Horse Shit

Good God. Just moments after finishing 2nd at the Kentucky Derby a few minutes ago, a filly named Eight Belles (seen at far left, she was the only female horse in the 20-horse race) broke both of her front ankles while pulling up, collapsed on the track, and was euthanized on the spot. Did NBC make anything but a cursory mention? No. (Over on the NY Times' "Rail" blog, commenters are somewhat-gleefully discussing the "symbolism" of the race with regards to the Democratic presidential nomination; Hillary Clinton, you see, had her money on the fallen filly.) You really have to wonder about a "sport" in which thousands of majestic creatures are cruelly-bred, overtrained and raced to the point of mortal injury. And all for ego-inflation of a few wealthy owners, the amusement of millions, and, of course, the profiteering of both. [NY Times]