Group Seeks Restrictions on Horse Racing

By Jack Brammer, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

May 4–In the aftermath of the death of Eight Belles, the filly that finished second in the Kentucky Derby, the debate heightened Sunday on the safety of horse racing.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called on the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority “to institute broad reforms to prevent future tragedies.” And it urged the panel to suspend the license of jockey Gabriel Saez, pending an inquiry into the horse’s breakdown that led to her being euthanized.

It also said “the second-place prize” to the owners of Eight Belles should be revoked until an inquiry is completed.

The changes to the sport should occur immediately, Ingrid E. Newkirk, president and co-founder of PETA, wrote in a letter to Robert M. Beck Jr., chairman of the Lexington-based state agency that regulates horse racing.

“We believe it is in the industry’s best interests to begin the process now,” Newkirk said in her letter. “Compassionate people will not tolerate for long a sport whose champions end up lying dead in the dirt.”

The animal-rights organization, which claims more than 1.8 million members and supporters, released a copy of the letter at the Herald-Leader’s request.

Beck said Sunday night he had not seen the letter and would not comment until he had a chance to review it. The Lexington lawyer and founder, director and president of the American College of Equine Attorneys was appointed to the racing authority April 28 by Gov. Steve Beshear.

But Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian at the Derby for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, took exception to much of the PETA letter.

Bramlage said he did not understand Newkirk’s contention that “Eight Belles was doubtlessly injured before the finish line, yet Saez whipped her repeatedly in the home stretch.”

“I don’t know if Eight Belles was injured before the finish line,” said Bramlage, who is an equine surgeon in Lexington. “She finished the race and galloped more than a quarter-mile after that. That’s all you want the horse to do.”

He said the horse had fractures in her lower front legs, which led to her ankles collapsing.

Bramlage also expressed doubt about the four steps PETA wants the state to take.

The PETA official said horses shouldn’t be trained or raced before their third birthday at the earliest. “Before this, they are physically immature, and the pounding that their legs take leads to catastrophic injuries,” she said.

Solid scientific data show that horses should start their training at the end of 20 to 24 months of age, Bramlage said.

“As soon as they are physically mature, they should start effective training,” he said. “If not, their muscles will start to atrophy. Evidence shows such horses have longer careers and are more successful.”

PETA also wants the state to mandate synthetic track surfaces or turf racing exclusively at every track.

“While the dirt surface translates into speed, it also causes injury,” Newkirk said. “At courses where synthetic surfaces have replaced dirt, the drop in the number of breakdowns has been dramatic. As Keeneland (in Lexington) has already made this switch, a precedent has already been set in Kentucky.”

Bramlage said he personally thinks synthetic surfaces are “viable,” but he adds that “not all synthetic surfaces are perfect yet. More work needs to be done here.”

He said the dirt track at Churchill Downs for the Derby “looked impeccable at race time Saturday.”

PETA also said the state should ban the whipping of racehorses. “If horses truly love to run, as the racing industry continually claims, they will run without being beaten,” Newkirk said.

Bramlage said horses have thin skin. “If the whipping was harmful, you would see welts on them,” he said. “Jockeys use whips more as a guiding tool to get horses to change course for safety.”

The injury rate for racehorses is 1.6 per 1,000 starters, Bramlage said. “We don’t want to accept even that, but horses love to race and are the most pampered of all athletes. I would not put horse racing in the cruel category.”

Eric Wing, a spokesman for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said the Jockey Club held a summit recently in Lexington on horse racing and safety.

“The last thing anybody who works with horses wants is to see them hurt,” he said.

Case Clay, president of Three Chimneys farm, where Eight Belles was born and raised, agrees.

“The mood here at the farm is solemn,” he said. “Our industry is not inhumane.

“Something like this always is unfortunate. Our feeling is one of grief. We are having a tough time with it.”

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