The shit has hit the proverbial fan in the wake of filly Eight Belles’ tragic death after her second-place finish in Sunday’s Kentucky Derby.
Much of that shit is being flung by PETA, who have called upon Eight Belles’ jockey Gabriel Saez to be suspended. PETA says Saez did a bad job handling Eight Belles after the race and was responsible for her breaking both front ankles and having to be euthanized.
Eight Belles’ trainer Larry Jones has defended Saez, saying it was not the jockey’s fault the horse collapsed. Really Larry? So the horse just snapped both its legs in two and fell?
Sorry, but I don’t buy Larry Jones’ defense…clearly, Saez is incompetent, and should be held fully responsible for Eight Belles’ demise.
PETA is right to call upon Saez to be punished…but I actually don’t think they’ve gone far enough. Suspension? For killing a magnificent, heroic and inspirational horse like Eight Belles? No…Saez deserves more than this.
In my opinion, Saez deserves nothing less than to be euthanized himself.
If there were true justice in the world, Saez would’ve been put down right there on the track next to Eight Belles. And then his body would’ve been ground up and made into dog food.
I honestly can’t think of a worse crime in the history of humanity than what Saez perpetrated on Eight Belles, and by extension all her fans and well-wishers. That horse was the best horse in the history of the damn world. Even better than Hidalgo and Black Beauty and Mr. Ed. And Saez killed her!
I’m so mad, I can’t even see straight. If I could get my hands on Saez, I’d wring his little neck (I’d only need one hand to do it too. Jockeys you know…they’re just tiny fellas.).
I hope PETA keeps the pressure on the horse-racing world. Gabriel Saez has to get what’s coming to him. Also, there needs to be a permanent memorial erected to the valiant Eight Belles. A statue in New York harbor near the Statue of Liberty would be appropriate. Of course it would have to be bigger than the Statue of Liberty. And it would have to light up, and there would be rides and also cotton candy.
God bless you, Eight Belles.