All i have to say is that the race was on NATIONAL television!!! :) PETA found the PERFECT time to jump in and get thier 15 minutes of fame!!!! And the whole thing about abusing the horse???? What is that? A whip is used to keep the horses from running into each other or the fence!!! You whip the horse on the right and it goes left, you whip them on the left and it goes to the right! Its not used to abuse them, some people amaze me at what they talk about without knowing what it is they are talking about.