[Archive]

Posted By: Bob Pomilla

Horses will race on injured legs until they collapse. Again, I refer to the Ruffian tragedy, in which she literally had her hoof hanging by tendons soon after leaving the gate, yet could not be pulled up until near the end of the backstretch. Sometimes a jockey is just too stupid to pull an injured horse up, or even more sickening, if a horse breaks down near the wire, the jock will continue to push the horse to get a piece of the purse, knowing that likely, it's the last money the poor beast will ever earn.