OMG! OMG! Football players die during practices every year! Let's ban football!
Seriously, it's unfortunate when a horse has to be put down but it happens all of the time in non-racing venues as well. I happen to live in Fayette county and own an old horse farm although I don't use it as such. Just a lot of 4-wheeling and paintball war land to me. But up and down my road there are plenty of horse farms and one is the world famous Calumet Farm. Pretty big horse breeding country out here. I had a friend have to put his horse down because it broke it's leg galloping around. Should we just bind their legs together and not allow them to move as well?
I love horse racing and I love horses. Horse racing is not a violent sport and the animals are not mistreated. In fact, these horses have some of the best lives and living conditions imaginable. It's absurd how much these people pamper their horses. So, before you cry your eyes out and go all crazy about how horse racing is animal abuse... think of the other 40,000 horses being treated like kings right now due to the horse racing business. It's unfortunate that one had to be put down but I guess it beats having a bunch of malnourished horses no one wants that go to a "pound" (like dogs) and get put down by the hundreds, eh? One horse dies, a hundred other horses live long, full, pampered lives.