Few people have the perspective of Dr. Larry Bramlage on horse racing's current situation.
Bramlage, of the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., is a 29-year veteran of racing medicine. He was the on-call veterinarian at Pimlico for the Preakness in 2006, when Barbaro was injured. He served in the same capacity at Monmouth Park during the 2007 Breeders' Cup, when George Washington broke a leg and had to be euthanized.
He also was the medical chief at Churchill Downs on May 3, when Eight Belles broke both her front ankles.
Recently, in a phone interview, Bramlage addressed those who are questioning the sport in light of recent events.
"I think we are approaching crisis on two levels," he said. "One, a crisis in public confidence in racing. And two, I do believe we've disregarded durability long enough that it has become a crisis.
"We used to reward horses for long careers by making them stallions. It used to be that the longevity and the number of races a horse could run and his on-track earning ability was rewarded. Now, the economics have shifted. The focus is on the big events and horses that have brilliance in those premium events are rewarded and they carry a premium.
