Eight Belles
Encyclopedia
Eight Belles was a thoroughbred
racehorse
owned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms. She finished second to winner Big Brown
in the 134th running
of the Kentucky Derby
held at Churchill Downs
, a race run by only thirty-nine fillies
in the past. Her collapse just after the Derby's conclusion resulted in immediate euthanasia
.
Earlier in the year, Eight Belles made history at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs
, Arkansas
, by being the first filly in the history of the track to win the Martha Washington Stakes
(February 17, 2008, by 13½ lengths, setting a stakes record for margin of victory), the Honeybee Stakes (March 16, 2008, beating stakes winner Pure Clan), and the Fantasy Stakes
(April 12, 2008).
She suffered compound fractures of both front ankles and was immediately euthanized
because of the nature of her injuries.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian
, claimed that Eight Belles' trauma was too severe to even attempt to move her off the track.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal
, Bramlage said the filly had fractures of the cannon and sesamoid bones
in both front legs.
That is the same type of break that was suffered by 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro
in one leg.
Eight Belles was buried and memorialized in the garden of Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Museum
on September 7, 2008. A race has been renamed in her honor, and was run on the Derby Day 2009 undercard as the Eight Belles Stakes.
(NTRA) asked jockey
s riding at Pimlico Race Course
during all races over the weekend of the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes
(May 16 and 17, 2008) to wear stickers on their boots or mud pants in honor of Eight Belles. The red and white stickers, made by the NTRA, had a bell, the number 8 and the word “Belles” on them. The Jockeys' Guild
wholeheartedly agreed. Jockey John Velazquez said: “It’s something to remind everybody of a great horse. What happened was a really sad thing, and we’re sad. I think it [wearing the stickers] is a good thing to bring awareness to our game. We’ll do whatever is possible to minimize anything that happens like that.”
's Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center. According to a review of the results by the Associated Press
, compound fractures of both front legs at the fetlock joints were confirmed. They described lacerated skin on both legs, an absence of joint fluid
in the damaged areas and congested lungs. The filly also experienced a bruised head and hemorrhaging in the left thyroid gland, which the report blamed on her fall after the initial injuries.
Larry Jones
, her trainer, commented that he believes the horse just tripped over her own feet.
"She's bad about stumbling while pulling up. She doesn't pick her feet up very high. It's one reason she could run very fast and far. She had the perfect motion for being effective and efficient. However, those horses who do that have a tendency to want to stumble."
The Jockey Club
has formed a panel to examine the issues, which include breeding practices, track surfaces and medication.
sportswriter Sally Jenkins
wrote that thoroughbred horses had become too strong with bones too lightweight: "She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles." Blaming the breeders and investors, Jenkins claimed, "thoroughbred racing is in a moral crisis, and everyone now knows it."
Controversial campaign group PETA
called for the suspension of jockey Gabriel Saez
and the prize money to be revoked were he to be found at fault.
Six generations back takes this horse to Native Dancer
(foaled March 1950), along with all 20 of the horses in the race, and just about every horse racing in the United States
today. Much opinion has been published in the press stating that there may be a connection between the fact of so much inbreeding stemming from Native Dancer, with the weak ankles seen in horses today, leading to Eight Belles' demise. The Los Angeles Times went so far as to headline its opinion piece that today's horses are being "bred for death". The owner of Eight Belles made comments and suggested solutions in an article in The Wall Street Journal
.
, and her sire was Unbridled's Song
. Unbridled's Song's dam is a daughter of Caro. Caro is the sire of Winning Colors
, one of only three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby.
's American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly for 2008.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
owned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms. She finished second to winner Big Brown
Big Brown
Big Brown is a retired champion American Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness Stakes. Bred by Dr. Gary B. Knapp's Monticule Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, he won his first five race starts. He was sired by Grade III winner Boundary, a son of North American...
in the 134th running
2008 Kentucky Derby
The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008 with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history. Post time was 6:15 p.m. EDT and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network.Big Brown won the race by nearly...
of the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
held at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, a race run by only thirty-nine fillies
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
in the past. Her collapse just after the Derby's conclusion resulted in immediate euthanasia
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
.
Earlier in the year, Eight Belles made history at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, by being the first filly in the history of the track to win the Martha Washington Stakes
Martha Washington Stakes
The Martha Washington Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid February at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas...
(February 17, 2008, by 13½ lengths, setting a stakes record for margin of victory), the Honeybee Stakes (March 16, 2008, beating stakes winner Pure Clan), and the Fantasy Stakes
Fantasy Stakes
The Fantasy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A Grade II event, it is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt.-Records:Speed record:...
(April 12, 2008).
Events after the 2008 Kentucky Derby
Eight Belles collapsed immediately after crossing the wire, while being slowed after the race.She suffered compound fractures of both front ankles and was immediately euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
because of the nature of her injuries.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
, claimed that Eight Belles' trauma was too severe to even attempt to move her off the track.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal, locally called "The C-J", is the main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the paper is the 48th largest daily paper in the United States and the single largest in Kentucky.- Origins :The...
, Bramlage said the filly had fractures of the cannon and sesamoid bones
Equine forelimb anatomy
The equine forelimb of the horse is attached to the trunk of the animal by purely muscular connections...
in both front legs.
That is the same type of break that was suffered by 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro
Barbaro
Barbaro was an American thoroughbred who decisively won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but shattered his leg two weeks later in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, ending his racing career and eventually leading to his death....
in one leg.
Eight Belles was buried and memorialized in the garden of Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Museum
Kentucky Derby Museum
The Kentucky Derby Museum is an American Thoroughbred horse racing museum located on the grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Dedicated to preserving the history of the Kentucky Derby, it first opened its doors to the public in the spring of 1985...
on September 7, 2008. A race has been renamed in her honor, and was run on the Derby Day 2009 undercard as the Eight Belles Stakes.
Remembering Eight Belles
The National Thoroughbred Racing AssociationNational Thoroughbred Racing Association
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic...
(NTRA) asked jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
s riding at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
during all races over the weekend of the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
(May 16 and 17, 2008) to wear stickers on their boots or mud pants in honor of Eight Belles. The red and white stickers, made by the NTRA, had a bell, the number 8 and the word “Belles” on them. The Jockeys' Guild
Jockeys' Guild
The Jockeys' Guild Inc. is an American trade association based in Lexington, Kentucky, representing thoroughbred horse racing and American quarter horse professional jockeys...
wholeheartedly agreed. Jockey John Velazquez said: “It’s something to remind everybody of a great horse. What happened was a really sad thing, and we’re sad. I think it [wearing the stickers] is a good thing to bring awareness to our game. We’ll do whatever is possible to minimize anything that happens like that.”
Necropsy
Kentucky chief veterinarian Lafe Nichols performed a necropsy and tests at the University of KentuckyUniversity of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
's Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center. According to a review of the results by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, compound fractures of both front legs at the fetlock joints were confirmed. They described lacerated skin on both legs, an absence of joint fluid
Synovial fluid
Synovial fluid is a viscous, non-Newtonian fluid found in the cavities of synovial joints. With its yolk-like consistency , the principal role of synovial fluid is to reduce friction between the articular cartilage of synovial joints during movement.-Overview:The inner membrane of synovial joints...
in the damaged areas and congested lungs. The filly also experienced a bruised head and hemorrhaging in the left thyroid gland, which the report blamed on her fall after the initial injuries.
Larry Jones
J. Larry Jones
J. Larry Jones is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. A former commercial farmer, he embarked on a career as a professional trainer in 1982....
, her trainer, commented that he believes the horse just tripped over her own feet.
"She's bad about stumbling while pulling up. She doesn't pick her feet up very high. It's one reason she could run very fast and far. She had the perfect motion for being effective and efficient. However, those horses who do that have a tendency to want to stumble."
The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club, formed on February 9, 1894, is the keeper of The American Stud Book. It came into existence after James R. Keene spearheaded a drive in support of racehorse trainers who had complained about the Board of Control that governed racing in New York State.-History:On its formation, The...
has formed a panel to examine the issues, which include breeding practices, track surfaces and medication.
Controversy
Veteran Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
sportswriter Sally Jenkins
Sally Jenkins
Sally Jenkins is an American sports columnist and feature writer for The Washington Post. Prior employment includes senior writer for Sports Illustrated. She is a graduate of Stanford with degree in English Literature....
wrote that thoroughbred horses had become too strong with bones too lightweight: "She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles." Blaming the breeders and investors, Jenkins claimed, "thoroughbred racing is in a moral crisis, and everyone now knows it."
Controversial campaign group PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
called for the suspension of jockey Gabriel Saez
Gabriel Saez
Gabriel Saez is a Panamanian horse racing jockey. He began his riding career in his native country in 2004, becoming the leading apprentice jockey in 2005. Saez moved to the United States in February, 2006, and almost instantly became Delaware Park Racetrack's leading jockey that same year...
and the prize money to be revoked were he to be found at fault.
Six generations back takes this horse to Native Dancer
Native Dancer
Native Dancer , nicknamed the Grey Ghost, was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in history, the first horse made famous through the medium of television. He was one of the best horses produced in USA after the war...
(foaled March 1950), along with all 20 of the horses in the race, and just about every horse racing in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
today. Much opinion has been published in the press stating that there may be a connection between the fact of so much inbreeding stemming from Native Dancer, with the weak ankles seen in horses today, leading to Eight Belles' demise. The Los Angeles Times went so far as to headline its opinion piece that today's horses are being "bred for death". The owner of Eight Belles made comments and suggested solutions in an article in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
.
Pedigree
Eight Belles' dam was Away, a descendant of Northern DancerNorthern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
, and her sire was Unbridled's Song
Unbridled's Song
Unbridled's Song is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled out of the Caro mare, Trolley Song....
. Unbridled's Song's dam is a daughter of Caro. Caro is the sire of Winning Colors
Winning Colors (horse)
Winning Colors was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and one of only three fillies to ever win the Kentucky Derby. Though she was registered as roan, she was, in fact, a gray with a broad band of white on her face.Racing on the West Coast of the United States for trainer D...
, one of only three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby.
Honors
Eight Belles was a finalist for the Eclipse AwardEclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
's American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly for 2008.