Kentucky Derby & My thoughts on it

[ExRaceHorseChamp]

Now i just want to clear this up the Kentucky Derby is part of the Triple Crown races,normally the Kentucky is first than the Preakness & than the Belmont, the Belmont it the longest out of the 3,now with covid going around they did it a different way,with the Belmont being first,the Kentucky being the second & the Preakness being the third,now the Belmont was already ran along with the Kentucky,Tiz the Law who is trained by Barclay Tagg & owned by Sackatoga Stable,the winner of the Kentucky is Authentic who is trained by Bob Baffert & owned by B. Wayne Hughes & is co-owned by Spendthrift Farm , Now Bob Baffert trained American Pharoah & Arrogate, American Pharoah was the 12th triple crown winner & while Arrogate won the 2016 Travers Stakes Breeders' Cup Classic , but that was all in the past so leave it behind.



Now back when the Belmont for 2020 was about to start 2 of Bob's horses got pulled one being A Thousand Words & two being Authentic , & some would say 'they got pulled because Bob thought they wouldn't do well & he didn't want to look like a fool' or 'He knew his horses couldn't run the length of the Belmont',but here is why both A Thousand Words & Authentic got pulled was because he drugged them both, now what also happened was at the Derby , A Thousand Words reared up in the track stall/paddock,& what Bob claims to have happened was that A Thousand Words reared & flipped to his side,while others than claimed that A Thousand Words reared in his stall & almost hit his head, I would like to say 'yes' Bob was right but that's not the truth from the history i have done on Bob,& it's way too much for to try to type **has i know most people don't read it all so i'll just link them**: this is part one I've read it myself a few times & thought it all over: https://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/201 ... ct-part-1/ this is part 2: https://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/201 ... ng%2Ddoing.



I've read them both non-stop & i know some will say 'oh it's just a saying it will pass',or 'it's fine' no it's not fine,now i think the only reason how & why Authentic won was because Bob gave him some sort of drug,now when he was training Justify he gave him poppy seeds with it banned in horse racing he even told his assisted,to say 'the horse was near some bread that has some poppy seeds in it' **something like that**,but the assisted told the truth & now here is a list of banned substances for race horses: https://thehorse.com/110865/study-evalu ... the%20body).%E2%80%9D



I think Bob most likely gave him Lasix or something like that,as Bob dose have a past history of drugging his horses ,as you can go read at the top again,now on to the next topic.

Wiping,I myself do not wipe my horses ,but they do in horse racing along with in the rest of the horse world,now horses can INDEED feel more pain than humans,some would say 'oh but he/she's fine' , or 'he/she's not limping or being lame' , or 'he/she is putting weight on that leg it's fine', no , it's not okay,just because you can't see the pain of the horse on the outside,dose not mean they are not in pain,& here is why **again i know most will not read it,so i'll just out the link you can read at your own time** : https://ourhorses.org/horse-training/ho ... n%20humans.

The Age,now in horse racing the start training them at the age of 2 & than the Triple Crown if for 3yr old,now i myself would never start or try to break in a horse at the age of 2 nor 3 years of age i would most likely start at the age of 3 & a half ,or older but not at the age of 2 or 3,it can cause so so so many problems in the long run,& to go with it they are pushing theses 2 or 3 yr olds to 60+mph & they just go out on the ground or break their bones& they always try to cover it up,& I've seen over the years that it's like horse racing doesn't kill?& i know just about all the sports in the horse world kills but i think horse racing kills the most as it killed , mostly seen killed on the Santa Anita ,37 racehorses if not more died at Santa Anita.

& I'm sorry if someone has a problem but i'm saying what i think needs to be said,you don't have to read this you can leave this topic if you want,i'm just saying what needs to change & it should have changed years ago & it didn't.

I rest my case.

[Em's Holding]

hello

Racing needs to be more peaceful! Some people are just in it for the money and don't care!
and others actually care and I'm happy some people do
I mean when you see humans race do they get smacked with crops, drugged, or killed!?

[BlackOak2]

Yes, when humans race, they do smack, drug and in some instances, it does lead to death. Any sport across the board will see these things. It doesn't make it right. And the 'will to win,' the 'will to be the best' drives people to do the worst things.

Please keep this peaceful on the forum. Debate is fine.

Unless something has changed in the US, Lasix is an acceptable drug to help prevent a horse's lungs from fluid buildup during the race. Other countries around the world do NOT allow such a thing. By breeding in the genes that create the problem and using a drug to aid in 'fixing' the problem, weaker genes are allowed to continue. I don't agree with such breeding. Though I would allow a horse that suffers from it, to still race... but then again, that would still be allowing the problem to persist. By only allowing a gelding to use Lasix, would fix the problem, but then this would also be restricting such a thing in a way that could be described as favoritism to the breeder's market.

Anyway a person looks at it, a huge overhaul would be necessary.

Personally, with certain conditions observed, I don't see too much a problem with starting a horse under saddle during their 2nd year. But I'm also not a fan of making them run on underdeveloped legs. Horses, like all animals don't ALL mature at the same time. Some mature physically faster than others. The raising of an animal into it's use, should be observed and guided better by the trainers. But that would also mean that the fees that the trainers have placed upon them should be altered, because until that horse earns money in races, it's just a money-hole. So there is a long and intricate webbing of 'wrongs' that have accumulated to create what we have today.

But that doesn't also mean that the sport itself should be ended. Or is that what the desired outcome should be? Personally, that is not what I want to see.

[Element]

hello

Racing needs to be more peaceful! Some people are just in it for the money and don't care!
and others actually care and I'm happy some people do
I mean when you see humans race do they get smacked with crops, drugged, or killed!?

I think the number one thing is that horses should be healthy. So should humans. For example, take a Olympic runner. Most are in control of their bodies, and can go terrific speeds without being harmed. But like a horse, if you push them to hard, its not good.

I haven't been interested in horse racing my whole life but... my personal opinion is trainers should try to improve their horses time, but not by the measures of working them while they have an injury or pushing too far beyond there limit. So putting the horse at its maximum potential, while healthy, but working hard, that is fine.

Yes, some trainers may use performance enhancing drugs on their horses. I am not the trainer of any real life horses, so I don't really have anything to say, and I don't want to argue with anyone. But with the whole horses being killed thing? I don't know if some people just make mistakes or not, but a horse should not be killed by working past its limit, or living a shorter life because of the physical stress it's under.

That's all i have to say. I agree that this forum should be kept peaceful but debate is fine

[Hazel]

Racing needs to be more peaceful! Some people are just in it for the money and don't care!
and others actually care and I'm happy some people do
I mean when you see humans race do they get smacked with crops, drugged, or killed!?

I don't know if some people just make mistakes or not, but a horse should not be killed by working past its limit, or living a shorter life because of the physical stress it's under.

Yeah so, this does happen all the time. Horses are absurdly fragile animals to begin with, and the intense work at a young age that happens to racehorses means that yeah, a lot of horses do die from physical issues or stress.

A couple of frequent causes of death at US tracks:
(I'm drawing this from Horse Racing Wrongs. I don't agree with the author in many cases, but he does do excellent research and documentation of horse injuries and deaths from racing. Do NOT go to that website unless you are prepared for graphic language and imagery, including dead animals and necropsy photos).

Bone breaks - most commonly in the legs during racing or training, but broken pelvises, skulls, and spines can occur from traumatic incidents.

Laminitis - Inflammation of the laminae (tissues that hold to hoof capsule to the bones). Can occur from stress, poor diet, poor conformation, weather changes, infection, insulin resistance, weight bearing issues, and numerous other causes.

Gastro - Colic, intestinal or stomach rupture, ulcers.

Hemorrhage - Can be caused by trauma, or excessive work. Can occur in organs, or in the musculoskeletal system. Bleeding from the nose is an extremely common hemorrhage in racehorses (which Lasix is intended to prevent).

Lung/heart - When you see the words 'heart attack' in reference to horses, you're usually talking aortal rupture. The main artery leading from the heart (aorta) can have weak spots in the wall, and when the circulatory system is strained by hard work, a weak spot can rupture. The famous show jumper Hickstead died from this after completing a round.

So yeah. It's not pretty. Obviously horses can and will die from stuff out of your control, but US racing industry practices no doubt kill many horses that should not have died. I personally believe that hefty reform is needed. Last year, my Congressman introduced a bill that would regulate drug policy in horse racing at a country-wide level, instead of leaving it up to state racing associations like it is now. If you're interested in reading further, the text of the bill is here:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-con ... -bill/1754

Check to see if your rep has signed on as a cosponsor, and if not, give 'em a ring. Regulations like this will make horse racing safer for the horses and keep bad actors out.