THE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2008
SPORTS
7B
KENTUCKY DERBY
Euthanized second-place horse creates controversy
BY JEFFREY MCMURRAY ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky
Derby runner-up.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail.
"Thisilly in every race has tried
to drift toward the rail," Jones said. "It's her comfort zone, and Gabriel knows this. This kid made every move the right move, and I hate it that they're wanting to jump down his throat. He did not try to abuse that horse to make her
run faster. He knew he was second best, that she wasn't going to catch Big Brown."
Jones spoke while traveling from Churchill Downs to Delaware with his other prized filly, Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell. Jones is
scheduled to have a news conference Tuesday morning near the paddock at Delaware Park.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kentucky Derby hopeful Eight Belles, with jockey Gabriel Saez, works out on the Churchill Downs track Sunday in Louisville, Ky. The horse finished second in the competition. It was euthanized on the track after it broke both front ankles in the race.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for Saez to be suspended, contending he should have noticed an injury and pulled the horse up rather than applied the whip. The organization also announced plans to protest the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority on Tuesday, arguing for major changes, including a ban on using the whip or racing horses younger than 3.
Calls Monday to the racing authority were not immediately returned.
The Humane Society of the United States also weighed in Monday, arguing that horses are becoming more fragile because they're being bred for speed, not durability.
"There are problems coming to light more than ever — problems related to breeding," said Wayne Pacelle, Humane Society president. "Breeding too many horses, and waiting for someone else to clean up the problem. And breeding them for body characteristics that make these animals vulnerable to breakdowns, especially those spindly legs on top of these stout torsos."
Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian at Churchill Downs during the Derby, was in surgery Monday and not immediately available to respond.
Eight Belles broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter-mile past the finish line and
was euthanized on the track.
Jones said he had watched the race from various angles and found that not only did Saez do nothing wrong, but everything right.
"We're putting him on multimillion-dollar horses, and I think this kid represented our business as professionally as could be run," he said. "If I were to run in the Derby tomorrow, I'd put him right back on my horse."
Jones acknowledged changes could be made to make the sport safer, although he is doubtful any would have saved his filly from what he called a freak injury.
Stewards could, for example, mandate lighter whips or riding crops, Jones said. However, he said his training program took great care to make sure no horse was abused, even in a rush for the finish.
"My horses don't come back from races with welts on their body," Jones said. "Very seldom do we find a mark on these horses. I don't think we need to make (the whips) out of foam rubber, but you could get to a happy medium where you know it's not going to hurt them and the horse would still know what you want them to do."
Jones said some of his horses didn't respond to the whip at all. In fact, this year Jones petitioned officials at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas to let him send out a jockey without one. Jones' petition was accepted despite initial concern the jockey wouldn't be able to control the horse.
MLB
Cardinals hitter hopes to join regular lineup after big turnaround
BY R.B. FALLSTROM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — In one sense, Adam Kennedy is fast putting a dismal 2007 behind him with clutch defensive play at second base and timely hitting.
"You know what he is now, he's the player he's been his whole career," St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He's a winning player."
Yet Kennedy is still waiting for the day when La Russa will become a believer and makes him an everyday lineup fixture. Kennedy was batting. 329 heading into an eight-game trip for the surprise NL Central leaders after getting two hits, two walks and two RBIs in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Cubs, yet he started only four games in a 6-3 homestand.
The left-handed hitting Kennedy is 5-for-11 against left-handers, but Aaron Miles and lately Brendan Ryan have been getting those starts. He's hitting .311 against right-handers, but has had to share starts with the switch-hitting Miles.
"I'd like to be in there against righties every day first," Kennedy said. "We'll start with that."
The last statistic is the most interesting, given pitchers don't want to face No. 3 hitter Albert Pujols with runners on base. Kennedy walked in the first and again in the fourth on Sunday night, the second pass setting the table for Pujols' two-run, go-ahead double, and also walked and scored during a three-run first inning against Reds rookie Johnny Cueto on Tuesday from the No. 2 slot.
La Russia said Kennedy probably earned a second straight start on Monday night at Colorado and right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. He's been very productive in the second spot in the lineup, going 4-for-6 with two RBIs, three runs scored and three walks.
Pujols led the major leagues with 33 walks, drawing at least one in eight straight games before Saturday, while batting .358 with a major league-high .518 on-base percentage.
"It's an important slot because of Albert and people pitching around him," Kennedy said. "Maybe they're trying so hard to throw it right down the middle. Sometimes it's the hardest play."
The hardest thing for the 32-year-old Kennedy is that last season, the first of a three-year free agent deal, was so poor it provided an opening for Miles and Ryan to make a case for themselves. Kennedy, a career .275 hitter and
a key member of the Angels' 2002 World Series championship team, batted only .219 with 18 RBIs in 87 games with mediocre defensive play to boot before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in mid-August.
Entering spring training.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
keeping his A game intact despite the inactivity.
San Francisco Giants second baseman Ray Durham, left, throws to first base to turn a double play after forcing out St. Louis Cardinals' Adam Kennedy in an April 19 game in St. Louis. Kennedy's improved season is helping him earn a start spot for the Cardinals.
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Kennedy realized he had to win his job back, and apparently still has work to do despite his much-improved offense and defense that
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