Virginia Derby keeps riding to new heights
The clip-clop of Your Round's hooves could be heard Friday as he walked circles around the stable area at Colonial Downs. So could the munching coming from Court Vision's stall.
Sailor's Cap galloped along the track, while a gray colt, Southwest, poked his head nervously about his new surroundings.
All were in town for the Virginia Derby, an event that has become the biggest in Virginia horse racing history.
The 10-race schedule kicks off at 12:55 this afternoon, with the highlight being the $750,000 Virginia Derby, which begins at 5:44 p.m. CBS will
cover the Derby for the second straight year, from 5-6 p.m.
The event has grown since its inception in 1998, said Darrell Woods, director of marketing at Colonial Downs. By Friday, attendance sales for this year were ahead of last, when the Derby drew a record 8,695 fans.
Eleven years ago, the purse was $200,000 and 4,000 fans attended. There was no national television exposure.
Now, the event is much more social. There have been infield parties the past three years, and this year a picnic at the first turn will take place.
Woods said the atmosphere mirrors that of Triple Crown races. The Colonial Downs staff prepares year-round to ensure it is Virginia's finest.
"We're trying to do what Churchill Downs and what the big players do, and it's starting to catch on," Woods said. "People now have started to dress up, wear the fancy hats."
While the race might not have the same reputation as the Triple Crown races, the track draws from the best pool of horses and jockeys. Perhaps most notable in this year's race is Kent Desormeaux, the jockey who rode Big Brown to victory in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Desormeaux will ride Court Vision today.
Nine 3-year-old thoroughbreds are slated to run the 1-1/4-mile track in the Virginia Derby, with Sailor's Cap the 8-5 morning-line favorite. The Kentucky-bred horse won the Colonial Turf Cup on June 21 and could pick up his second victory in the Grand Slam of Grass, a four-race turf series with prize money at approximately $5 million for a horse who wins all four.
Most trainers, though, claim their horses have as much chance to win as any.
Tammy Ingebritson, a Roanoke native and assistant trainer for Your Round, thinks he is primed to win, though with 15-1 odds he is the bettors' sixth choice. Your Round is the grandson of the most recent Triple Crown winner, Affirmed (1978), and placed third in the Colonial Turf Cup.
"I think he's sitting on his best race," Ingebritson said. "I don't know if his best race is good enough but... I guess at 5:47 we'll know. We'll either be celebrating or licking our wounds."
Ingebritson said she's excited about what horse racing in Virginia has become, and what it can become. She said several of her family members are coming to this year's race.
"All of a sudden, they're realizing how important a race this is, so that's really special," she said. "Horse racing in Virginia is really special for me. That would've been like a dream come true when I was growing up."
Old Man Buck, racing at Colonial Downs for the first time, has proved himself on turf courses, winning 3 of 5 races on grass. Winner of $250,000 in prize money, he has the third best odds today at 5-1.
Jose Castanon, an assistant to trainer Ken McPeek, said Old Man Buck looked good during his Friday morning workout.
"The horse is ready," he said. "He loves the turf."
In a nearby stall, Court Vision held his head high and proud while munching on straw. The only horse in the field to race in the Kentucky Derby, the dark bay colt appeared as confident as those who work with him. Tabbed the most experienced in the field, he finished fourth in his first test on turf - in tumultuous rain.
"He's a very classy horse," said John Ortiz, assistant foreman to three-time Virginia Derby-winning trainer Bill Mott. "He's never too hot or too anxious, and he felt awesome (Friday) morning on the track."
(c) 1993-2008, HamptonRoads
HISTORY: THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1887 - Lottie Dod of Britain, 15, becomes the youngest woman to win the women's singles championship at Wimbledon, defeating Blanch Bingley 6-2, 6-0.
1933 - The first major league All-Star game is played at Comiskey Park, Chicago. The American League beats the National League 4-2 on Babe Ruth's two-run homer.
1957 - Althea Gibson becomes the first black player to win a title at the All England Lawn Tennis Club by beating Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2 in the women's singles title match.
1968 - Billie Jean King wins her third consecutive women's singles title at Wimbledon by beating Australia's Judy Tegart 9-7, 7-5.
1975 - Ruffian, an undefeated filly, and Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure compete in a match race. Ruffian, racing on the lead, sustains a severe leg injury and is pulled up by jockey Jacinto Vasquez. She is humanely destroyed the following day.
1994 - Leroy Burrell breaks the world record in the 100 meters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Burrell's time of 9.85 seconds betters Carl Lewis' 9.86 clocking set in the 1991 world championships.
1996 - Steffi Graf beats Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3, 7-5 in the Wimbledon final for the German star's 20th Grand Slam title and 100th tournament victory.
1997 - Pete Sampras wins the fourth Wimbledon title and 10th Grand Slam title of his career, easily defeating Frenchman Cedric Pioline 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
2000 - Venus Williams beats her younger sister Serena 6-2, 7-6 (3) to reach the Wimbledon final. Their singles match is the first between sisters in a Grand Slam semifinal.
(c) 2008, Newsday Inc.
Just a Derm Minute: Horse racing: Can bureaucracy deal with drug use, questionable breeding practices?
Every now and then, we hear stories about how animals have been mistreated. A person would think society should have evolved enough to care about all living things.
Wrong.
Quite often, a herd of horses has not been fed properly. Occasionally, cattle are the focus, or perhaps some person has dozens of cats or dogs that are suffering from malnutrition.
In the latter types of incidents, we have all read about elderly persons who love their pets and keep adding more. When food for the four-footed friends gets expensive, the "protectors" of the animals turn into the problem.
Those are needless tragedies. But so are cases in which cattle are not fed sufficient rations, or horses become so thin they are emaciated and are simply waiting to die.
As many recall, I have said that individuals who don't care about treating animals properly are very likely persons that won't treat their fellow man very well, either.
Targeting problems in horse racing
The "mistreatment" of horses can run the gamut. In this column today, the focus is the thoroughbred racing industry. It is an important enterprise because hundreds of thousands of jobs are involved, states derive income and millions of fans are involved. Even Minnesota, besides being the home of thousands of thoroughbreds and farms, raises specialty crops for horses.
The "Sport of Kings" has not appeared to be very regal, lately. A wonderful filly, Eight Belles, broke down after finishing 2nd in the Kentucky Derby May 3. A horse named Big Brown was 1st and won two weeks later at the Preakness. But in the third jewel of the "Triple Crown," the Belmont Stakes, he finished last. Rumors persist that drugs may have been involved.
Two years ago, Barbaro was injured in the Preakness and life-saving measures were taken. But after a period of time, he was history. The best veterinarians at the University of Pennsylvania could not save him.
Incidentally, PETA launched a lawsuit regarding Eight Belle's death, but it was thrown out.
There are not just a few horses that are injured at race tracks each week. An Associated Press survey has recently been quoted. It found that an average of three thoroughbreds died every day at racetracks last year and a total of 5,000 have died since 2003. But deaths are under-reported and record-keeping is lax or non-existent, The AP found.
The deaths are not just from breakdowns in races. Some are health problems; others are related to breeding aspects, which were attacked in subsequent congressional testimony last Thursday.
What are the reasons for such tragedies involving magnificent animals? How can it be that equine athletes with great bloodlines can be pampered and nurtured as they run for great honors-and magnificent purses? Yet, they are lost disastrously!
Drugs, inbreeding are problems
In the last few weeks, there have been stories on TV and in newspapers about how government should step in because owners, trainers and track officials haven't been willing to take the necessary steps to protect horses from the harmful use of drugs.
I spent most of three hours watching C-SPAN Thursday evening as a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee heard testimony from racing personnel. Then the members asked questions.
Ever since Big Brown's flamboyant trainer, Rick Dutrow, was bragging about using anabolic steroids and other "legal" drugs, the focus on injuries has shifted from mere physical afflictions.
Rather, the spotlight is shining on how drugs enable trainers and owners to run horses past reasonable limits to win purses. They hold animals together with lasix, "bute" and a mix of steroids, along with other "performance-enhancing" compounds.
There are 38 racing jurisdictions, and it was pointed out that 32 have made some advancements in regard to limiting drug use. Only a few states ban all drug use. But there are still loopholes and horses are dying.
Drugs are so commonplace that the American thoroughbred has been dubbed "the chemical horse" by one commentator.
The testimony Thursday was pro and con, but the message was clear that use of drugs has compromised the integrity of horse racing, several officials asserted.
Large animals on small legs
There is no central authority in the racing industry to control breeding. Owners and trainers said horses are racing less and are much more fragile than in the past. The animals do not have the stamina and durability they had in decades past. Quality has diminished.
While horses are bred for speed, it was noted that many are bred for conformation or to exhibit traits that simply look good...and will bring good prices at auctions. There are even surgical alterations that help bring higher prices. Often, a huge upper mass is developed but the muscled body is running on spindly appendages, all because of suspect breeding practices.
It became apparent from the testimony that many owners and trainers point their horses to winning big races and then move them to the breeding shed. Many assailed colleagues for their practices.
Subcommittee members strongly indicated that Congress, which gave horse racing the legal right to broadcast races and take bets across state lines, may play more of a role in policing the industry.
However, representatives of the Jockey Club and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) insisted that racing is addressing its problems.
Conflicting testimony
Although he was scheduled to appear as a witness, Dutrow, trainer of Big Brown, was absent. Rep. Jan Shakowski, D-Ill., said she was disappointed by his absence. (Another said it was "no wonder" Dutrow didn't show up.)
Alan Marzelli, president of the Jockey Club, said the use of steroids will be banned by year's end, a sign the sport is attempting to do the right thing.
When he said, "We have the power of persuasion and consensus," stating that the industry can "regulate itself."
However, Rep. Ed Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky's 1st District, countered, "The record would reflect you do not have even that power."
Whitfield and others acknowledged the problems that can arise from government bureaucracy. But persons giving testimony also indicated the racing industry can't seem to do much without federal intervention.
Why? Because there are too many groups with competing agendas and an array of state racing boards with a variety of rules.
"I don't think it is unreasonable for the federal government to set minimum standards," Whitfield said, adding that neither the racing association nor the (national) Jockey Club can force compliance with rules.
Legislation expected
Whitfield said in an interview that he expects to introduce legislation to ban the use of drugs in racing and require uniform collection and disclosure of medical information and injury and fatality data.
Something has to be done. While Minnesota has only two active large race tracks-not counting some minor events at county fairs-across America the raising and racing of thoroughbreds encompasses billions of dollars.
Richard Shapiro, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, said the thoroughbred breed "appears to be weakening," given that horses are now racing an average of 6.3 times a year, compared to 11.3 times in 1960.
He said the use of medication has changed the sport and "threatens the game itself."
"For the sake of speed...fewer horses are bred for durability, longevity and stamina," he continued. "The game has become more 'horse breeding' than 'horse racing,'" Shapiro said.
Jess Jackson, the majority owner of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, called on racing to ban all drugs, saying horses don't need them.
But the industry places value on a certain form of horse not found in nature, Jackson said.
"We look for (Arnold) Schwarzenegger's upper body and Don Knotts' legs and knees," he was quoted during the session.
Jack Van Berg, winner of more races than any other trainer, said "...it would be in the best interest of this grand sport and these grand equine athletes to abolish any and all medications."
In other words, if horse racing is going to proceed in the right direction, the foot-dragging in regard to a ban on drugs must stop.
Horse racing is important in this country, just as similar entities are - professional sports, hunting, fishing and others. There are many reasons, not the least of which is the economic impact.
It is important that we no longer treat animals like disposables.
(c) 2008 Frazee Forum
There's plenty to savor despite industry problems
This is a time of greatness for horse racing. Oh, sure, there are problems. Plenty of them, but the heart and soul of horse racing is our horses, and right now, horse racing has a strong heart and a good soul.
I'm going to start with Florida-bred Ginger Punch, the 2007 Eclipse-award winning older mare, because she is a Florida-bred. The daughter of Horse of the Year Awesome Again won the $300,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap (gr.1) at Belmont Park Saturday.
She accomplished this feat easily, by 7 3/4 lengths, racking up her 10th victory in 18 starts and lifting her career earnings to $2,555,603. Under handicap conditions, Ginger Punch, carrying high weight of 123 pounds, was giving four to nine pounds to each of her rivals.
Her five challengers include four graded stakes winners.
As a four-year-old, Ginger Punch won the First Flight Handicap (gr. 2), the Go For Wand Handicap (gr. 1), the Ruffian Handicap (gr. 1), and she clinched her Eclipse Award with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. 1) at Monmouth Park.
This year Ginger Punch won the Sunshine Millions Distaff and the Louisville Stakes (gr. 2) prior to Saturday's victory.
Horse racing owes Owner/breeder Frank Stronach, owner of Adena Springs South in Ocala, a debt of gratitude for bringing this champion mare back to the races, so that her brilliance can shine once again.
Curlin, another great champion, took center stage at Churchill Downs Saturday when he won the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. 1). The win moved Curlin to third place on the career earnings list behind Cigar $9.9 million and Skip Away $9.6 million.
The $589,000 winner's share raised Curlin's lifetime earnings to almost $9.4 million ... in just 12 lifetime starts. Florida-bred Skip Away required 38 starts to compile his earnings, and Cigar required 33 starts to set his record.
Of course, all three of these horses competed in the era of the Breeders' Cup and Dubai World Cup, the two greatest sources of purse money in the history of the sport.
Curlin, who does have a Florida connection since he was broken and trained by Dominic Brennan at Joanne Everard's Another Episode Farm prior to his racing career, was making his first start since returning to the U.S. from his victory in the $6 million Dubai World Cup at the end of March.
The son of Smart Strike is destined to be among the greats. He has won The Preakness Stakes, The Breeders' Cup Classic and the Dubai World Cup among nine victories from 12 starts.
His losses came in the Belmont Stakes win the filly Rags to Riches had him pinned on the rail in the Belmont Stakes and he lost by a head. He also lost to Any Given Saturday in the Haskell Invitational (gr. 1) when he was flat coming off a two-month rest after the Belmont.
And, of course, he lost the Kentucky Derby when trying to be the first horse since Regret in 1915 to win America's greatest race in just his fourth start. Curlin finished third in the Run for the Roses, beaten eight lengths by Street Sense and 5 1/4 lengths by Hard Spun.
Which brings me to the third horse of this triumvirate - Big Brown. What Curlin tried to do, Big Brown did. He won the 2008 Derby in the fourth start of his career. Big Brown came back in the Preakness to be just as impressive as he was in the Derby.
Then came the befuddlement at Belmont. If Curlin could do what he has done and not win the Derby, surely Big Brown is more like the horse that won the Derby and the Preakness than the horse who threw in the towel at Belmont.
The best days of racing in 2008 are not over yet. We have horses like Curlin, Ginger Punch, Big Brown, Da' Tara, winner of the Belmont, and Pyro, who won the Northern Dancer Stakes at Churchill Saturday.
Speaking of Da' Tara. the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s June Sale of Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age begins its two-day run Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and features a half-brother to the Belmont winner, selling as hip no. 121.
(c) 2008 Ocala
Euthanasia at Kentucky Derby renews attention to safety
The dramatic breakdown and subsequent euthanasia of Eight Belles, the filly who placed second in the Kentucky Derby, has shone a spotlight again on the safety issues of horse racing.
At the same time, fatal and nonfatal injuries have occurred among horses and riders participating in the Olympic sport of eventing-a three-day competition consisting of dressage, cross-country jumping, and show jumping.
For horse racing and eventing, veterinarians are among the experts proposing and implementing safety improvements.
Eight Belles
No one knows exactly what caused Eight Belles to collapse. The filly broke down about a quarter of a mile after she passed the finish line at Churchill Downs.
"She had displaced condylar fractures in both forelimbs, with additional fractures of one or both sesamoids," said Dr. Larry Bramlage, who provided veterinary expertise during the Kentucky Derby as part of the American Association of Equine Practitioners' On Call program.
Dr. Bramlage, a past president of the AAEP, explained to the press that euthanasia was the only option. He later said that the On Call program, which arranges for veterinarians to assist with live coverage of horse races, was helpful in this event.
"We were prepared and able to relay the medical information to the viewing audience in a matter of minutes," said Dr. Bramlage, an orthopedic surgeon and partner at the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.
Dr. Bramlage would not speculate as to whether any safety improvements could have prevented Eight Belles' breakdown. The press conjectured that breeding racehorses for speed rather than sturdiness contributed to the filly's collapse. In the meantime, organizations that promote animal rights or animal welfare seized the opportunity to propose reforms in horse racing.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for a ban on whipping horses. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals objected to the use of analgesic drugs because of the possibility that horses could then race despite injuries. Both organizations suggested that dirt racetracks, such as the track at Churchill Downs, are not as safe as synthetic surfaces.
"Their criticisms do serve to keep us focused on the welfare of the racehorse and serve as a barometer of the public perception of the issues," Dr. Bramlage responded. "What they don't do is recognize that the equine athletes are the most highly cared for and looked after of all of the equine species."
Horse racing
Within a week of the Kentucky Derby, the Jockey Club announced the formation of a Thoroughbred Safety Committee-with Dr. Bramlage as one of the seven members. The committee will review breeding practices, medication, the rules of racing, and track surfaces before advising industry on actions to improve equine health and safety.
Recommendations from two summits on the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse will serve as starting points for the committee. The Jockey Club and Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation coordinated and underwrote the summits in October 2006 and March 2008.
A couple of the key recommendations from the first summit were to develop statistics on the durability and longevity of the progeny of breeding stock and to develop a standard method for reporting on-track injuries.
In September 2007, the research foundation published charts online regarding the durability of bloodlines in terms of percentage of a stallion's offspring that race at least once and lifetime average number of starts per starter by a sire. The hope is that breeders might find the figures useful or thought provoking.
Also in 2007, almost three dozen racetracks adopted an injury reporting system that Dr. Mary Scollay developed after the first safety summit. Dr. Scollay, who has been track veterinarian for Florida's Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park, expects about 60 racetracks to participate this year. The system is collecting data that will be the basis for a number of statistics, including fatality rates for racehorses on synthetic surfaces versus dirt tracks.
"Support for the system has been overwhelming from all facets of the industry," Dr. Scollay said. "It's just been amazing, the buy-in we've gotten."
The system gathers data after fatal and nonfatal injuries on the horse's racing and training history, race distance, rider experience, surface conditions, track configuration, and other variables. Dr. Scollay doesn't expect the system to be a source of meaningful injury statistics until at least the end of the year.
"It will be a tremendous resource in the future, and it's just going to take a while to get the foundation of data," Dr. Scollay said.
The sport of eventing
Safety concerns for equine and human athletes also have come to the forefront for U.S. participants in the sport of eventing as the 2008 Olympics approach.
In March, a rider who represented the United States in eventing during the 2004 Olympics sustained severe injuries after a fall at a Florida competition. In April, the New York Times reported that a dozen riders had died in the sport worldwide in the previous year and a half. At the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event later in April, falls led to serious injuries for one potential U.S. Olympic rider and the euthanasia of two horses.
David O'Connor, president of the United States Equestrian Federation, and Kevin Baumgardner, president of the United States Eventing Association, responded to these incidents with a letter to the equestrian community.
"Although we have implemented several measures to improve safety over the last year, clearly more needs to be done," O'Connor and Baumgardner wrote. "In the coming days and weeks, we will be redoubling our efforts to identify additional steps we can take to make sure that riders and horses can compete as safely as possible."
The letter invited equestrians to attend a USEF/USEA Safety Summit on eventing in early June. At press time, organizers were planning to explore the following topics:
Horse and rider qualifications-professional/amateur qualifications, international/national qualifications, loss or downgrading of qualifications
Course design-designing jumps to break apart on impact, prevention of rotational falls, optimal speeds, course distances, course formats
Education-riders' and instructors' responsibilities, officials' responsibilities, handling dangerous riding, instructor certification
Veterinary and human medical issues-horse conditioning, prevention of horse and rider injury, rider fitness, concussion management
(c) American Veterinary Medical Association 2008
History against big favorite Big Brown
BALTIMORE - When trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. took time this week to contemplate the modest opposition his undefeated colt Big Brown will face in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, he said it looked to be "an absolute party."
He was still brimming with optimism as the middle leg of the Triple Crown neared, but years of experience reminded him not to get the party started too soon at Pimlico Race Course.
"A lot can happen," Dutrow said of the unpredictability of Thoroughbred racing. "He can fall on his head coming out of the (starting) gate. He can get sick. A lot can happen, and it usually does."
The uncertainty that delights fans and turns the stomachs of trainers explains why 12 opponents with mostly suspect credentials for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness would enlist to oppose Big Brown, a winner of his four starts by a combined 33 3/4 lengths.
Although Big Brown joined Clyde Van Dusen (1929) as the only runners to overcome Post 20 in the modern history of the Kentucky Derby, and he did so by 4 3/4 emphatic lengths for jockey Kent Desormeaux, history surely points out that even the mighty can stumble. The fall of convincing Derby champion Fusaichi Pegasus in the 2000 Preakness - ridden by Desormeaux - is a vivid reminder of that.
"Fusaichi Pegasus looked like he was from another planet (in the Kentucky Derby), and he got beat," says Terry Finley, head of West Point Thoroughbreds. "They are not machines. They are living animals, and they have good days and bad days."
That is why Finley decided to take a shot with 20-1 Derby Trial winner Macho Again against the overwhelming 1-2 favorite.
Dutrow has always made sure to give Big Brown, who was sidelined in January with quarter cracks in both of his front hooves, plenty of time to recuperate between races. He brought him back in 24 days after a 12 3/4-length allowance score to whip the Florida Derby field by 5 lengths from Post 12. A five-week respite preceded one of the most rousing performances in the history of the famed "Run for the Roses."
How Big Brown will react to a two-week gap represents the greatest unknown leading into this Preakness.
Can he run big again?
"Not many do," says Reade Baker, trainer of Preakness foe Kentucky Bear. "The special ones do. We'll find out Saturday if he's special or not."
Baker sees Big Brown as a 3-year-old whose reputation exceeds his accomplishments.
"The special ones beat the Preakness horses and the Belmont horses, and they beat (defending Horse of the Year) Curlin in the fall (in the Breeders' Cup Classic)," he says. "We're a long way from a coronation."
If racing has been quick to crown a superstar, it is understandable. The sport has been without a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed became the 11th and last horse to complete the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes sweep in 1978. It is the longest drought since Sir Barton was recognized as the first such champion in 1919.
Conventional handicapping wisdom suggests Big Brown will "bounce" - or regress - with only two weeks to recover from his tour de force.
Even part-owner Michael Iavarone concedes it is highly unlikely he can continue to advance.
"If he progresses any further, God knows what he's about," he says. "I still think he can bounce and win."
That would appear to be the most likely scenario, given the competition.
Gayego, who struggled home 17th after a miserable Derby trip, is the only other starter from that race willing to stay on the Triple Crown trail. It says everything about the caliber of horses Big Brown must get past that Gayego is the second choice in the early odds at 8-1 despite finishing 363/4 lengths out of it at Churchill Downs.
The third choice, 10-1 Behindatthebar, ventures into Grade 1 company for the first time after a 1-length triumph on Polytrack in the Grade 2 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on April 19. He was no better than fifth in his only dirt try.
"It's pretty straightforward," ESPN analyst Randy Moss says of the Preakness. "If Big Brown stubs his toe a little bit, they've got a shot to beat him. Otherwise, they're all running for second."
(c) 2008 USA TODAY
Tragedy overshadows unbeaten Big Brown's Kentucky Derby win
9 minutes ago
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A day after Big Brown blazed across the finish line, the snapshot of Eight Belles down on the dirt set off a raging debate that extended far beyond the Kentucky Derby: Is horse racing now facing an image crisis?
With the memory of Barbaro still fresh, Eight Belles' catastrophic breakdown Saturday put increasing focus on a sport already trying to overcome a decline in popularity.
Her death has raised thorny issues about the thoroughbred industry, including track safety, whether fillies should be allowed to run against colts, and whether horses are bred too much for speed and not for soundness.
A prominent animal rights group got involved Sunday, criticizing Eight Belles' jockey for whipping the horse and saying the second-place prize should be revoked.
But, to horse people, it wasn't all that simple.
"To make it safer, don't race the horses, don't train them, then they'll live good lives out on the farm," Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said.
"But you have to train them for races, you have to run them and that's where the problems start to set in. They have to be asked to run and sometimes, in a particular minute, they're asked to run when they're not ready to give it and then it hurts."
While Big Brown's bid to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years will certainly gain momentum in the next couple of weeks, Eight Belles and the sight of fans crying in the stands remained a focal point Sunday.
"Filly's Death Casts Shadow over Kentucky Derby," read The New York Times.
"Tragedy mars Kentucky Derby as the only filly dies after race," the Los Angeles Times' Web site said.
Churchill Downs officials were unsure whether there had ever been a fatality in the Kentucky Derby. Superintendent Butch Lehr said there hadn't been one in his 41 years at the track.
The death of Eight Belles may have been rare because it occurred well after the finish line, but it's just the latest trauma to happen at a major race on national television.
Two years ago, Derby winner Barbaro shattered his right rear leg at the start of the Preakness, with more than 100,000 people gasping at the site of the undefeated colt in distress as he was led into an equine ambulance.
Barbaro was euthanized eight months later after developing laminitis as a result of the injuries.
"It's difficult to accept, and we don't have all the answers," Scott Palmer, a veterinarian who helped attend to Barbaro on the track at Pimlico, said Sunday. "It's shocking to see something like that."
Now, there are more questions about track safety.
Barbaro's demise helped push forward the installation of synthetic surfaces to replace traditional dirt tracks at several tracks, including Keeneland, Santa Anita, Arlington Park, Hollywood Park, Golden Gate Fields, Del Mar, Turfway and Presque Isle.
A new on-track injury reporting program seems to indicate the surface is having the desired effect.
Reports by veterinarians at 34 tracks across the U.S. between June 2007 and early this year showed synthetic tracks averaged 1.47 fatalities per 1,000 starts, compared with 2.03 fatalities per 1,000 starts for horses that ran on dirt.
But not everyone is convinced.
"This is a very big issue and needs to be discussed," two-time Derby winning trainer Nick Zito said. "You're changing the whole game. Big Brown ran on dirt yesterday, he's going for history.
"You can't tell me the Polytrack is history. It's not yet, there isn't enough data yet."
That's not saying Zito and other horsemen aren't interested in making racetracks safer for horses and jockeys.
While breakdowns always have been a part of racing, there has been more of an outcry lately calling for drastic action.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued a statement Sunday calling for the suspension of Eight Belles jockey Gabriel Saez.
The group also asked for the "revocation of the second-place prize."
Saez was riding in his first Kentucky Derby when Eight Belles broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter-mile past the finish line.
"What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?" PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. "If he didn't then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."
A call to the jockeys' room at Delaware Park, where Saez raced on Sunday, went unanswered.
The Kentucky state racing stewards make decisions on suspensions, but there is no racing at Churchill Downs until Wednesday. At that time, the stewards could review a tape of the race if a formal request is made.
Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones disputed any suggestion that his horse had no business taking on the boys.
"It wasn't that, it wasn't the distance, it wasn't a big bumping match for her, she never got touched," he said. "She passed all those questions ... with flying colours.
"The race was over, all we had to do was pull up, come back and be happy. It just didn't happen."
On Sunday morning, Jones stood next to his Kentucky Oaks-winning filly, Proud Spell, receiving condolences from friends and fellow trainers.
"Got here at 5 a.m.," Jones said. "Got to go on. It's hard, but it's what we do."
Just then, Barbaro's trainer Michael Matz drove past Jones' barn stopped his car and rolled down the window.
On Friday, Matz watched another one of his horses, Chelokee, suffer a life-threatening injury in the Alysheba Stakes. He had just returned from Lexington, where the horse was set for surgery Monday to fuse his injured ankle.
"Sorry, Larry," Matz said.
"I know you know what it's like, thank you," Jones said.
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