"The organization states that they will hold a protest of the second leg of horse racing's triple crown, the Preakness Stakes, because of the deaths of Barbaro, who won the run roses but died in following race held at Pimilico Racetrack in 2006, and Eight Belles who broke down after finishing second at Churchill Downs on Saturday." Well for the first thing, Barbaro did not die in the Preakness race. His owners spent millions of dollars to try to save him. He was finally put down when three of his four legs had lamititis in February the following year. His owners could have put him down right there on the track but didn't because the horse wanted to live. Barbaro was an inspiration to the United States and he brought love and compation back to a very torn world. Everyone is focused on the tragic scenes of Eight Belles and by all means it was tragic, but why didn't it happen to the other 19 horses running who all come from the same lineage? Eight Belles didn't die in vain. She died doing just what she loved to do,RUN. I know what her owners were going through as I had to put a thoroughbred racer down, too. But, before everyone goes and gets bent out of shape, she was put down because domestic dogs chased her through a fence, in the dark in an area she didn't know, then over a fence, were sadly, she cleared the fence only to land in a compost pile, snapping her leg just above the knee. My heart broke as I made that call. That was the hardest thing I had to do but it was the right thing.