Derby Sadness

Words cannot begin to describe the grief I felt when I saw the filly, Eight Belles, lying on the track after having broken both front ankles during her run for second place at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Somehow, seeing a Triple Crown winner no longer seems to have any importance for me. I’m not of the opinion that horse racing should be banned, but I’m not sure I have the stomach to watch it anymore. Oh sure, I know that one less person watching the sportscast will have no effect whatsoever on the big business of horse racing. But it might make me feel a bit better. After all, the horse racing business is just that, a business. Without racing, the horses would never be bred to the extent that they are. So I understand that. But maybe, just maybe, they’re being pushed too far, too fast, too early in their young lives.