Death at The Kentucky Derby
Filed under Sad...Sad...Sad • Posted by NewsGangster on 05/05 at 05:12 PM

Dear NewsGangster,

As I am sure you have heard, after crossing the finish line in last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, a young filly named Eight Belles collapsed when both her front ankles snapped. She was euthanized in the dirt where she lay, the latest victim of the dirty business of thoroughbred racing.

Help PETA prevent further suffering in the racing industry by taking action today.

Eight Belles’ death is yet another reminder that horses are raced when they are so young that their bones have not properly formed, and they are often raced on surfaces that are too hard for their bones—like the hard track at Churchill Downs. Eight Belles’ jockey whipped her mercilessly as she came down the final stretch. Trainers, owners, and jockeys are driven by the desire to make money, and the horses suffer terribly for it.

PETA is calling on the racing industry to suspend the jockey and trainer; bar the owner from racing at the track; stop racing horses on hard tracks and switch to softer, synthetic surfaces to spare horses’ bones and joints; permanently ban the use of whips; and, at the very least, stop using young horses who are so susceptible to these types of horrific injuries. Help PETA call for an end to cruelty that masquerades as sport.

Although Eight Belles’ death—like Barbaro’s death before hers—made headlines, countless lesser-known horses suffer similar fates away from the public eye. These horses’ broken legs and battered bodies are hidden from public view. Most racehorses end up broken down or cast off or are sent to Europe for slaughter.

Please take action today to help prevent cruelty in the racing industry by asking the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to institute sweeping reforms that would stop needless, preventable suffering.

Thank you for your action and compassion for animals.

Kind regards,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
PETA

[Photo Courtesy of AP]

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