Should horse racing be banned?

There I was with friends Saturday, watching Big Brown pull away to win. I’m thinking, ‘OK, my pick (Colonel John) didn’t win - AGAIN - but winner Big Brown has some good local story angles.

Sadly, those local sidebars will have to wait. The racing community is still reeling from the death of filly Eight Belles, who finished second. The horse collapsed shortly after finishing the race. She broke her two front ankles and was put down on the track.

Almost immediately since, there’s been calls for racing to be banned, age limits on horses. (both by PETA) and increasing safety methods, such as the new synthetic racing surfaces to keep the horses safe.

No matter what side of the fence you sit on here, SOMETHING has to be done. In each of the last 4 years, a horse as been injured and euthanized (counting Barbaro in 2006 -he survived eight months after being injured at the Preakness stakes) at one of horse racing’s premier events -the Breeder’s Cup or one of the Triple Crown events.

READ MORE AND HEAR FROM EIGHT BELLES' TRAINER AFTER THE JUMP...

My biggest problem with horse racing, at least prior to Eight Belles death, is/was the fact that horse racing really exists only for the sake of gambling. Most of us (and I referenced myself Friday) have made bets. I won’t discuss the morality of betting here. But remove that aspect from ‘the sport of kings’, and no one would bother. Sure, you can place a bet on everything from how long the Super Bowl halftime show is to how long Farmer Wants A Wife will stay on the air. People will watch football and TV even if they couldn’t wager on such things. But from the moment you go to a track or turn on the TV, you are bombarded with odds and betting. If gambling were outlawed say, for the sake of the growing numbers of those addicted to it, horse racing would disappear. The more money you bet, the more a local/state racing commission makes. The TV ads even try to sell you on your desire to pick a winner.

Now, though, I wonder: Horse racing is a sport where the vast majority of owners are rich-with more money than the average guy sees in a lifetime. Is it OK for a rich person or conglomerate to race and breed horses to run at extreme speeds just because they have the money and because people like to wager? Remember, unlike boxers, MMA fighters or auto racers, a horse that is bred to run races can’t turn around one day and say, “You know what, I’m done. That’s it. Give me some straw, some sugar cubes and a filly. I’ll see you at the Hall of Fame in a few years.”

I’m not trying to sound like an animal rights activist here. I’m all for eating lots of beef or fish- and using animals for experiments to make sure humans stay healthy and live longer. That said, while man has dominion over animals, he has the God-given responsibility to be good to them and care for them-from a cat or a dog in the home to not threatening the population of a species just because it suits them.

One day I’ll write more on the fact that people seem more up in arms about Eight Belles’ passing than they are that 35-40 thousand humans on the planet will starve to death in the next 24 hours. But if horse racing is to continue-stop with the “Well, it’s part of the sport” company line. One horse dying on a track is too many, especially when the casual fan only pays attention during the Triple Crown and Breeder’s Cup races.

Ironically, possibly the greatest filly of all time, “Ruffian”, was put down after a match race with Foolish Pleasure in 1975. No match race has been held at Belmont since.

There are those who felt in Ruffian’s case that bloodlines may have been a factor. Race horses aren’t known or bred for strength or durability.

Whatever: Different breeding, different age restrictions, different tracks -those in the “know” must act soon, BEFORE the Preakness if possible. Eight Belles death is a dark episode that racing may not survive -if it doesn’t act to better police itself.