing good about taking a winning show ticket on the 5 horse to the track to collect funds for my niece who bet on Eight Bells, of course, because she was the only girl in the race trying to beat the boys.

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[Stuart]

I thought it was unfortunate that Eight Bells died, and I do think that something needs to be done. I love animals, and I'm not completely against horse racing in general. I just think that there are things that can be done to prevent future tragedies.

I do support a lot of what PETA does, but in this case I'm not so sure. This was a real attention grabber by them. Running on different surfaces is one way the horse industry has tried to minimize this type of "tragedy" though.

IMO