Eight Belles

[californiaviking]

She crossed the wire 4 3/4 lengths behind favorite Big Brown. Then, with the second-largest crowd in Derby history still whooping it up, Eight Belles collapsed with two broken front ankles.

I'm not a huge horse racing fan but I think this is Viking Bar worthy. To finish second with two broken ankles is awesome.

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns

[Colinito]

Awesome for the horse?

[Cliff]

She crossed the wire 4 3/4 lengths behind favorite Big Brown. Then, with the second-largest crowd in Derby history still whooping it up, Eight Belles collapsed with two broken front ankles.

I'm not a huge horse racing fan but I think this is Viking Bar worthy. To finish second with two broken ankles is awesome.

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns

Yeah ... did you read what actually happened to the horse? They had to put it down ... not all that awesome it's really more sad than anything

[PurpleMustReign]

That is a sad story. A valiant effort for the horse tho.

[glg]

Very sad, but to be clear, the horse didn't finish on broken ankles, the breaks occurred after the race was over.

[californiaviking]

Awesome

Awe"some\, a. 1. Causing awe; appalling; awful; as, an awesome sight. --Wright.

2. Expressive of awe or terror.

Awesome doesn't always mean "totally radical dude"

[vikingman]

It is truly a sad story. Run the best race she ever has run and then something like that happen. I also do not follow horse racing however, in listening to the Vet that had to put her down he said that this is the first time in his career that he had ever seen anything like this. A true celebration turned to nothing but sadness. What a shame.

[Colinito]

I don't follow horse racing either, for those who do, are the horses into it? I mean, do they know they are engaging in sport and do they thirst for victory?

I know horses are smart, smarter than most humans think, and if those who were close to the action were convinced the horses were, to some degree, agents of their own destiny then I may change my opinion about the sport, but from what I can gather it's only slightly less heinous than dog fighting.

Animals used for entertainment and gambling purposes, often at their own lives/pain/expense and with no tangible reward system for the majority of entrants. I mean if football players were being shot at the end of the game because they were too hurt to continue living, there wouldn't be football, am I right? So the only difference is humans vs. animals, which isn't much of a moral difference to me, especially larger mammals to which we are very similar.

So, in conclusion, though I know of the more traditional definition of the word "awesome," california_viking, the other syntactical clues in your post led me to believe that we are not on the same wavelength regarding this subject.

[Demi]

Only slightly less heinous than dog fighting? Aaaahahaha. Oh man, good one.

Yeah yeah, a mammal is a mammal is a mammal.

This is what ya get when a woman tries to do a man's job.

[DarthBrooks]

When a horse breaks an ankle like that there's nothing that a vet can do for it, whether it's a racing animal or not.

[TrenchGoon]

yep, neighbors lost a horse on a trail ride a few years back. took a wrong step, busted a leg. They had to shoot it.

Of course, I completely disagree with Colinito on the animals=people kick. Making that distinction doesn't trouble me.

Not making a distinction between forcing animals to fight, and breeding animals to run is a bit odd to me as well, but what can I say.

[jackal]

the don't try and hurt the horses in fact the opposite...

[DanAS1]

Only slightly less heinous than dog fighting? Aaaahahaha. Oh man, good one.

Yeah yeah, a mammal is a mammal is a mammal.

This is what ya get when a woman tries to do a man's job.

There was an article in the Washington Post yesterday which pointed out how common it has become for horses to die from this sport. I'd say this is a problem. It's not dog fighting, but it's nothing to ignore either.

[TrenchGoon]

There was an article in the Washington Post yesterday which pointed out how common it has become for horses to die from this sport. I'd say this is a problem. It's not dog fighting, but it's nothing to ignore either.

so what should be done about it?

[Colinito]

Great article that raises some questions along the lines of my above post.

http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/st ... se-racing-