After Saturday's death of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby, PETA decided to try to steal some of the national attention for their own agenda. I wrote about the issues related to Eight Belles in my sports blog, but PETA's take on the matter is so ridiculous that people need to hear the real facts of the matter.

As a bit of background, Sen. Clinton mentioned at campaign stops last week that she would be cheering for Eight Belles - a filly - in the Derby. She also said that Chelsea would be attending the race, and that she had given instructions to bet some of mom's money on Eight Belles.

Eight Belles finished second, then had to be killed after a bizarre accident that saw her break both front ankles while galloping out after the race. No one is sure what happened, but that didn't stop PETA from first calling for the suspension of her jockey, then sending an open letter to Sen. Clinton about the horrors of the Derby, the Triple Crown and horse racing in general.

Here are some excerpts from that highly misleading letter:

It's Sunday afternoon, I've mowed the lawn, weeded the garden and I'm now relaxing by an open window reading some dKos.  I slipped over to MyDD for a bit and read a diary by Alegre about using yesterday's Kentucky derby as an analogy for the Democratic primary. I would agree with her premise if the truth about horse racing and breeding were not so sordid.  The death of one horse because of injury is merely a drop in the bucket of the thousands that are slaughtered each year because they were never fast enough for racing.  

   I tried to post what I wanted to say in a comment to her diary, but I realized there is much more I want to say, so here it is, my first diary. The point I hope to make by the end of this diary is that it is hypocritical to get upset about analogies to the Kentucky derby just because a horse died...UNLESS we are willing to acknowledge there is a far worse problem inherent in horse racing and breeding.

(Cross posted from Launch Exhaust.)

It's really easy, at first blush, to be flippant over the results from yesterday's Kentucky Derby.  There's a sport for ya!  We'll kill the first loser!  HAHAHA!  Somewhere, I know, there are television execs and horse racing officials thinking that Eight Belles euthanasia after the race just might produce an uptick in ratings and income for the sport.

After thinking about it for a bit, that tragic ending only illustrates the horror of horse racing.

We, as rational individuals, surely, surely, do not allow the possibility that things can be rigged by people and that our media is being taken over by the right-wing. Surely. That is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out there- so impossible, like UFOs or Bigfoot being real. It could never ever happen that anything could be corrupt, or anyone could scam anybody, infiltrate an organization, or that anybody could be bribed, intimidated, or blackmailed. It's not like it's happened before! But, as open-minded individuals, let's just preserve our reputations as thinkers for a sec by going through the motions of examining the unusual events of the Kentucky Derby. Our kids will thank us for phoning it in like this.

It’s hard not to be seduced by the Kentucky Derby.

There are few venues in sports more beautiful than Churchill Downs. There is something charming about the beautiful southern belles in their extravagant hats and flowered sun dresses, sipping on their Mint Juleps.

When the band starts playing "My Old Kentucky Home," even the most stoic among us must fight to keep the tears from welling up.

Finally, there are the horses. They are magnificent specimens, massively powerful animals perched upon spindly legs. Each of them has been bred, fed and trained for this moment.

Watching the Kentucky Derby, you could easily imagine that the Civil War had never happened. There were precious few Black faces in the crowd of over 150,000. This was a world where wealthy White people could gather, socialize with their own, bet a few million dollars and go home happy and tipsy.

How civilized it all was.

One should be very cautious when choosing a metaphor with which to identify.  Earlier in the week Hillary Clinton chose to equate her campaign with Eight Belles, the first filly to run in the Kentucky Derby in 9 years. The horse was listed as a 20:1 long shot, but Senator Clinton urged her supporters to put some money on the filly as a show of support to herself. I believe she also asked these same people to put some money toward her campaign, as well.  

All of this sounded like a little light-hearted touching on popular culture for the candidate earlier this week. Yet as the dust settles on this tragic day for Eight Belles, I keep thinking about all of the ironies in this story.

I'm a contributing editor to a nationally syndicated pet feature, and one of two lead bloggers at one of the best known and most popular pet blogs, Pet Connection. I’ve had an account here since the last presidential election, and did a lot of blogging here during the pet food recall, covering it from a political and regulatory perspective.

And if you read my personal blog or my comments here, you also know I am as crazed a supporter of Barack Obama as anyone has ever been.

But that’s not what this post is about. It’s about the Kentucky Derby, and the horse race of politics, and how disappointed I am that some of Obama’s supporters here on Daily Kos don’t seem to share his vision for a new kind of politics in this country, because they’re willing to use what happened to Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby today as some kind of cheap political metaphor.

I love horses.

I get it honestly.  My mother has loved horses all her life.  When my grandfather won his farm in a dice game, one of the things that he got with it was a pony named Star.  That pony was Mom's best friend until she ran away from home at 16.

As I grew up, Mom gave me books about horses to educate me.  When I turned six, the book was "Profiles in Courage," a compilation of stories about real horses and dogs who'd performed acts of bravery.  At ten, I received, "King of the Wind," the story of the Godolphin Arabian, and one of my favorites still.  That was followed by, "Black Beauty" and "The Black Stallion," and if you really want me to cry, you'll watch the movie of "Black Beauty" with me from start to finish.

So why do I watch horse racing?

Especially thoroughbreds.

Last summer, I found myself between jobs and residencies, and had an opportunity to work on a thoroughbred farm in North Alabama. It was among the best jobs I've ever had, even though it involved the shoveling of a lot of shit.

I loved the job because it was all about taking care of horses.

 

I feel betrayed and embarrassed to confess that I watched the Kentucky Derby today.

For those unfamiliar, Eight Belles – Hillary Clinton’s pick – came in second and was euthanatized on the track immediately following the race. After breaking both front ankles (per early reports) the vets felt it was too painful an injury and recovery.

The favorite, Big Brown, won the race and while I’ll personally fare well financially I’m left with an empty and disgusted feeling. "Are we not amused?"

It’s a bucket of cold water that we still prescribe to such classless, immature acts as forms of entertainment.

Horses are amazing – I own a thoroughbred by Distinctive Pro who was injured in the gate and is now happily doing dressage - watching them match speed in a track race (their drive to be Alpha is an instinctive propulsion to the front of the pack) is sheer thrill. But now I feel embarrassed and base. Like a citizen of Rome. Amused by suffering not my own.

I should know better. We all should.

"Well all of the hard days are gone,
It's all beer and whiskey and songs from now on,
Laugh at the darkness and dance until dawn,
All of the hard days are gone.

We're all safe and warm here, my friends,
All the bad times are over, they won't come again,
Raise up your voices and give us a song!
All of the hard days are gone.

Well, life has been cloudy and gray,
Take the bad memories and put them away,
The sun has come out, we've waited so long,
All of the hard days are gone..."

"All of the Hard Days Are Gone" The Mckrells

I had it planned out, all those months ago, way before the bottom fell out of our beautiful life.

Me and Lauren loved to go to a good party, but we loved throwing a good one even more; and in quiet moments now and then a loved one will pull me aside and tell me they dreamt of her, and oftentimes, they tell me that dreamt of her, and of all of us, at a party, and way back in the late summer days of last September, I had a party in mind, our biggest one ever:

The 2008 Derby Party.

They've sung the song and the horses are being readied to load. I have to say I haven't prepared for this running of the Kentucky Derby as much as in past years, and I haven't made my pick.

But it's my favorite major sporting event of the year, so I can't miss it anyway. Pick your favorites, and raise your mint julep in remembrance of Barbaro and all the great ones.

Update: Well that was fast. A phenomenal run by Street Sense in the last quarter mile. Hard Spun in second, and Curlin third. I have to admit, I kind of liked Tiago cuz he seemed so calm in the lead up. So much for my horse sense.

Use this as a general open thread, if you don't just want to talk horses. Though who wouldn't want to talk horses?

Allright I have been out to the local dog track & put $10 on Dominican (he beat Street Sense earlier this year).

Official Site:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/...

Sponsored by Yum Brands?

It's approximately 9:30. In two hours I'll be on my way to Churchill Downs. Normally, this is a 10 minute drive. Today will be 30 or 40 minutes, at least.

My wife will be all decked out in a Derby Hat and long "hippie" dress (not her usual style) and will look fabulous. Me, I'll be the guy with the flat wallet.

So who will be in the money today? Find out after the jump.

P.S. If you find horse racing offensive or cruel, this isn't the diary for you.

"Gold-plated" Medical Care:

The bay colt underwent nearly two dozen surgeries and other procedures, including cast changes under anesthesia. He spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted and was fitted at the end with an external brace -- extraordinary measures for injuries that most horses never survive.

I know there are a lot of other serious news and issues that are happening in the world as we speak, but I hadn't seen it mentioned here today. If it has, I'll gladly delete.
Barbaro, the feisty, lovely thoroughbred who won the Kentucky Derby, but broke down in the Preakness, has lost his battle and was euthanized this morning.

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Kentucky Derby-winning racehorse Barbaro was put to death on Monday after failing to recover from a shattered hind leg suffered in the Preakness Stakes last May, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.

This just made me so sad. I thought that after this much time he was pretty well on the way to mending. But they are, for all their strength and beauty, fragile animals. What a horse. And what a shame.
more...

Today is the 132nd running of the Run for the Roses.  I live less than one mile from Churchill Downs, here is the view of the sky from my back porch (those dots are blimps and planes pulling banners over Churchill Downs).

So, I'm running through Cherokee Park in Louisville tonight. It's a run we locals call "the loop." The loop is a particularly brutal three miles, for me anyway, because it has a couple of pretty nice hills and I hate running uphill. It takes the wind out of my sales. Luckily, there's always downhill to look forward to, otherwise I might not make it.

As I'm getting to the bottom of the first big hill and I can hear the music from the Barnstable-Brown party. Legend has it, that according to US magazine, this particular Derby Eve party is one of the top ten parties in the country. Even though I've never been and probably never will go, that fills me with an odd sense of pride.

More below with poll!