Horse Trainer Larry Jones Claims Eight Belles Wasn’t On Drugs

Posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Larry Jones, the trainer for the fallen filly Eight Belles, on Tuesday ordered drug testing as part of a necropsy in order to prove that his horse was not on performance-enhancing drugs.

Horse trainer Larry Jones left little doubt that tests would come back negative on filly Eight Belles, who was euthanized on the track after breaking both front ankles following her second-place finish in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

“I guarantee there were no steroids ever on that horse,” Jones said from Delaware Park on Tuesday.

Jones has come under criticism since the ill-fated race with some suggesting his horse must have been on steroids due to her large size.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also have been critical of jockey Gabriel Saez, calling for his suspension. The group has claimed that Saez should have known that the horse was in trouble and that he went to the whip too often.

“I think that it is really the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard of,” Jones said.

PETA conducted a protest in Lexington, Kentucky on Tuesday, claiming horse racing is a cruel sport. There protest was met with opposition from supporters of the sport.

"Horse Trainer Larry Jones Claims Eight Belles Wasn’t On Drugs" was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 10:32 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Jockeys, Kentucky Derby, Trainers, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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