Flashback to Derby 2008

(from post-Derby 2008) 

 

Eight Bells, 1887

Eight Bells is the name of one of Winslow Homer's best-known paintings and the last of the series of great sea pictures that had commenced with The Life Line three years earlier, was completed in 1886 but not shown until 1888. The title refers to the sounding of eight bells done at the hours of four, eight, and twelve a.m. and p.m. Two sailors dominate the foreground, but the details of the ship and its riggings have been minimized. In the etching Homer has de-emphasized the background rigging and sky even further to underscore the figures' monumentality.

 

Homer's depiction seems to transcend "mere realism" and reveal an element of heroism in the mundane activities of his protagonists. A contemporary critic noted that the artist "has caught the color and motion of the greenish waves, white-capped and rolling, the strength of the dark clouds broken with a rift of sunlight, and the sturdy, manly character of the sailors at the rail. In short, he has seen and told in a strong painter's manner what there was of beauty and interest in the scene."

 

Isn't it odd that Eight Belles was named after Homer's depiction of two "manly" characters? Sailors at the rail, no less? Indeed it is odd that the criticism aimed at Eight Belles' jockey is due to his use of the whip during the Kentucky Derby, which he only did to keep her OFF the rail, to keep her from hurting herself?

 

Is it not ironic that all the uproar is over The Filly who came in second against the much touted, domineering first place finisher, BIG BROWN, whose jockey was a little heavy-handed with the whip? Wonder why PETA hasn't seemed to notice that all that much, or they simply aren't being given a Microphone to the World on that issue?

 

I also find it interesting that with all the talk of paparazzi and how much we are prone to hate photographers, I found the very epitome of compassion in the photographers with whom I was privileged to work at the Derby this past Saturday. Once the filly fell, I called a friend in Lexington, who fast and furiously looked through the channels to find coverage, but there was none to be found. I then called a pal who was in Louisville and had been watching WAVE-TV out of Louisville, and told me that Eight Belles had broken her two front ankles and had been euthanized on the track. I relayed this news to the photographers near me, and they quickly took up their equipment and headed to the backstretch, but not without a lot of anguish and concern on their faces. Later, I would ask my dear friend and former mentor from The Thoroughbred Times, Enzina Mastrippolito (a/k/a "Z"), how she dealt with it. She said, "You just have to learn how to turn your heart off. It's very difficult, but you just have to do your job; then you find yourself breaking down later, sobbing like a baby for hours on end."

 

So it's not that those who work with Thoroughbred horses are inhumane, they are for the most part true animal lovers. In fact, I've seen Z make baby-back ribs for her dogs, while she eats an apple. We are talking about a true animal lover here.

 

I can understand why the casual observer would think the way the PETA folk do, and I'm not saying that as a put-down in any way. However, horse racing has been around since Biblical times, and it will still be around long after you and I and all the so called 'vegan' PETA members are gone. Whatever. If they were really TRUE vegans, they would probably not have to go the wide-bottom jean shop to buy clothing. It's not that I don't think they're entitled to their opinion, it's that I think sometimes their hypocrisy is apparent and their anger is misguided. They need to educate themselves before they put on their Nikes and start walking the protest line.

 

PETA princesses need to get the pea out from underneath their mattresses and listen up! If they want to try to put some focus on issues that will really help horses, they should investigate the efforts of those who enacted the Anti-Slaughter bill, which was passed in April of last year. Is it really humane to keep a horse alive that cannot be appropriately fed or cared for? What about Old Friends? Do the PETA members know anything about Old Friends Equine, the organization that has set up a retirement community for retired Thoroughbreds? Would not their time and effort be better spent supporting these types of animal-loving organizations?

Contrary to some bloggers who claim that she was "put down for amusement" (I swear that's what one guy said!), Eight Belles did not break her ankles trying to win the race, she broke one ankle galloping out (trying to cool down, like all the other horses) after the Derby. After she broke one front ankle, she tried to put all her weight on the other ankle, and it broke as well. This double-break of the front ankles simply does not happen in racing. In fact, if you listed to Dr. Larry Bramledge, the veterinarian who treated her and was the on-call vet at Churchill Downs, he stated that it was a freak accident, one he had never seen happen before as a horse was galloping out. Since they could not splint one of her front ankles to get her into the ambulance to be treated, the decision to euthanize her was quickly and humanely made. It was disturbing, yes, it was very very disturbing and disheartening, but it was an accident, not something intentional that caused her to be put down.

So, no, we cannot END horse racing, nor should we want to.  It's been going on since Biblical times, and we are not going to end it now. No matter how cruel it may seem to those who don’t know the depth of the effort that goes into breeding and racing these magnificent animals, most of the folks who handle these horses are animal lovers of the first degree.

OH THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT...

Eight Belles. Or 8 bells. It was 8:00 on Saturday morning when my buddy Tom Eisenhauer and I were stopping at Starbucks in Shelbyville to and checking in with Enzina Mastrippolito, a/k/a "Z," who had asked us to help her with some ancillary work at the Derby. Tom was excited about working for the one of the best equine photographers in the business, and I was thrilled to be working with Enzina again. We had worked together at The Thoroughbred Record years ago, where Z taught me all I know about pedigrees, publishing and proofreading. In fact, I still use the proofreading instructions that Z taught me, even when marking my choir music. She is filled with a tremendous amount of information, and is happy to dispense it if you should ask. She is a great "boss," and an even better friend to have. In fact, I've often said that when I grow up, I want to be just like Z. So, our anticipation last Saturday morning was so palpable, we didn't need espresso to get us going, but we stopped anyway, grabbing a few Danishes for good measure.

 

As Luck would have it, once we got to Louisville and had boarded the media shuttle bus headed to Churchill Downs, I realized that Evan Hammonds, the Executive Editor of the Blood-Horse was sitting just beside us. Ever the gentleman, Evan led us directly to the Paddock Pavilion, where Z was busy watching Google chart her Kentucky Oaks photos from the day before, but ready to give us our orders as to what our tasks of the day would be. Matt Barton, one of Z’s crew, then gave us a tour of the Downs, inside and out, and was so very kind to point out to us that we should savor the moment and take it all in. Since it was still fairly early, the crowds had not yet made their way to Churchill, so we kind of felt as if we had the place all to ourselves! No pushing or wrangling to get anywhere, we were free to tour the starting gate area, the finish line, the backstretch -- it was a wonderful, glorious morning, and everyone couldn't have been kinder, from the security personnel to the other photographers, I truly enjoyed meeting everyone I met on Derby Day, even the couple that I had to kick out of the bathroom stall in the ladies' room as well as the guy who almost fell on me while acting crazy during the shuttle ride back to our car after the last race.

 

Of course, even though the sun was shining and the morning's races were getting underway, I could still see the clouds looming in the distance, not knowing what they or the day would bring. There was only one sure thing, and that was that I definitely was going to bet on The Filly. My sister Karen had placed a bet on her to win, I bet her across the board, and over the course of the 9 races that led up to the Derby, I found very few ladies who'd not bet on Eight Belles. It was a day for The Filly to shine, to show those boys that she could cut the mustard. We just knew she could and would do it. Isn't it funny how we often impose our gender issues on these occasions? 

 

Now let me say this. I have a great love for Thoroughbreds and racing. When I was a kid, Derby Day was the one 'holiday' that the whole family got along. There were never any expectations, nobody had to stuff a turkey, no gifts to buy -- all we had to do was be there, pick a name out of a hat, put a quarter in the bowl and sit back and enjoy a julep (or two) before the race. The biggest worry on Derby Day was usually scoring some good mint, but somehow Dad always found some and made his classic cocktail for the whole family. The kids would get cola and mint on ice, the adults would get the real kicker. Ahh, Derby Day memories. Good Times...or was it Early Times?

 

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME

Throughout the day, I stood by my post just beyond the finish line, beside Jerry Bailey and the ESPN commentators' booth, ready to trigger the remote on Z's camera there. Of course, I chatted with the crowd, got to know the fellow photographers standing there.  I have known a few photographers in my day, and I have to tell you, most of them are extremely kind, caring, compassionate people. It was no surprise then, when Eight Belles fell while galloping out after the Derby, that the photographers around me needed to know what was going on.  They quickly ran to get what photos they could, but the look of anguish on their faces was something I will never forget.  Later, some of them actually thanked me repeatedly for small acts of what I considered the right thing to do, i.e., pick up their equipment when they dropped it and deliver it to them once I found them again.  I was very touched by the fact that in the midst of chaos and despair, many chose to do the right thing, the appropriate action, and for that, I am truly grateful. 

 

Considering how powerful and strong Thoroughbreds are, and the speed at which they travel, you only have to look at their ankles -- which are about the size of a human ankle -- to realize how and why these things happen. It's not that I am dismissing the tragedy, because I was only yards away from her when Eight Belles went down and I too was devastated. Eight Belles was a Queen in the Sport of Kings and the loss of this tremendous horse was heartbreaking to everyone, her owners and trainers, certainly, but also the entire Churchill crowd and the entire world that was watching as she ran her last race.

 

OH, SUSANNAH! 

My niece, Susannah made the comment after watching the Eight Belles tragedy, that it was so sad, "because they sang 'weep no more, my lady,' and they had to put her down at her Old Kentucky Home!" Pretty smart for a 12 year old, but wow, when my sister told me that Susannah had said that, it really brought the focus of the entire issue home to my heart and mind. I’m pretty sure, though, that Eight Belles enjoyed racing, that is what she was bred to do. I believe she went down in a blaze of glory, doing what she loved best and beating 18 out of 19 of the colts. And maybe somewhere, somehow, it's possible that her song went from Weep No More, My Lady, to "Oh Susannah, Oh don’t you cry for me!"  

 

The folks that work around Thoroughbreds, for the most part, are animal lovers and they have fought for better conditions so their horses can race more safely. I don't think the casual observer to Thoroughbred racing realizes this; and I am positive that the PETA kids with their made-by-a-child-in-China Nike shoes on have no clue as to what or why they are protesting.

 

Oh yeah, Big Brown won the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, and he's a good candidate to win the Triple Crown. If he doesn't, in a few years nobody will remember his name, but they will always remember Eight Belles.  I loved going to this Derby. It was a magnificent day of learning and watching others react to the jubiliation of the day.  At the end it was surreal, though, to have witnessed the triumph and joy of the Winner's Circle of Churchill Downs yet tears, grief and sorrow in the filly's barn that was felt all across the world.