Eight Belles

Eight Belles

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Eight Belles


sire = Unbridled's Song
grandsire = Unbridled
dam = Away
damsire = Dixieland Band
sex = Filly
foaled = February 23, 2005
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Black
breeder = Robert N. Clay & Serengeti Stable
owner = Fox Hill Farms
trainer = J. Larry Jones
record = 10: 5-3-1
earnings = $708,650
race = Honeybee Stakes (2008)
Fantasy Stakes (2008)
updated= May 3, 2008

Eight Belles (February 23, 2005May 3 2008) was a grey thoroughbred racehorse owned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms. She finished second to winner Big Brown in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby held at Churchill Downs, a race run by only thirty-nine fillies in the past [ [http://horseracing.about.com/od/triplecrown2000/a/aakdfillies.htm Fillies in the Kentucky Derby ] ] . Her collapse just after the Derby's conclusion resulted in immediate euthanasia.

Earlier in the year, Eight Belles made history at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, by being the first filly in the history of the track to win the Martha Washington Stakes (February 17 2008, by 13½ lengths, setting a stakes record for margin of victory), the Honeybee Stakes (March 16 2008, beating unbeaten stakes winner Pure Clan), and the Fantasy Stakes (April 12 2008, which she won in an exciting finish). [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTVA4wKdvE You Tube of race] ]

Events after the 2008 Kentucky Derby

Eight Belles collapsed during her cool-down immediately after passing the winning post. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf_zwInBB5Y&feature=related NBC Sports video] ] She suffered compound fractures of both front ankles and was euthanized on the spot because of the nature of her injuries. [ [http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/05/03/filly-eight-belles-breaks-both-front-legs-euthanized-after-kent/ Filly Eight Belles Breaks Both Front Legs, Euthanized After Kentucky Derby - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog ] ]

Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian, claimed that Eight Belles' trauma was too severe to even attempt to move her off the track. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3380081 ESPN - Favorite Big Brown dusts field; runner-up Eight Belles euthanized - Horse Racing ] ]

According to the The Louisville "Courier-Journal", Bramlage said the filly had fractures of the cannon and sesamoid bones in both front legs.That is the same type of break that was suffered by 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro in one leg. [ [http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/horse-health/2005/December/10/Sesamoid-injury-can-mean-disaster.aspx vet analysis of leg problems] ]

Eight Belles was buried and memorialized in the garden of Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Museum on September 7th, 2008. A race has been renamed in her honor, and will run on the Derby Day 2009 undercard. [http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/46956.htm]

Remembering Eight Belles

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) asked jockeys riding at Pimlico Race Course during all races over the weekend of the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes (May 16th and 17th, 2008) to wear stickers on their boots or mud pants in honor of Eight Belles. The red and white stickers, made by the NTRA, had a bell, the number 8 and the word “Belles” on them. The Jockey's Guild wholeheartedly agreed. Jockey John Velazquez said: “It’s something to remind everybody of a great horse. What happened was a really sad thing, and we’re sad. I think it (wearing the stickers) is a good thing to bring awareness to our game. We’ll do whatever is possible to minimize anything that happens like that.”

Necropsy

Kentucky chief veterinarian Lafe Nichols performed a necropsy and tests at the University of Kentucky's Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center. According to a review of the results by the Associated Press, compound fractures of both front legs at the fetlock joints were confirmed. They described lacerated skin on both legs, an absence of joint fluid in the damaged areas and congested lungs. The filly also experienced a bruised head and hemorrhaging in the left thyroid gland, which the report blamed on her fall after the initial injuries. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJViQ3rCPNbAGbQTTZOYhLbn0DmgD90MHC0G0 "A.P." report dated 16 May, 2008] ]

Larry Jones, her trainer, commented that he believes the horse just tripped over her own feet."She's bad about stumbling while pulling up. She doesn't pick her feet up very high. It's one reason she could run very fast and far. She had the perfect motion for being effective and efficient. However, those horses who do that have a tendency to want to stumble." [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf_zwInBB5Y&feature=related NBC Sports video] ]

The Jockey Club has formed a panel to examine the issues, which include breeding practices, track surfaces and medication.

Controversy

Veteran "Washington Post" sportswriter Sally Jenkins wrote that thoroughbred horses had become too strong with bones too lightweight: "She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles." Blaming the breeders and investors, Jenkins claimed, "thoroughbred racing is in a moral crisis, and everyone now knows it." [cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/03/AR2008050301707.html |title=Is Horse Racing Breeding Itself to Death? |first=Sally |last=Jenkins |authorlink=Sally Jenkins |work=The Washington Post |date=2008-05-04 |accessdate=2008-05-04 ]

PETA has called for the suspension of jockey Gabriel Saez and the prize money to be revoked if he is found at fault. [cite news |url=http://sports.aol.com/story/_a/peta-wants-jockey-suspended/20080504184809990001?icid=1616058736x1201622077x1200302552 |title=PETA Wants Jockey Suspended |first= |last= |authorlink= |work=The Associated Press |publisher=AOL.com |date=2008-05-05 |accessdate=2008-05-05 ]

Six generations back takes this horse to Native Dancer (foaled March 1950), along with all 20 of the horses in the race, and just about every horse racing in the United States today. Much opinion has been published in the press stating that there may be a connection between the fact of so much inbreeding stemming from Native Dancer, with the weak ankles seen in horses today, leading to Eight Belles' demise. [ [http://www.denverpost.com/ci_9144719 "Denver Post" editorial dated 4 May, 2008] ] [ [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120994417837766223.html?mod=googlenews_wsj "Wall Street Journal" article dated 5 May, 2008] ] "The Los Angeles Times" went so far as to headline its opinion piece that today's horses are being "bred for death". [* [http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-horse6-2008may06,0,2830684.story "LA Times" editorial dated 6 May, 2008] ] The owner of Eight Belles made comments and suggested solutions in an article in the Wall Street Journal. [ [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121003733327069541.html?mod=sports "Wall Street Journal" article dated 6 May, 2008] ]

Pedigree

Eight Belles' dam was Away, a descendant of Northern Dancer, and her sire was Unbridled's Song. Unbridled's Song's dam is a daughter of Caro. Caro is the sire of Winning Colors, one of only three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby. Mr. Prospector and Exclusive Native were both grandsons of Native Dancer who was also the sire of Raise a Native. Pedigree
name = Eight Belles
f = Unbridled's Song
m = Away
ff = Unbridled
fm = Trolley Song
mf = Dixieland Band
mm = Be a Prospector
fff = Fappiano
ffm = Gana Facil
fmf = Caro
fmm = Lucky Spell
mff = Northern Dancer
mfm = Mississippi Mud
mmf = Mr. Prospector
mmm = Belonging
ffff = Mr. Prospector
fffm = Killaloe
ffmf = Le Fabuleux
ffmm = Charedi
fmff = Fortino II
fmfm = Chambord
fmmf = Lucky Mel
fmmm = Incantation
mfff = Nearctic
mffm = Natalma
mfmf = Delta Judge
mfmm = Sand Buggy
mmff = Raise a Native
mmfm = Gold Digger
mmmf = Exclusive Native
mmmm = Straight Deal|

Notes

References

*racehorses


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