thoroughbred

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Racehorses Are Dropping Dead in California

17 confusing deaths since July

(Newser) - Racehorses that die in California are subject to one of the country's most comprehensive post-mortem reviews, and what those reviews are finding—or not finding—is unsettling. Racehorses have been dropping dead in the state, and no one knows why, reports the New York Times . Nineteen died in in...

Kentucky Derby: Root for the Horse With No Balls

Comma To The Top is the people's champion

(Newser) - Looking for a rooting interest at Sunday’s Kentucky Derby? Well, you should be cheering for Comma To The Top, argues Edward McClelland of Slate , for one simple reason: "He can’t produce sperm." Which means he’ll be able to race for another three years. “If...

For Owners, Horse Racing a Sure Bet (to Lose)

The ponies are a labor of love with small stakes, high costs

(Newser) - Thoroughbred racehorses aren’t cheap to buy—and then you have to house them, feed them, pay the vet, the trainer, the jockey, etc. And if you actually intend to make money, they have to win. And even then, since most horses never make the elite high-stakes races, owners have...

Crazy Colt Triggers Churchill Downs Tragedy

Filly slammed by runaway at Churchhill Downs dies from shock

(Newser) - A colt who went bonkers during a workout at Churchill Downs threw his jockey then slammed into a filly who had to be put down because of her injuries, reports Horse and Hound. Several hopefuls for the upcoming Kentucky Derby were on the track, but none was injured. "The...

Big Brown's Trainer Makes Big Boast
Big Brown's Trainer Makes Big Boast

Big Brown's Trainer Makes Big Boast

Confident Dutrow calls Triple Crown 'foregone conclusion'

(Newser) - When Big Brown enters the gate for the Belmont Stakes next week, one member of the crowd won't be on pins and needles: Rick Dutrow is confident his horse will win, reports USA Today. "I feel that he will do it. It's actually a foregone conclusion for me,"...

Owner Haunted by Derby Filly's 'Horrible' Death

Wishes 'talented, mild-mannered' horse was back in the barn

(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...

'Moral Crisis' Plagues Horse Racing
 'Moral Crisis'
 Plagues
 Horse Racing 
analysis

'Moral Crisis' Plagues Horse Racing

Eight Belles, Barbaro indicative of huge hearts, too-fragile bodies

(Newser) - 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...

$16M Horse Makes Shaky Debut
$16M Horse Makes Shaky Debut

$16M Horse Makes Shaky Debut

The Green Monkey finishes third in maiden run

(Newser) - The world's most expensive racehorse finished third in his rookie race at Belmont Park yesterday. The Green Monkey, really a horse that sold for $16 million at Saratoga's auction last year, had been kept off the track for months by a series of injuries, the AP reports. "In a...

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