Saturday’s Kentucky Derby saw the triumph of a horse who could well be one of the first freak horses we’ve seen in a long time.  I had my doubts about Big Brown, mostly regarding his mental capabilities, though I always felt he had the talent (and the large hindquarters) to do well.  He kept his poise in a 20 horse field and won.
            Unfortunately, the lone filly in the race, the radiant Eight Belles, the only one who posed a serious challenge to him during the last quarter of the race, finished second, then fell, breaking both front ankles, and had to be euthanized on the track.  Eight Belles had won my heart completely during the course of the day – one the most poised, intelligent, loveliest, most talented horses I’ve seen in a long time.  For her to meet this end just makes one rage at the gods.
            For her to do so well (and die so tragically) on Derby day meant that she was scratched from the Kentucky Oaks on Friday.  Friday was an icky, rainy, awful day, which saw another wonderful horse, Chelokee, suffer a serious injury  (in a different race) and only have a 50/50 chance of recovery.  Chelokee’s trainer is Michael Matz, of Barbaro fame, who’s unfortunately been down this road before.  But the stable mate of Eight Belles, and another favorite of mine, Proud Spell, won the Oaks.  My other pick of the race day, Fancy Fusaichi, a daughter of my favorite Fusaichi Pegasus, won the first race of the day.  I’ve noticed Fusaichi Pegasus’s daughters tend to run better than his sons.  My other choice in that race, Tactical Warning, seemed unfocused and green in the race.
            Here’s the rundown of the Derby Day Card:
            Race 1:  Biker Boy rain here and won, followed by my second choice, Bullet Rain.  They packed a nice one-two punch, which eased the disappointment of Sale Pending finishing fourth after wearing himself out early and going wide on the turn.
            Race 2:  Two of my picks in this race were scratched, Sky Storm and Bella Roja.  That left me with Loving Vindication and BR’s Girl.  BR’s Girl managed a fourth, good for her, but didn’t give me any cash.  Loving Vindication was a disappointing fifth.  I skipped Stealing Kisses and was glad, because she came in second to last.
            Race 3:  Spin Master wore out and came in fifth, with Forty Grams only a little better at fourth.  I should have sat this one out.  First Defense and Forest Attack both ran better races than I expected, coming in 1-2.  I’ll take another look at them next time they show up on a card.
            Race 4: I was going to sit this one out, but, at the last minute, liked Cherokee Artist and passed on Chris Got Even.  Cherokee Artist returned $9.40, so that was a good choice.  He was so wide I didn’t think he’d do it, but he ran the others down.
            Race 5:  Again, tossed a few bucks to Elite Squadron instead of sitting this one out.  He won at an even nicer price than Cherokee Artist.  I kept thinking he’d wear down, but he didn’t.  Not bad for two races I planned to sit out.  I passed on Island Warrior.  He came in fifth, better than I expected, but I was glad I didn’t put money on him.
            Race 6:  Informed Decision was scratched.  I stayed with Game Face across the board, and Secret Gypsy.  I liked the look of Keep the Peace, so I added her into the mix, and kept Tiz to Dream in the show spot.  I was a very happy camper, for the most part, with this race, because they came in:  Game Face, Keep the Peace, and Tiz to Dream.  I was disappointed with Secret Gypsy – she’s a very nice horse, but this was her first race since her injury last year, and maybe she should have had a lower-pressure prep race to get her head back in the game.  She was fifth.  I haven’t lost faith in her yet, and look forward to seeing her do better next time out.
            7th Race:  I passed on Dreaming of Anna, in spite of the experts swearing she could not be beat in there.  I kept Sharp Susan, but tossed Danzon who looked to me like she was having an off day.  I replaced her with Ventura.   I dropped VIP’s Princess as my long shot, because she seemed distracted.  Bayou’s Lassie looked even better than I expected, so she became my first choice, which was a good thing because she won, getting past Dreaming of Anna.  Ventura came in third, which pleased me, and Sharp Susan fourth – good for her, no dough for me.
            8th Race:  The Humana Distaff held a pleasant surprise for me, even though it was a horse on which I chose not to bet this time around.  Sugar Swirl was the favorite, but she didn’t grab me.  Change Up was scratched.  Miraculous Miss looked to me like she was limping.  I nixed her and felt guilty about it, since this is the last year of her racing career.  I kept Hystericalady and Miss Macy Sue.  Intangeroo was the winner – an impressive, amazing win by this gal, in spite of looking as though she backpedaled and then going so wide it was almost as though she had to run back from a different race.  But what really impressed me was Johnny V’s work on Barnoness Thatcher.  I mentioned in my pre-Derby predictions how disappointed I was in her lately and how I’d pass this time around – that she’d really have to impress me to win me back.  She certainly did, coming in a strong second to Intangeroo.  Hystericalady ran a steady race to come in third, while Miss Macy Sue faded to sixth.  Miraculous Miss surprised me by landing the fourth spot.
            9th Race:  War Monger, my favorite here, was scratched.  That left me with Einstein and Artiste Royale.  I tossed Duveen, and I looked at the Irish horse Golden Balls, but he didn’t do it for me.  Thorn Song was gorgeous, one of the handsomest horses I’ve seen in a long time, and strong early, so I wondered if I’d made a mistake in not betting him.  He was run down, however, and Einstein earned a good win.  Out of Control was second, with my Artiste Royal third.  I was glad I passed on Golden Balls – he came in last.  It just wasn’t his day.
            10th Race:  Kentucky Derby:  Big Brown looked really good.  Eight Belles was a radiant wonder.  I considered adding Colonel John to my picks, but he looked completely disinterested.  His daddy, Tiz Now, often did that.  Tiz Now would seem like he was strolling in the park until the last turn and then shake himself and go, “Hey, there are horses in front of me; I don’t like that” and power past.  But Colonel John wasn’t engaged enough in the day today to win me over.  He came in sixth, so I feel I was vindicated in my choice.
            Big Brown thoroughly surprised me.  I did not believe he had the mental capacity at this stage of the game to win the Derby – even though I bet him across the board.  But he did.  His butt looks bigger than some of the other horses’s entire bodies, and it certainly powers him around those turns.  He kept his cool, he listened to his jockey, Kent kept his cool, and they did it.
            Eight Belles ran her heart out, literally, and ended up dead.  The loss of such a lovely filly is a crushing blow to the sport.  She outran 18 colts, and she was the only serious threat to Big Brown in that last portion of the race.  Her loss will be deeply felt for a long time to come.
            Denis of Cork surprised me with his show position.  He looks to me like he hops when he runs, and I didn’t think he had it in him.
            My long shot Tale of Ekati pleased me with his fourth place spot.  Pyro was eighth, having gone wide and lost too much ground.  Cowboy Cal, my other long shot, was ninth, wearing out.  Gayego’s 16th place finish really shocked me.  He seemed slow out of the gate and never quite recovered.  It’s a shame it happened in the Derby – it’s a race that needs to be tossed, because he’s a better horse than what we saw on this day.
            Race 11: Tiz Now Tiz Then was scratched.  Sonoma Cat wore himself out dueling with one of my other picks, MapMaker, and wound up fifth, with MapMaker fourth.  The only one of my horses who came in where I thought he would was Lemon Custard in the show spot.
            Race 12:  Pious Ashley won, and Maiara came in second, both of which pleased me.  Quiet Mover and Syrup were disappointments – I thought they had the potential as upset horses, but not today.
            As of this writing, Big Brown’s going to the Preakness all by himself.  He’ll be challenged by a completely new and probably small field.  That may make the road to the Triple Crown this year easier, although it’s never easy.
            The death of Eight Belles has the ruckus started again calling horse racing “animal abuse” and calling for its ban.  Of course, none of these screechers have any ideas on what to do with the 10,000 horses per year that are foaled for the sport, and aren’t willing to take on their daily care.  A sudden, outright ban on the sport would mean tens of thousands of horses would be sent to slaughterhouses because no one could afford to keep them, feed them, and care for them.  It would be an equine holocaust.  The price of dog food would go down, but the massive animal slaughter would be appalling.  This is a harsh fact that those who claim to be protecting the rights of these “abused” horses willingly, consciously ignore because they are not willing to take personal responsibility for these animals.  If you’re going to complain about the problem, you damn well better have thought out a viable solution.
            Are there problems in the sport?  Yes.  Absolutely.  Can they be resolved?  Yes.  However, it needs to happen over months, not decades.  Jockey and horse safety must be a priority.
            In my opinion, if a corporation wants to put up the dough in order to have a race named after itself, said corporation should be required to put up the same amount of money in addition to be donated to either a charity for injured riders or to medical research for horses.  There has got to be a way to create support so that injured horses can be rested/strapped in or on something getting the weight off their limbs, not only to heal the injured limb but to prevent laminitis in the other limbs that now must take on the extra, uneven weight.  If prosthetics can be designed for humans, they can be designed for horses.
            The emphasis needs to be on strength and stamina, not over breeding just for speed.  Jockeys need to be allowed to carry a reasonable personal weight on their bodies to give them more control over a 1200 pound animal going over 40 mph, and be able to do so with a clear head and enough nutrition in their systems so they are at their best.
            For instance, in the Derby, the weight was 126 pounds.  Why can’t all that weight be on the jockeys’ bodies?  They shouldn’t have to be 110 pounds and then carry 16 pounds of weights in their saddles.
            Many, many people within the industry genuinely love their horses, especially those who deal with them every day.  There are genuine bonds with these animals.  Is every animal treated perfectly every time?  No.  And it’s important to remove those who mistreat the animals from the sport.
            But there’s also a beauty and majesty in the sport that is unparalleled anywhere else.  With money and attention going to the well-being of the sport instead of marketing it towards a celebrity rag-mag mentality, the sport can be the best it can be, with healthy participants, a lower mortality rate, and a high level of sportsmanship, excitement, and beauty.
            I’ll be back next week with my pre-Preakness predictions.  Day before Preakness Day, I’ll handicap the entire card on a special edition of Racing Ink on Ink in My Coffee (http://devonellingon.wordpress.com).  And if you want to read fantastic horse racing commentary by a working television writer, visit Seriocity at http://seriocity.blogspot.com.  Until next week, keep a sweet memory of Eight Belles in your heart, and start thinking about positive ways to change the industry.