by Jenny Blandford

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals held a demonstration outside the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority office at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on Tuesday and PETA spokesperson Lindsay Rajt said the group plans to continue to protest at the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1).

The Norfolk, Virginia-based group has made national headlines since Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms’ Eight Belles broke down following her runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) on May 3.

“We are calling for cruelty to animal charges to be pressed regarding Eight Belles against the jockey and the owners of the horse,” Rajt said. “It is actually a Kentucky state cruelty to animal charge.

“We also say the steward’s board at Churchill Downs needs to immediately file a complaint against jockey Gabriel Saez for whipping Eight Belles as she came down the final stretch to the wire. We need standards in place to bar horse owners who allow this kind of cruelty.”

PETA supporters were not the only ones on hand for the demonstration as an equal amount of Thoroughbred industry supporters came out holding signs with slogans such as “Horses are born to run”, “I love Horse Racing”, “Gabriel Saez is not a murderer. PETA is”, “PETA=Animal Killers”, “Larry Jones is #1”, “Born to Run: PETA is ignorant”, and “I support horse racing”.

On hand holding a sign that read “Racing has a heart” was Old Friends Thoroughbred retirement home founder Michael Blowen.

“Without these horses, there’s nothing here [in Lexington],” Blowen said. “I can go to my farm from here [at the Kentucky Horse Park] and not pass anything but horse farms. It’s like living in a national park, and I owe it all to these animals.

“The guys that are at our farm earned over $30-million. People from all over the world are coming to see these horses. That’s why I invite the people from PETA to come to the farm and see the horses and see how we take care of them. Taking this one very tragic and unfortunate incident and smearing the entire sport of horse racing is quite unfair.

“I saw Larry Jones graze this horse a few days before the Derby and I could tell there was no one who loved this horse more than Larry. Nobody felt worse about what happened then Larry and to smear him and Gabriel Saez is unfortunate.”

Lexington-based Thoroughbred owner and breeder Leslie Marceau backed PETA during the demonstration, brandishing a sign stating, “Stop Racing Horses to the Grave.”

“I’d like to know as a Thoroughbred owner and breeder that hopefully when my horses go to the track it has a better chance of survival and living a quality life.”

Marceau said by holding the sign, she hoped the industry would look at and implement changes that are better for the horses and riders, such as a mandate in synthetic surfaces.

Huntington Equine founder Billy Huntington was instrumental in rounding up Thoroughbred industry supporters.

“I forwarded a big e-mail to about 400 people because I didn’t want PETA to be out here without the Thoroughbred industry being represented,” said Huntington, who carried a sign that said “PETAkillsanimals.com”. “I think their request for Saez’s license to be revoked is ludicrous because he is not at fault at all.”

Jenny Blandford is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor