From where he was along the rail, Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian yesterday at Churchill Downs, took a sigh of relief after seeing all 20 Kentucky Derby competitors safely cross the wire.
From where he was in the grandstand, Larry Jones, trainer for Eight Belles, was high-fiving family members and owner Rick Porter after seeing their filly finish second to Big Brown.
Moments later, Bramlage received word from an outrider that Eight Belles had collapsed while jockey Gabriel Saez galloped her out near the top of the backstretch. By the time Jones reached the track, Saez told him the filly had been put down after fracturing both front ankles.
“She ran the race of her life — she went out as a champion,” Jones said, his voice cracking two hours after the race. “This is the unfortunate side of racing you’re faced with every now and then. This is the bad part. Losing animals like this isn’t fun. It’s not supposed to happen. We’re heart-broke. We’re going to miss her, I know that.”
When veterinarians stationed on the backstretch arrived at Eight Belles, they immediately diagnosed a left front condylar fracture that had broke through the skin (becoming contaminated) and right front ankle dislocation and condylar and sesamoid fractures.
“In my years, I’ve never seen this happen at the end of a race,” Bramlage said. “There was absolutely nothing we could do. It would have been tough had it been just one leg. It happened on the same stride — she collapsed right in front of the outrider so there wasn’t a warning.”
Saez was uninjured as was jockey Kent Desormeaux, who jumped off Big Brown, who bucked in reaction to Eight Belles’ breaking down.
After learning of Eight Belles’ injury, Jones got a ride to the ambulance that was carrying the filly.
“When I did see her, I knew it had to be done,” he said. “She had no way of being saved. … It’s a quarter-mile after the race. They don’t occur out there. It’s not supposed to end that way.”
Eight Belles’ finish was the fifth-best in Derby history for a filly. Only three females have won the race. This was Eight Belles’ first race against male competition.
Eight Belles was entered in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks for 3-year old fillies but when it became apparent she would receive a good starting post in the Derby, the connections opted to race against the guys.
Breaking from post 5 at 13-1 odds, Eight Belles was fifth for the first half of the race, fourth with a quarter-mile remaining and second down the lane after passing Recapturetheglory and Cowboy Cal.
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