Eight Belles Dies,Eight Belles Euthanized, Was it Justified

Horse racing is a brutal, cruel world that thrives on profit. When Eight Belles broke both of her ankles, little thought was put into the decision to put her to death. Immediately.

Filly Eight Belles finished second behind favorite Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, then collapsed with two broken front ankles and was euthanized after crossing the wire.

The field of 20 horses was galloping out around the first turn at Churchill Downs when Eight Belles suddenly went down on both front legs and jockey Gabriel Saez slid off.
An equine ambulance reached her on the track and put Eight Belles down.

"There was no possible way to save her," on-call veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage said. "She broke both front ankles. That's a bad injury."

AP