I used to love watching the Kentucky Derby. But I think this year, I'm not going to watch it.

I just read another horse, after breaking-down, had to euthanized yesterday.

Why are all these horses breaking-down? I think there is shady going-on, whether it be in the breeding or maybe doping.

I couldn't bear to watch the Derby, for fear a horse is going to break-down again.

lascantas said:

My pick:
Hold me Back- I don't think his people would race him on dirt if he couldn't handle it.
[Edited 5/2/09 7:50am]

No thanks



Smooches;)

Thanks to my father I've been a railbird since I was five years old.
Daddy is gone now, I think I'll put a few dollars down in his memory.

lascantas said:

They're 3 - they're young - they begin their training very early for a young horses body ...

Training and racing that hard on a young horse is very demanding

The most exciting 2 minutes in sports?, hell yeah I'm watching! As for the horses safety, I really think the issues in the past few years are just horrible accidents and nothing more! Larry Jones, Eight Belles's trainer, even ordered a steriod test before anyone else just to stop rumors.

Have fun placing your bets, with the track being muddy it should be anyones race.

The drama continues . . .

I Want Revenge scratched from Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—I Want Revenge is out of the Kentucky Derby, the first morning-line favorite to scratch the day of the race.

The 3-year-old colt was scratched Saturday morning after trainer Jeff Mullins discovered a hot spot on the horse’s left front ankle.

An X-ray and ultrasound test did not find any damage, but the ankle was tender when it was flexed. With a wet track expected, Mullins and owner David Lanzman didn’t want to take any chances.

“When the word came out that running could hurt the horse, I looked at both doctors and said, ‘Then this is no debate,”’ Lanzman said. “‘What are we talking about? We’ll fight another day.”’

Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian at Churchill Downs, said the horse didn’t look injured while jogging for doctors.

“Unfortunately, this close to the Derby, there’s not a way to gauge how bad that is,” he said.

With I Want Revenge out, Friesan Fire takes over as the morning-line favorite. He had already become the betting favorite Friday night.

Since the morning line was put in the racing program in 1949, no other favorite had scratched on race day. The last major contender to scratch was second choice A.P. Indy in 1992.

I Want Revenge and 19-year-old Joe Talamo were to start from post No. 13. The duo established themselves as one of the Derby favorites after a last-to-first dash in the Wood Memorial last month.

“I’m just glad the horse is OK,” Talamo said. “It could have been a lot worse. Something could have happened on the track. I’m just glad it happened in the stall.”

Mullins said he doesn’t expect the injury to be career-threatening but will give I Want Revenge some time off before deciding what to do next.

“I’ve been in this business kind of all my life,” he said. “Most of the things I’ve learned in this business I’ve learned by hard knocks in more ways than one. Your biggest dream is to get here, but the biggest nightmare is to get to race day and have to scratch. Right now I don’t think it’s really sunk in that much, but pretty disappointing.”

Mullins begins serving a seven-day suspension at 12:01 a.m. Sunday for administering an over-the-counter medication to another of his horses, Gato Go Win, in a detention barn just before a race in New York several weeks ago.

A focus on racehorse safety has been heightened this year following last year’s breakdown of filly Eight Belles, the first horse euthanized at the Derby in 134 runnings of the race. The death of that horse sparked changes in the sport, including bans on whips, the padding of starting gates and close monitoring of track conditions. Post-race drug tests on the top four finishers also now screen for steroids for the first time.

I Want Revenge was still at the barn late Saturday morning. There were no immediate plans to take him to an offsite clinic.

“If you walk by his stall, you’re not going to know anything is wrong with him,” said veterinarian Foster Northrop, who treated the horse. “He’s bucking and kicking. He doesn’t even know he’s hurt.”

I just spent 20 minutes looking at seats and ticket prices ( for 2010 )

It's only 3.5 hrs from my house

who wants to go ?



Derby Org invasion !

Mach said:

How much are the tix? I have friends in Louisville that have been trynta get me to come for YEARS. I always say I'ma go and never get around to planning it.

SCNDLS said:

No drama, just a trainer taking precautions.

jockeyb4u said:

I'm not questioning the trainer's precautions but it is drama in that this has never happened before. Plus several other horses have pulled out due to injury.
[Edited 5/2/09 13:41pm]

Mach said:

That's cool, I'm in!! I only live 3 hours away myself, we could be neighbors.

Mach said:

That would be cool!

I never paid the Kentucky Derby much attention until about 4-5 years ago. I was in Las Vegas with my hubby just coincidentally on Derby weekend and my step mother, who lived there at the, time gave me an early birthday present. She said, "Take this money ($20 I think) and bet it on a horse in the Derby. Then make sure you go to the racing pit and watch the race. You'll have a lot of fun."

It was one of the best presents I've ever received. Very unique and different and she was right, it was a blast. Having money on a horse, watching others with money on a horse. The excitement and yelling. It was so fun.

So since then, I've been watching the Derby. As a matter of fact, in a few hours I'm driving to Nevada to bet on the race and tomorrow I'll be watching the pit and cheering for my chosen horse to win

I don't know when or if I'll get to Kentucky to watch the action unfold in person, but it would be a blast!

Couldn't help myself because I just love those horses! Loved that Mind that Bird--a long-shot--was the winner. Did they say his owner only paid $9500 for him? I loved that jockey,too! Ah.. he (Calvin) was just so great taking it all in and letting the fans celebrate with him. I loved that he lapped the track.

I really like NBC's coverage, too. I liked that they show the pageantry and tradition more than it has in previous years well to me it was more.

Congrats to Mind that Bird and his team! What a terrific story...

P.S. But I still remember Eight Belles! I think I was tramatized by that and then by Barbaro's death. I vaguely remember Charismatic breaking-down, too. I was just holding my breath no horse broke-down.

It seems horse racing is trying to move in the right direction. While I was watching the coverage, I kept switching to MTV's TrueLife about steroid use! Oh.. it was just so sad.. This guy used steroids to enter this strip contest because he wanted to be the one everyone looked at or something? He ended-up trying to commit suicide! But he had another cycle of steroids on order.. And he decided to use it. He said it would be the last time, but I don't know. It was just so sad.
[Edited 5/2/09 16:28pm]