Behind the Headlines

I knew some readers would be upset. I knew it as soon as I saw Pine Island stumble tragically in Saturday’s
Breeder’s Cup Distaff and have to be put down.

I knew it because I knew that somewhere in our extensive
coverage of the Breeder’s Cup races in Sunday’s newspaper, we should publish a
photo of the accident, if we had one.

This week, I’ve received two letters from upset readers. “It’s
the kind of reckless journalism that gives horseracing a bad name to
outsiders,” a Georgetown reader wrote. A Lexington reader added: “I am appalled
that a Kentucky paper who is
founded in the heart of horse country could show this much disrespect.”

The breakdown of a racehorse is a tragedy, but Pine
Island’s accident, dumping jockey
Javier Castellano into the track a few races before he was to ride Classic
favorite Bernardini, was news.

We know some readers would rather not see unpleasant news in
their newspaper. Unfortunately, breakdowns are a part of horse racing, and we
make no apology for showing a photo of something more than 75,000 people
witnessed at Churchill Downs. However, we did it as tastefully as possible:
with a small photo, taken by David C. Burton and distributed by The Associated Press, on the bottom of page 4 of our 8-page Breeder’s Cup special
section. 

Journalists shouldn’t ignore the unpleasant aspects of
sport, and neither should sports fans. Fortunately, the forward-looking leaders of Kentucky’s
horse industry are spending big bucks to try to minimize horse injuries. Most notably,  Keeneland and Turfway are among the first
tracks to install artificial surfaces that are healthier for horses. In Keeneland’s first meet on Polytrack last
month, there were no catastrophic equine injuries. A year ago, on Keeneland’s traditional dirt
track, there were seven.

Here’s hoping that Polytrack and other advancements will minimize
the need for future news stories like the one about Pine Island. But we believe that covering this wonderful
sport means covering it all: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Tom Eblen
Managing Editor