Kentucky Derby Results and Race Recap

[I Heart Gambling Online]

Racing World Celebrates Big Brown
And mourns Eight Belles

A Column by Steve Davidowitz
May 8, 2008

The thrill of an historic victory and the agony of a mortal defeat were on dramatic display in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

The time capsule we carry in our sometimes faulty memories will never forget the linked images of undefeated Big Brown turning in his superb, dominating performance and the filly Eight Belles lying on her side near the inside rail a quarter of a mile from the finish line moments after she finished a gallant second in the world's most famous race.

Winning trainer Rick Dutrow was caught on camera in euphoric celebration while totally unaware of the tragedy that was going on a quarter of a mile away. Churchill Downs officials certainly should have clued him in, but Dutrow had every right to celebrate a most remarkable Kentucky Derby triumph by his lightly raced, undefeated horse who was so expertly ridden by Kent Desormeaux en route a performance that was ever bit as good as Barbaro's superb Derby victory in 2006.

Leaving the Derby, almost everyone involved in the sport was bracing for the inevitable recriminations in the media and accusations of cruelty that were sure to come from the extreme animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Spokespersons for PETA wasted no time jumping on any angle that could get media exposure. Some of their accusations were so unfair and misinformed that I shall not waste any space repeating them or bothering to spell out refutations that sane people in and out of racing have already made in public forums.

What I will say is this: So long as racing officials continue to take their time eliminating race-day drugs from the sport, so long as officials continue the practice of squeezing all the water out of a rain-soaked track (compressing and rolling it so that the track cushion gets pressed down to a paper-thin layer), we will see a higher rate of breakdowns in our Thoroughbred population.

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