INTRODUCTION

Horses; seems you're either drawn to them or you couldn't care less. If you're the latter, well, you wouldn't be reading this. Instead, you're likely one of the millions like me who sat captivated in front of the TV for the 2006 Kentucky Derby as Barbaro beat the pack of 20 by a smooth 6 links, give or take. I never expected him to win: he was unbeaten (an automatic demerit according to my personal handicapping rules), he'd had the longest layoff of any Derby winner in more than 50 years (another minus, though, personally, I thought it was a good idea), and his trainer, Michael Matz - for crying out loud how blessed can one man be? He was an Olympic silver medalist, then he survived a fiery plane crash and saved three kids from the blaze, and now he had a horse running in the Kentucky Derby…not likely to win…I figured.

As it turned out, Matz really is that blessed! After Barbaro's mile and a quarter Derby win at Churchill Downs, just shy of Secretariat's track record no less (1:59 2/5), the press latched on to the "wonder horse" theme like flies on a warm pile in a paddock. I was, admittedly, disappointed that he wasn't the Cinderella story of recent years (Funny Cide and Smarty Jones), but nevertheless, I was one of those swarming flies.

There's not been an American Triple Crown winner since 1978 when a colt named Affirmed won the third and final leg of the triad with the Belmont Stakes, incidentally the longest of the three races at a mile and a half. As a bonus, atop Affirmed was the youngest Triple Crown jockey ever; 17 year old Kentucky native Steve Cauthen aka "Little Stevie Cauthen". But followers of Thoroughbred racing were lured into a false sense of easy success in the 1970's; Secretariat's other-worldly performance in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977, and Cauthen on Affirmed in 1978. It's been a 28 year drought since.

The first Triple Crown winner was Sir Barton in 1919 - a name which now adorns a four-lane highway on what's left of famed Hamburg Place. The disastrous wart cuts clean through the training track he once blazed…though they, the developers, have been kind enough to leave the training barns erect...so far. Since Sir Barton, only 11 horses have captured Triple Crown honors and a lot of things have changed (see previous sentence for starters). By Derby time 2006 the war in Iraq looked way too much like Vietnam and the world was packed with terrorists dying to kill us, literally. Coupled with the near 30 year absence of a "super horse" champion, America was ready for a hero when the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland, rolled around two weeks after The Derby.

Then it happened: the thing every owner, trainer, jockey, and high-stakes bidder fears. Barbaro broke down; a term used for any number of disabling injuries that otherwise renders the hose lame. Shortly after the starting gate opened Barbaro suffered three fractures in his right hind leg. It was the kind of break that usually calls for euthanasia while the horse is still on the track. That Barbaro didn't come to that end, was rushed to surgery where he had a steel plate and 27 screws in put into his leg, is testament to the outstanding advances in equine medicine. A human would be hard pressed to come back from such an accident though we would, in all likelihood, survive such a break. Thoroughbred vascular systems are such that an accident like Barbaro's can cause a significant loss of blood flow. Unlike other animals, say a dog for instance, horses can not survive with only three legs. Hence euthanasia; seen as humane given the circumstances.

I've questioned what I call "unsavory attributes" of horse racing; is it right and noble to risk their lives every time the gate opens and the many horrible things they go through to race or breed? (just for the record, breeding a Thoroughbred mare is one of the most obscene things I've ever encountered - if she was human, we'd call it rape). Many people tell me they simply won't bet the ponies as protest to the horse's "enslavement". In many respects, I can't disagree. Barbaro's accident served as a reminder.

Barbaro's situation happens more often than people like to mention. In addition to the somewhat unique vascular systems, Thoroughbreds are also structurally delicate; one could hardly call them pliable. The slightest misstep, the minutest degradation in track surface, the simple bad luck of the day can turn elation to tragedy in the blink of an eye. But that's why horse racing is called gambling! It's not always about the best trainer, the best pedigree, the best track surface, the water, the grass, or the hay - sure, they all can make a difference in the athleticism of the horse - but on a certain level it comes down to luck. Luck aside, superior caretaking is perhaps the single most important factor of a horse's life and career.

Regardless, I know from experience that some Thoroughbreds really do love to run. And many of those that love to run also love to race. In those horses you can see the fire in their eyes: the flair of their nostrils, the electricity in their step. Would they love it if we didn't make them do it? I can't say. But I have seen the metamorphosis in a horse once racing gets in their blood - it's undeniable. They love to compete. And this makes accidents like Barbaro's that much sadder, especially given that, in the end, he could not survive the injury.

Thoroughbred horse racing has been largely associated with the wealthy and privileged. It's not known as the sport of Kings because the paupers are making all the money. Given that historic and socio-economic precedent, it seems likely that Thoroughbred horses are going to be used for sport no matter what. So it only makes sense to me that the best thing for them is to have good people looking out for them. That's why the women included in Equus & Venus are so significant. They bring their innate sense of nurture, compassion, and understanding to the industry; skills that are all essential to a horse's well being.

From Diane Crump's 1970 ride in the Derby as the first female jockey till today, women have been gaining prominence in the industry as trainers, jockeys, owners, doctors, and care givers. They are long overdue the accolades and Equus & Venus is but one instance of praise. I think these women are exceptional human beings in an unusually gruelling business.