Eight Belles

I am the niece of Larry and Cindy Jones. Next to my husband, Cindy is the closest person to me I have in this world. This out lash over what happened to our precious baby is disgusting. Yes, there are corrupt and greedy people in the sport of horseracing, but there are also those that devote their wholes lives to the sport because of their passion for these amazing creatures. I used to exercise for my family, and I can’t explain how much our horses love, love, love to run. The second they see their saddle or get out onto the track, they come alive. This is what they love and live for. My uncle and aunt would never ever race a horse that did not love the sport.

PETA is out of line. First, Gabriel Saez DID NOTHING WRONG. He is a talented and amazing rider. Belles had the tendency to pull towards the rail. When she had over a hundred thousand people to her right, naturally she was going to pull towards the left. Gabriel was avoiding injury. Second, Belle crossed the finish line happy, alert, and no where near exhausted. What happened is a horrible tragedy but NO ONE’S Fault.

I am disgusted with the people coming forward with all these assumptions, yet no facts to support their argument. Sadly, PETA is an agency fueled by emotion. They feed off of what affects people and uses that to further their cause (and "donations"). We have supported such animal organizations for years and have spoken out for their causes. Also, my husband and I are vegetarians. Yet, because this opportunity gets them into national headlines, they turn their backs on their own. If a horse is angry you will know. If a horse is upset you will know. You will be kicked, thrown, stepped on, bitten, etc. If 8 Belles had been upset with Gabriel’s actions you would have seen it; Gabriel would have known that. If she has been distressed or in pain you would have seen that. Her ears were up and her strides long when she crossed the finish line. She was not in pain. This was not caused by a pre-existing injury.

People have also questioned why she was euthanized so quickly. The vet made the decision on the spot to put our baby down. Neither my family nor Mr. Porter (whom we were with right after the race) knew about this decision until we got down to the track. This was not a matter of insurance money, etc. It was the fact our Belles was suffering and we stand 100% behind the vet’s decision. These uneducated questions seem to come from people VERY unfamiliar with the anatomy of the horse. We all hope one day equine sciences will discover a successful way of mending broken legs, yet unfortunately horses’ legs are the Achilles heal of this wonderful animal. We also stand by NBC and their decision to not air our baby’s last moments. Do people really need to see the agony, suffering, convolutions, and bleeding out of 8 Belles to understand this was the correct decision?

Let’s use this tragedy to focus on the ways we can change this sport to make it safer for the animals and riders. Let’s focus on the beautiful, talented 8 Belles and not on her awful end. Let’s not point fingers or try to find fault in an accident that WAS NO ONE’S FAULT, but see this as what it is. A horse tripped. She fell. No one has ever seen anything like this. Let’s not crucify the one’s that devote their lives to this wonderful animal, but question those that drug and use other cruel methods for personal gain. Let’s focus on improving tracks and not over breeding.

Again, thank you to all those that have supported us. I have made sure to send on your kind words and videos to my aunt and uncle. They have asked that I thank you as this really helps in the grieving process.