Big Brown, the favorite, won the Kentucky Derby. That’s the good news. The tragic news is that Eight Belles, a filly who came in second behind Big Brown, was injured and had to euthanized right there on the track. She broke both front ankles, a terrible and painful injury that she couldn’t recover from.
Here’s the story the Louisville Courier Journal:
Eight Belles crossed the finish line second in the Kentucky Derby today and then jockey Gabriel Saez heard the worst sound possible – a pop.
Saez said the filly did not take a bad step, but he heard the pop and tried to pull her up.
“I tried to get her to stop,” he said. “I tried to get her to stop, but she wouldn’t stop.”
Dr. Larry Bramlege the on-call veterinarian from the American Association of Equine Practitioners said on NBC that the the horse broke both front ankles. She was euthanized on the track.
