Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 3, 2008 2:32:41 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Owner Haunted by Derby Filly's 'Horrible' Death

Posted May 6, 08 3:49 AM CDT in US,  Sports 

(Newser) – Eight Belles' owner is still shocked and saddened by the death of his filly, put down at the end of the Kentucky Derby—but believes she belonged in the race, reports the Palm Beach Post. Rick Porter switched from celebrating his horse's thrilling second-place finish to mourning her death within minutes. "It's the bottom of the barrel," he said yesterday. "It's just a horrible feeling."

Porter doesn't think having a racing commissioner would have prevented the "freak accident" that broke the filly's front ankles when they slammed into one another, but thinks that having one could "get everybody on the same page" concerning thoroughbred safety. He'll remember Eight Belles as "a beautiful, mild-tempered, talented filly that gave her life giving it all to be second in the Kentucky Derby."

Source Palm Beach Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Big Brown Back on Track

    May 29, 08 7:55 AM CDT
    Big Brown Back on Track Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown looked to be on the mend from his foot injury yesterday, making his longest practice run yet at the Belmont track. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner galloped 1 1/8 mile under the careful supervision of an exercise rider, ESPN reports. A crack in his left front hoof had trainers holding him back since Friday. More »

  • Eight Belles Jockey Defends His Ride

    May 7, 08 7:23 PM CDT
    Eight Belles Jockey Defends His Ride The jockey who rode Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby says the filly seemed to be in fine form during the race and denies pushing her against her will, USA Today reports. "I'm not going to encourage her to run if I know something is wrong because I can end up dead," said Gabriel Saez, 20. The horse's trainer has noted that the filly's ears were up at the finish line, a sign it was "perfectly happy." More »

  • Eight Belles' Trainer Defends Jockey's Conduct

    May 5, 08 11:34 PM CDT
    Eight Belles' Trainer Defends Jockey's Conduct The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky Derby runner-up. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail. More »

  • PETA Cries Foul Over Filly's Death

    May 5, 08 10:44 AM CDT
    PETA Cries Foul Over Filly's Death PETA is calling for broad reforms in horse racing after the second-place finisher in Saturday's Kentucky Derby broke her two front legs and was immediately euthanized, reports the Lexington Herald-Leader. PETA is calling for horses to begin training at their third birthdays, rather than their second, and also for synthetic surfaces on all racetracks, which offer less of a pounding to the animals' legs. More »

  • 'Moral Crisis' Plagues Horse Racing

    May 4, 08 9:45 AM CDT
    'Moral Crisis' Plagues Horse Racing NBC cut away from Eight Belles’ devastating breakdown and euthanasia at Churchill Downs yesterday, but we need to take a good hard look at the very real cost of the sport of kings, writes Sally Jenkins in the Washington Post. Eight Belles is a primetime example of the average two horses per day that suffer career-ending injuries on the track—the result of years of breeding for speed, without the requisite sturdiness. More »

Rick Porter, seen here in a 2007 file photo, was left with a "horrible feeling" after the death of his filly Eight Belles.   (AP Photo/Pat Crowe II)
Track personnel try to hold down Eight Belles as jockey Gabriel Saez walks past after the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.   (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)
Track personnel try to hold down Eight Belles after the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.   (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

horse racing • Kentucky Derby • horse • Churchill Downs • Eight Belles • thoroughbred


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Sports Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »