Not too surprisingly, the favorite Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby. The most surprising and horrible thing, however, was the tragic death of Eight Belles, the only filly in the race. She broke both front ankles and had to be put down on the spot.
This reminds me of when Barbaro broke his leg in the Preakness two years ago. It seems that things like this have been happening a lot lately, and I read that thoroughbred racing has about 1.5 casualties per 1000 starts (1), which is the most casualties per competition of any major sport. I love horse racing and would never want it to be outlawed, but I think it needs to be made safer.
Many tracks have started using synthetic surfaces, which are less likely to cause injuries. Additionally, according to Wikipedia, thoroughbreds have been bred to be more and more muscular so that they are faster, but their bones haven't caught up (2). Racehorses' muscular bodies, combined with the speeds at which they run, can be too much for their skeletons to safely handle. I don't know much about horse breeding, but I wonder if it would be possible to breed for stronger bones so that the horses aren't as fragile.
Anyways, I offer my condolences to everyone who worked with Eight Belles. She was a great horse who ran a great race, and I'm sure she'll be missed!
Sources:
1. Washington Post article
2. Wikipedia article
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