Silence

Silence.

When I watched runner-up Eight Belles laying on the track right after the 2008 Kentucky Derby, all I could do was fall silent. My sister-in-law, Adrienne, uttered the exact same line she used at the beginning of the Preakness in 2006 (scroll all the way down) when Barbaro went down. “Oh my stars!” This time though, she seemed much more low-key.

NBC was covering the Kentucky Derby Saturday and still had the camera on winner, Big Ole Giant Brown Horse, when the camera panned back to the fallen filly. The camera stayed for a moment then wandered off the sad image. The announcers were silent. When the crew should have been hyping the glory of the victory, they were stunned to silence.

A few minutes later, NBC ran a replay of the gallop out as Eight Belles gradually left the frame. Just as she disappeared off the right edge of the screen with only her shadow left, the video clearly shows the jockey’s silhouetted hands fly straight out as if he suddenly found himself in the air. No commentary was needed.

Since Saturday, PETA has attempted to make a case for increasing regulations for racehorse safety. I suppose that’s understandable especially after Chelokee as well went down with injury on Friday just before the Kentucky Oaks. Chelokee is battling his injury as of this writing with a 50/50 chance of survival. However, PETA’s campaign seems ghoulish to me, a press push riding a wave of sadness.

I suppose PETA felt it needed to capitalize on the tragedy to push one of its agendas and felt that the window of opportunity was narrow. They did the same thing with the media blitz surrounding the Michael Vick dog-fighting trial. Something seems morally wrong about how they are going about their crusade. It’s like they forgot about the power of silence.

Eight Belles had a potentially brilliant career ahead of her. Yet in the end she suffered from a fragile weakness. Whether or not Eight Belles and race horses in general have been bred for speed and distance, as well as for catastrophic breakdown is a matter for debate in the future.

But for now, only silence serves the memory of Eight Belles.

[Interview with Larry Jones: Tastefully done.]