We had a bet riding on Eight Belles, the filly who placed second at the Kentucky Derby. I was rooting for her and she was beautiful. She broke both front ankles at some point during or possibly after the race (details are unclear right now) and was euthanized on the track.
I thought she was one of the most beautiful horse. Sometimes I believe in reincarnation. I hope she starts again as whatever creature she wants to be.
They give maddeningly little detail – but it sounds like she must have finished the race on broken ankles. And she came in second – what a poor, brave, creature.
Actually, it sounds from the one report I found with the jockey quoted that she broke both ankles just after the wire. So no, it doesn’t sound like she was running on broken ankles. Sounds like it was during the slowdown after the wire.
I worried because in the replays, she looked right during the stretch, but according to the jockey, she didn’t start galloping wrong until after the wire.
Here’s one of the links with a quote from the jockey: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ikb2xc2WoImWqN-zdJtloNePcfAAD90EETQG0
the question that is raised in my mind is simply this: She ran a great race, and it was only in the slowing down when she had a problem.. the jockey said he pulled up on her after he heard a pop…what if the jockey pulled up on her too tightly, causing her to try and stop too fast and caused her to break both ankles?
calico, we can only hope he didn’t (as a professional, I should hope he didn’t do anything intentionally/unintentionally to hurt that horse). And maybe hope horses don’t do that. They’re not machines, after all.