I plan to do some letter writing tomorrow afternoon to the head of the NTRA and anybody else relevant that I can think of--I think it's important for them to know that the eyes of the public are on the industry, and they've got to make it safer if they don't want to lose fans. Some of the problem is breeding, but some of it is track conditions and other factors that can be changed.
... and some of it is just bad luck, and it's not always easy to tell. I'm always struck reading Equus at the number of bizarre things that can go wrong with horses. We humans suffer similar injuries in our pursuits; they're just not fatal. But we're also less well designed by evolution to be a cougar's or a coyote's lunch. Even the best possible advances in safety won't prevent breakdowns, and I'm not aware of any ongoing issues at Churchill Downs. I really think this one was a tragic accident.
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Makes me really question my love of horse racing, actually.
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