People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will be pleading its case against equine mistreatment in thoroughbred racing on June 7 at the Belmont Stakes in suburban New York in the wake of Eight Belles’ untimely end last month at the Kentucky Derby.
The horse was euthanized via lethal injection soon after breaking its two front ankles a quarter-mile past the Churchill Downs finish line. The filly finished second in the May 3 race in a torrid backstretch run. Derby sponsor Yum Brands CEO David Novak was pilloried in blogs for his seeming indifference to the filly’s sudden death in post-Derby remarks hyping Yum brands. (Novak wasn’t aware of what happened.)
PETA assembled a strong presence May 17 in Baltimore at Pimlico Race Track for the Preakness. Protesters carried signs displaying the photo of Eight Belles lying on the track.
The organization has taken heat from critics who accuse it of trying to make hay out of the third such thoroughbred breakdown in a major race in as many years. “They’re just using this to make money. They’re not doing this for the good of any cause,” an angry Larry Jones, the dead horse’s trainer, exclaimed during a press briefing the day after the Derby.
Kristie Phelps, PETA assistant director, tells Promo that the it has not reaped a windfall in donations in the wake of the tragedy. But the animal rights organization plans to maintain its high moral ground at the Belmont, where it’s sure to make the public aware of the darker side of what’s commonly hyped as the sport of kings.
Network
