And left Churchill Downs/In a heavenly band/Of Angels


by RJ White

Last year, as you may recall, the sainted horse Barbaro was put down after a long illness. His fans reacted with restraint and a healthy dose of perspective. For a nice summary, here’s the Field Guide to Barbaro Message Board Factions .

This past weekend, tragedy struck the horse racing world once again, with the injury and subsequent euthanization of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby. Would Barbaro’s online fans at the Alex Brown Racing forums face the news with the same restraint and healthy dose of perspective?

Well, of course.

Kent, I too look forward to the day we’ll see these majestic champions together in Heaven. The Heavenly Herd just keeps growing….

Anger flares!

This is what nightmares are made of. Afterwards, these lady horses are forced to have sex with different men horses they don’t know that well so they can become pregnant only for their baby to be taken away is sad. I will never see the Kentucky Derby as a festive wonderful event. We need to respect these creatures. Judgement day will come for us.

Elsewhere, there is confusion -

Can we start candles.. where is the candle lady. I am not good at doing the candle link

Questioning of faith-

Am sitting here crying over this. Prayed all day that all horses would make it safe all day. Dont understand what happened.

Either prayer doesn’t work or god specifically does not like you.

I’m not sure, but I think 8 bells translates to 6:00, which would correspond to the time the Derby was run - God I hope not - how prophetic

ALSO THERE WERE SEVEN LETTERS IN KENNEDY’S NAME!

To all on this sad Sunday. Am enclosing a link here to watch a Dan Fogelberg tribute video to Barbaro that is very lovely and emotional. But as you listen to the words it applies to dear Eight Belles also.

Dan Fogelberg = healing balm. But speaking of beautiful, beautiful poetry, does anyone have anything they’d like to offer up ?

Eight Bells for Eight Belles

Sunday morning in Kentucky
The day after the Derby
The sun shines bright
On my Old Kentucky Home
But my heart is heavy
And my shoulders droop
Under the load I carry
The white country church
Stands in the valley
Church bells are ringing
On the eighth bell
I am sobbing
The tears finally
Unleashing
The bell tolls for thee
Eight Belles
My beautiful gray girl
You did
What the experts
Thought you couldn’t
You beat the boys
You ran the race
Of your life
And it took your life
You were big and strong and beautiful
And you were all girl…

Perhaps the saddest thing to come out of this is that Eight Belles won’t get nearly the acclaim or deification her predecessor in racing-aided horse death garnered, much like the way in which nobody cared when Shannon Hoon died so soon after Kurt Cobain killed himself.

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4 Comments

  1. ALSO THERE WERE SEVEN LETTERS IN KENNEDY’S NAME!

    El Oh El. Well played, sir.

    #1 Brought to You by Carl's, Jr.

  2. Meanwhile, Dick Francis was seen sneaking away from the area, gathering notes for his upcoming mystery thriller novel…

    #2 Hot Rod Cow

  3. “Either prayer doesn’t work or god specifically does not like you.”

    I couldn’t have said it better myself. I remember these crazies from the first time around, when Barbaro was put down last year. Nice to see they’re still kickin’, even if the horse isn’t!

    #3 Admiral Paul K. Rear

  4. That I now know such things exist in this world both hugely enriches and greatly impoverishes my soul.

    Bless and damn you, Mr. Church.

    This kind of crap is why we have the internet.

    #4 Harvey Jerkwater

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