Anyone watch the Derby today?

[Spook]

I was sitting at the bar in front of the TV eating some conchiglie with roma tomatoes and asiago cheese, having a glass of Moretti and caught the race. At first I thought Col John was gonna win it, but Big Brown came out in a huge burst and pulled out in front by probably 7 or 8 lengths. He was favored to win it and for good reason....that horse is a monster. Eight Belles pulled in second, but just as she crossed the finish line she was running funny and collapsed with both of her front ankles broken. Back only a decade or two ago, they would have put the horse down as soon as the horse ambulance came to pick it up and back in the 70's they'd put the horse down right on the track. The vet made a statement as they were hauling it into the ambulance/trailer that she was dead, so I assume that he either meant she would be put down because she is as good as dead or they put her down on the track. It was pretty sad. I remember Barbaro going down just after she left the starting gate at the Preakness with a broken hind wheel two years ago. Helluva big investment to lose. If Eight Belles had only broken or minorly fractured a larger bone, then the horse could have been healed enough for breeding.

On an interesting note though, Big Brown was only 1 and 1/5 second shy of beating Secretariat's record.

[access]

I was eating crab legs and shrimp myself Spook when it came on. There was good reason Big Brown was favorite to win from the outisde barrier the way he did. I wondered what happened with the horse that went down...they didn't show much of it on the TV.

[Spook]

I heard the vet on the track say that the horse was dead.

[access]

I saw a report on TV tonight and it had snapped both it's front ankles immediately finishing the race and they euthanized it right there and then. Apaprently there is a lot of conflict in horse racing at the moment as they are building these horses up with huge bodies and they have no legs to carry them hence the more injuries of this nature.

[Spook]

If they would just raise them in the Bluegrass area, they'd have strong bones....lots and lots of limestone in the soil....lots and lots of calcium.