PETA to Stage Protest at Preakness Stakes in Light of Eight Belles Tragic Death

"I hate the fact they are using this to be a fundraiser for them. They're doing this for monetary purpose ... They're not in it for the good of anything. It's strictly something to rally around, hoping they are raising funds from this, and I hate it."

Are you honestly suggesting $ doesn't motivate your behavior (breeding and racing horses)?

I do not believe for a second that PETA is standing up for Eight Belles for monetary purposes at all. They are doing this because it is the perfect time to get the world to realize just how dangerous, barbaric and cruel this "sport" truly is. While we are still in shock from the death of such a beautiful creature, PETA is stepping forward and speaking for all of us that care deeply and are so emotionally distraught by this that we find it hard to speak. They are only doing what is right for the animals that are beaten, abused and used and cannot speak for themselves.

It was a freak accident and PETA is way out of line. Could you imagine the trainer, owner, and jockey of that horse having to deal with this nonsense when they are in mourning. PETA is just throwing fuel on the fire. Shame on them!

I agree with Jones. PETA is way out of line. This filly was loved and adored by her entire racing team. The fact that they would jump on these people who are grieving their filly leaves me beyond words.

"They are only doing what is right for the animals that are beaten, abused and used and cannot speak for themselves."

WHEN did ANYONE say that Eight Belles was beaten or abused? Hmm ... no one did, making that statement completely irrelevant to this conversation. I think PETA is completely out of line. Horse racing has been a tradition for many centuries. A bunch of animal worshippers are NOT going to put an end to this wonderful sport. Animals die. End of discussion. If a horse in the wild was running and broke its ankles, we simply would call it nature, but if the horse was in a race, PETA jumps on its case. Yet another discrepancy in society.

Peta, its not just the horse that is risking its live IT IS THE RIDER ASWELL!!!! You people take thing way too far!!! I love animals but /i also love horse racing because A: I love horses and B: I love racing, don't take those things away from poeple!! WE also can die too! And if the horse wins, the horse gets rewarded aswell as the owners and trainers!! I agree with the one guest who posted this:

"They are only doing what is right for the animals that are beaten, abused and used and cannot speak for themselves."

WHEN did ANYONE say that Eight Belles was beaten or abused? Hmm ... no one did, making that statement completely irrelevant to this conversation. I think PETA is completely out of line. Horse racing has been a tradition for many centuries. A bunch of animal worshippers are NOT going to put an end to this wonderful sport. Animals die. End of discussion. If a horse in the wild was running and broke its ankles, we simply would call it nature, but if the horse was in a race, PETA jumps on its case. Yet another discrepancy in society

All animals die, but eight belles and other race horses can die in pride like Barbaro or Ruffian aswell as Eight Belles. This sport has ;asted long and for centuries, don't end it for us now, I wish to become a jocky someday and if you take horse racing away you are taking peoples dreams away and jobs away!!! So just SHUT UP and focuse on other problems. Eight Belles was not abused, she was well treated and you could tell by her coat and the speed she ran at. So leave us ALONE!!!

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.

Peta is an organization that has always been faithful to animals. They never and will never do anything but fight for animal rights. Horse racing is a crime. Eight Belles was used and abused for the sole purpose of making money for the owner and trainer and then she was killed. It is a disgrace that we people that treat animals like disposable items. Remember, animal abusers lead to child abusers and violent criminals. You can pretty much read about any serial killer and come to find out they abused animals at one time in their lives.

Just got this info from an equine appraiser:

You know in racing it is not uncommon for trainers/owners to unnerve a horses lower leg area so they don't feel pain or fatigue. This allows more stamina for the race. By what I have read is sounds as though she may have had some stress fractures in her splint bones which would cause pressure on the coffin bones. If that happened the bones turn to dust with all the weight. For both of her front splints to give out she had to be pounding the ground with heavy shoulders. When this happens a horse will usually be lame, and go to pasture never to be raced again. In Belles case she more than likely crushed the coffin bones thus no support for a 1200 pound horse and a 100 pound Jockey.
It is a shame how money plays a big part in decisions about racing young horses.
In the knee of a horse there is a joint called the epithasile. This joint is not fully developed in a horse until they are 4 or 5. Quarter horses have been known to be developed by the age of three but none the less should be treated lightly until 4 or 5. Money rules the minds of these trainers and owners to the point of abusing these animals. Most race horses don't make it to a 5 yr old. It is the futurities,<(horses 4 years and younger) that bring in the big money with no real regard to the horses condition. As long as they can make it to the Derby trainers will play it as it comes. It is sad that a high percentage of fillies never make it to being a mare or even having foals because there legs are shot. A filly is 4 years or younger. I like racing because horses are born racers and love to run, it is the way trainers (mostly men) wear these horses out early in their life. In the earlier days race horses like Man-O-War,War bond Leo, Dash for Cash were treated like the majestic creatures they were meant to be. Now it is about the mighty dollar.

Hello who the hell said she was beaten. Those horse eat and live better than most Americans. I have horses that I Whip(not beat) and they still love me everyday of there lives. They have every chance to run away and guess what they don't. Get your facts straight before you run off at the mouth.

"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.

PETA (to those of us who are animal lovers) seems to be a great institution, but they need to figure out that the title "extremist" isn't positive! I am a Lexingtonian and here we take great pride in horses. What happened to Eight Belles is a tragedy! I watched my little 8 yr old sister cry over the event. But there are so many things that could be done that don't include the abrasive manor in which PETA handles things. Lets not forget that HUMANS ARE ANIMALS TOO! Homo sapiens have been mistreated as long as they have roamed the earth. Every day it seems like a new genocide pops up somewhere and we all turn a blind eye, but the activists can sleep at night because the stood outside in the beautiful weather and wave around some cardboard (I wonder if they recycled it afterward?!) and making people feel inferior. Well I'm going to mourn Eight Belles, and then used a recycled paper envelope to mail my donation to an organization doing mission work in Asia because that's where its really needed. I wont wear fur...EVER...but I wont buy PETA paint to throw on someone else's fur coat!

I've been an animal lover since I was old enough to want my own horse,since I was seven the age of reason, and when I saw Eight Bells down I cried and my heart went out to her. Yes she shouldn't of been in that race till she was older to run, but here we have all of you complaining about the mistreating of animals and I agree, but we have men and women that are not old enough to die and yet we can't do a dam thing about it because we are so controlled with this inhuman government, and all they care about is lining their pockets with oil money. It seems to me it's so much like what your saying about these animals, well think about it our soldiers are also controlled and have no choice but to fight for us and loose their legs and arms and their life because rich congress men and the president are the ones to make that decision just like owners of horse racing.
So I don't see anyone saying BRING OUR TROOPS HOME lets stop the government from having our men and women and our young adults from getting killed and wounded for their sport. I know you say this has nothing to do with this but it does horses and other animals can't speak for themselves well neither can our soldiers!!

I think that PETA has no choice but to go after the jockey with the same vigor they did with Michael Vick. Who cares if horse racing is legal or not!! That jockey forced that horse to keep running -by hitting her- knowning damn well she was hurt. All so he could finish in 2nd place. The jockey and owners should be forced to return any money that was won and then they need to be put down!!!