NY Times columnist asks why we keep giving horse racing a pass. 5/4/08

[Guest guest]

William C. Rhoden, of the New York Times, has written eloquently on horse racing before. I quote him extensively in my section on the issue in Thanking the Monkey. And while every paper has carried the story of the death of Eight Bells at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, I wish to share Rhoden's column, on the front page of the Sunday, May 4, New York Times sports section. It is headed "Race's Aftermath Shows Sport's Brutal Side."Rhoden opens with:"Why do we keep giving thoroughbred horse racing a pass? Is it the tradition? The millions upon millions invested in the betting? "Why isn't there more pressure to put the sport of kings under the umbrella of animal cruelty? "The sport is at least as inhumane as greyhound racing and only a couple of steps removed from animal fighting. "Is it the fact that horse racing is

imbedded in the American fabric? And the Triple Crown is a nationally televised spectacle? Or is it the fact that death on the track is rarely seen by a mainstream television audience? "The sentiment was summed up by Dr. Larry Bramlage on Saturday when, asked about fillies racing against colts, he said, 'One death is not an epidemic.'"But this isn't about one death. This is about the nature of a sport that routinely grinds up young horses."A national audience was exposed to the bittersweet experience of a tremendous victory by Big Brown and -- moments later -- the stunning news that Eight Belles had been euthanized. As we watched Big Brown's owner celebrate the unmitigated joy of winning the Derby, we watched Bramlage describe the details of Eight Belles's horrible death: She had completed the race, finishing a heroic second to Big Brown. She was around the turn at the start of the backstretch when her front ankles collapsed. "Bramlage

described the sickening image of what had happened: a condylar fracture on the left side and the left front that opened the skin, went through it and was contaminated.'''She didn't have a front leg to stand on to be splinted and hauled off in the ambulance, so she was immediately euthanized,' Bramlage said. "And that was that."Rhoden discusses the reactions of those involved as they tow the industry line. He writes of leaving the stable where he had seen "Eight Belles in a heap." And he ends with:"Thoroughbred racing is a brutal sport. Why do we keep giving it a pass?"You'll find the full article on line at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/sports/othersports/04rhoden.htmlYou can thank Rhoden for his stance by emailing him at wcrA letter to the editor will keep the story alive on the editorial pages. So please send one to lettersAnd why send a letter to your local editor? Smaller papers

publish a high proportion of letters they receive. Don't hesitate to ask me for help if you have trouble finding the correct email address for a letter to your editor. Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.Yours and the animals',Karen Dawn(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you,

which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read advance reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals” and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.---Mon May 5 21:01:58 2008

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