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Update: Eight Belles was put down on the track, she broke both front ankles.

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I am not a member of peta but we really need to start looking into horse racing. This is the second top horse to be euthanised.

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I have been crying, so upset over Eight Belles. What type of SPORT is this?? The PETA and Humane groups need to look into this. I am not a horse person, but I am a dog and cat owner who is sensitive to these animals feelings. I am heartbroken over this. God bless Eight Belles.

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It's all about the money. Selfish, rich horse racing owners and corporate greed. Hundreds of horses die racing every year. God bless, Eight Belles.

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Horse owners of that calibur spare no expense on their horses... precautions are taken to ensure safety but no sport is 100% accident free. Eight Belles' injury was an awful tragedy... I have had to euthanize a horse I dearly loved as a result of a compound fracture and you will never understand that loss by watching it on TV. Shame on you for being so judgemental!

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I too cried when I saw that Eight Belles was down - and then when I heard that she had to be put down. Shades of Barbaro in the 2006 Preakness...

The irony, for me, was that the race was already over. I had been more nervous about the break from the gate - with so many horses in the field, I felt that was the riskiest part of the race.

I am curious to see if any more details come out about this tragedy - whether she stepped into a bad spot on the track, or whether there was a previously undetected weakness in her ankles.

That said, any thoroughbred racehorse is unfortunately susceptible to this kind of injury. Bred to faster speeds while carrying so much weight on such relatively thin and brittle legs is dangerous for these horses. I would rather see every horse run safely and survive than see another track record broken by inconsequential fractions.

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I just heard and read about Eight Belles. I am very sad to hear of the destruction of the horse. Isn't there some way to save the horse's life? Why do they have to be destroyed? Is it the cost of recovery or what? I'd like an expert to explain why damaged horses need to be destroyed. It just doesn't make sense to me. Didn't they save Seabiscuit when he was injured? I know I am not an expert in any way, but I'd sure like to hear from one if there is one out there.

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MY HEART IS BROKEN,I AM SADDENED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO EIGHT BELLES A GREAT HORSE.I CRIED I AM TRULY SADDENED HARRIETT

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I for one am sickened by what I saw. What's wrong here? Seems every horse race I watch a horse goes down.
Can't help but think about Barbaro in the Preakness. I think the owners, trainers and jockeys should be taken to task.
And the continued celebration by the 'Big Brown' team was discusting.

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Big Browns jockey should have dismounted & led his mount around the track to Eight Belles & bestowed the roses to her. It would have been the honorable thing to do.

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There's obviously something wrong with this sport in it's current form. First Barbaro now Eight Belles. If racing fans seriously love horses (which I think most do) they should get down to business figuring out a solution.

These public spectacles of beautiful animals being euthanized are disgusting and people who have allowed the sport to reach this point should be ashamed.

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Why in the world would you kill a horse? There is no way to run a horse race. What is fun in winning, and a very good animal has to be killed. Why would you run a horse just to kill the animal.
I, thought these horse's has to be in top health to run. This is not right at all on any of this.
Why are so many people happy, when a horse has to lose its life over. Why couldn't they have saved his life. This is wrong, no more will I, watch or anything else. This is wrong to kill good animals, that never has hurt anyone. Someone is not doing their job very well, to let this happen. Who is getting payed off. Money is the raisen of this.
Not worth at all. Cost more to keep these horse's up, than just to kill them. Why

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Look into horse racing and you will find this is not an isolated incident. It happens more often than you think. Countless numbers of horses suffer from this same fate or end up after retirement shipped off to Japan to satisfy the Japanese taste for horse meat.Derby horses are elite athletes,other less talented horses on tracks all over America are sent off to become dog food just because they don't measure up or they break down. Don't believe me? Do some research and you'll see for yourself. What happened to Eight Bells is a heart breaking tragedy. A horrible end to a lovely fillies life. Such a waste, and for what.. Money of course.The race of her life cost her her life. Use your voice and pocket book. Boycott racing. She deserved better. Sleep well Eight Bells

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great horse(s).... sad day

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It's Horse racing PEOPLE. People die crossing the street. I am reading God Bless eightBells....I say Thank God her ankel broke after the race and not in the middle of it, because I ad the Triple. It's racing folks, not the plage

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It's all about the money ... selfish, rich owners and corporate greed. This horrible 'sport' (if you can call it a sport) needs to end! God bless these beautiful, helpless animals.

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I have seen this time and time again. Horses pushed beyond when they should be. They can be forced to run to their death as I have seen many times before. If it is not a heart issue that would have been caught in the numerous routine physicals, I would imagine her ankles were bruised or week from the races prior or practice. May God Bless Eight Belles as I saw this happen to my own mare but I pulled her from the old owners after she collapsed by running her heart out. She lived and is with us today if only I could of done this for Eight Belles. There are a few mares/horse very few who will not fight back no matter how much they are hurting. She was one that would die for her owner and she did. She was on in a million to have been like this to not fight back and a very special mare. This is a long race and now to continue the abuse in the name of greed even knowing full well Big Browns feet are bad the owners press on to the Preakness in just two weeks. Barbaro was not ready to run again. He was injured going into the derby. We took that hard because Dr. G_ _ _ _ _ make prosthetics for horses and could of amputated. He operated on and saved Seattle slew and my mare filly runner. This sport is mean and cruel and for those hundreds of horses who are bread to run and never even make it pass Los Alamitos or those who run even in the derby are never heard from again. I do not need to tell anyone where these horses end up. Especially now the warmbloods are the choice of the hunter jumpers. I hope the owners have a chance to read this as do Eight Belles trainer. You know it and I know it. Training for over 20 years would how could you of missed this? ENJOY YOUR SECOND PLACE EARNINGS . Besides these horses are all insured for their deaths. There is still money to collect from the insurance even when dead. We love your heart Eight Belles we love your spirit and I am so sorry this world is cruel.

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----- Original Message -----
From: Kyle Hennessy-Snow
To: LetterToEditor@buffnews.com
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 1:41 PM
Subject: Eight Belles


Two years ago I watched Barbaro go down and now Eight Belles. Eight Belles - Beauty, Courage and to say the least courage. Her death should be a wake up call to the horse racing industry and to the world. Did she push herself to please the jockey? Why are we pushing everything to the limit? We push our children so hard in school that we are seeing them now on Prozac! We push our teachers into becoming puppets of the government instead of the educators that they are. Companies push their workers, do more, do more. The list could go on and on. Maybe instead of "running for the roses", we should take a step back and take time to "smell the roses". Was her death a coincidence? I don't think so. I will look at her short life as a source of courage (brought to the human race) as a sign for us to look beyond the present. Why are the actions of today's society so shallow? I see this event as an analogy of "For Whom the Belle Tolls".
Kyle Hennessy-Snow
Orchard Park

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Here's an idea. Let's strap the horses to the owners' backs and let them run around the track, and when they break down, put them down.

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