Clinton Backs Girl Horse in Kentucky Derby
EmailABC News’ Eloise Harper Reports: Speaking at her Louisville, KY campaign headquarters, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., told a crowd of supporters Thursday that she is pulling for the filly, Eight Bells, for the upcoming Kentucky Derby.
In selecting Eight Bells, Clinton picked the only girl horse in the race. Perhaps the most fitting move for the woman vying to bethe nation’s first woman elected president.
Clinton in full Derby enthusiasm even tried on a traditional derby hat while greeting well-wishers. WATCH VIDEO HERE.
Sen. Clinton repeated her desire for the filly to be victorious – saying to a crowd in Jeffersonville, Indiana saying she was sending in her daughter to place her bets. "I hope that everybody will go to the derby on Saturday and place just a little money on the filly for me. I wont be able to be there this year – my daughter is going to be there and so she has strict instructions to bet on Eight Bells."
Chrysler Super Bowl Ad Pro-Obama? 
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everything is a gimick with her.
Posted by: Marcus | May 1, 2008, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
Kentucky is about 80 to 1 for Clinton over obama. Sometimes things work out as they should. I hope the filly wins.
Posted by: Beau | May 1, 2008, 8:32 pm 8:32 pm
I hope the filly wins the Derby. I know Hillary will win Kentucky!
Posted by: irma | May 1, 2008, 9:43 pm 9:43 pm
The filly’s name is spelled Eight Belles, with an ‘e’.
Posted by: Kathryn | May 1, 2008, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm
I always root for the fillies. It takes a lot of talent and heart for a filly to make it to the Kentucky Derby.
Posted by: becky | May 1, 2008, 11:34 pm 11:34 pm
Finally an Omen!
The filly will lose the Kentucky Derby
just as Hillary Clinton will lose
the Democrat Presidential Nomination
to Obama! Hillary the “Bell(s) tolls
for Thee”!
Posted by: reaganfan | May 2, 2008, 12:48 am 12:48 am
Is this an example of what she would base her decisions on if she were to become President?
Posted by: Web Smith | May 2, 2008, 3:36 pm 3:36 pm
Web Smith:
This is an example of the MSM
bowing to their master, Hillary Clinton
by doing “puff” pieces on her!
They should be asking her why Clinton
Advisor Mickey Kantor Trashed the
People of Indiana!
Posted by: reaganfan | May 2, 2008, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
Poor Eight Bells was put down after the race with 2 broken ankles….
Posted by: Medi | May 3, 2008, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
Let’s home she wins and decides to ban horseracing.
Posted by: AnimalCruelty | May 3, 2008, 6:58 pm 6:58 pm
I HOPE HILLARY KICKS SOME BUTT….
Posted by: danboys | May 3, 2008, 6:59 pm 6:59 pm
Why assume that all who are dislike the Clintons are Obama people?? Does it not occur to anyone that negative messages could possibly be posted by Republicans?
Posted by: Carol | May 3, 2008, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
I agree scott, this is a very sad day and I feel horses have spirits. I know she is out there now free of pain and suffering. Why are you people so cruel, you are the people I loath and I believe you all should go live in Darfur then maybe your remarks would be no more. Damm you for making this political. Eight belles may you be free & running in the heavens.
Posted by: samm | May 3, 2008, 9:54 pm 9:54 pm
This story will be remembered forever in American Political History as the Derby Omen. The eerie part of this is that Joe Scarborough on Morning Joe last Friday said “wouldn’t it be a tragedy if the filly that Hillary is betting on breaks a leg and needs to get put down on the track”.
Posted by: Terrence | May 3, 2008, 10:39 pm 10:39 pm
I was referring to “Robert Robinwitz” post!! not “SCOTT”
Posted by: samm | May 3, 2008, 11:14 pm 11:14 pm
I won’t ever watch another horse race. I keep saying you’d never pound a trail horse like they pound these races horses when they’re still babies. If they would let them grow up before they run them, there wouldn’t be so many tragedies on the track. Not much money to be made when a horse isn’t running, I guess.
Posted by: Deb Cheplic | May 3, 2008, 11:22 pm 11:22 pm
Okay, so Clinton pulls for the filly. So what!?! Eight Belles rest in peace.
Gender and race obviously are important in this political race, and a lot of people do care about that, else it wouldn’t come up so often in the news. Why do people have to get so nasty about it? Easy, it’s something called FEAR. For one thing, there’s a lot of American people worried that a Woman or a Black Man will become the next U.S. President, and they feel threatened by that.
Let’s try to focus on the issues at hand, and the views that all the politicians have, rather than focusing so much on gender & race. It’s that simple people.
Posted by: Lisa S. a KY girl | May 4, 2008, 12:14 am 12:14 am
The jockey of the horse eight belles seems to lack alot of experience with only about 3-4 years on the track. This terrible tradegy could have been prevented. Its a shame to run these horses when they are so young. Just to make some money is just sickening. The correlation to the Clintons is just plain stupid
Posted by: lisa | May 4, 2008, 12:20 am 12:20 am
I think it is sickening what racehorse people do to these animals. I agree that they should not be running these horses so hard at such a young age. With show horses, they typically cannot be ridden and shown until atleast 3 years old. This kind of selfish greediness and only thinking about money is definitely representative of the 15%+ of horse owners who are men!!!!
Posted by: karen OH | May 4, 2008, 12:54 am 12:54 am
“The correlation to the Clintons is just plain stupid.”
I agree.
However, let it be known that the correlation is made because Hillary Clinton, FIRST made the connection. She urged her supporters to go out and support Eight Belles, the only female philly in the KD. Who, happened to be, by the way, on paper most likely to beat BIG BROWN, only to, tragically, come up short.
Like it or not, the symbolism cannot be lost. A shameless ELITIST plug by a presidential candidate who asked her supporters to place a bet, no less, on the lone female philly in the race. It’s a irony that cannot be lost.
Posted by: Just a Thought | May 4, 2008, 8:36 am 8:36 am
It’s a shame such a beautiful strong filly had to run her legs off chasing a super colt like Big Brown did anyone notice the hind end of that horse? Race horses are rear end powered machines and man does Big Brown have a big one.Eight Belles died because she was a super filly who loved to win she gave her all don’t diminish her effort with omen crap.Hillary Clinton deserves respect and so does Eight Belles you people can sit in your armchairs and make comments like that all you want but I don’t see you really putting yourself out there.Maybe that’s Eight belles legacey”You gotta be in it to Win it”.And Hillary is gonna take it to the wire also.
Posted by: dani | May 4, 2008, 9:18 am 9:18 am
I have seen this time and time again. Horses pushed beyond when they should be. They can be forced to run to their death as I have seen many times before. If it is not a heart issue that would have been caught in the numerous routine physicals, I would imagine her ankles were bruised or week from the races prior or practice. May God Bless Eight Belles as I saw this happen to my own mare but I pulled her from the old owners after she collapsed by running her heart out. She lived and is with us today if only I could of done this for Eight Belles. There are a few mares/horse very few who will not fight back no matter how much they are hurting. She was one that would die for her owner and she did. She was on in a million to have been like this to not fight back and a very special mare. This is a long race and now to continue the abuse in the name of greed even knowing full well Big Browns feet are bad the owners press on to the Preakness in just two weeks. Barbaro was not ready to run again. He was injured going into the derby. We took that hard because Dr. G_ _ _ _ _ make prosthetics for horses and could of amputated. He operated on and saved Seattle slew and my mare filly runner. This sport is mean and cruel and for those hundreds of horses who are bread to run and never even make it pass Los Alamitos or those who run even in the derby are never heard from again. I do not need to tell anyone where these horses end up. Especially now the warmbloods are the choice of the hunter jumpers. I hope the owners have a chance to read this as do Eight Belles trainer. You know it and I know it. Training for over 20 years would how could you of missed this? ENJOY YOUR SECOND PLACE EARNINGS . Besides these horses are all insured for their deaths. There is still money to collect from the insurance even when dead. We love your heart Eight Belles we love your spirit and I am so sorry this world is cruel.
Posted by: lavictus | May 4, 2008, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
lavitus please don’t judge all race trackers by this stupid move on the part of Eight Belles owner and trainer.There are plenty of people who wouldn’t have placed her in that situation.Of cource your right on many points but that’s the minority not the norm.Belles was a race horse thru and thru I’m sorry we didn’t get to see more of her .Point of fact the tracks vets examine all horses before they race she wouldn’t have been running if there was a prexisting problem.
Posted by: dani | May 4, 2008, 1:47 pm 1:47 pm
I grieve for the loss of Eight Belles. I am coping with her untimely death, by knowing that this magnifiscent animal has received her crown in heaven, where she is now free and peacefully grazing along side Barbaro. I hope my expression of sympathy will help those who owned her, trained her and loved her will help.
Posted by: Anneliese | May 4, 2008, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
I feel sorry for the owner of that horse. I have a horse that was put down of the same thing. And i will always rember her to like barboro.
Posted by: Alexa | May 4, 2008, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm
Before money is awarded there should be a post race veterinary supervised “jog out” for soundness. Failing that would disqualify a horse from collecting any winnings.
Posted by: martha | May 4, 2008, 2:27 pm 2:27 pm
martha the vets check them out before the race if they aren’t sound enough to run the state vet for the track will scratch the horse.
Posted by: dani | May 4, 2008, 2:36 pm 2:36 pm
THANK YOU EIGHT BELLES!!! I was so sad to see Eight Belles go down. I didn’t even know the Derby was on t.v. until I accidentally turned on the set and decided to watch. When I first saw “Eight Belles”, I was filled with joy! For some reason, she just had that “magic” about her when being led to the starting gate. Did anyone else notice??? I used my cell phone and texted a few friends of mine “Eight Bells will be there”….I didn’t know there was a Hillory connection at all…didn’t care. And I had never heard of Eight Bells Before, or Big Brown! At the time, I wasn’t sure what to take from the “message I had heard in my head”…the message was vague enough to mean win, place or show…it didn’t specify…just that she would “be there”. Now I know where it was refering to…..Heaven. Yes, I really believe that she was that SUPER SPECIAL HORSE! One with a great spirit. One that God made for glory. I still cry when I think about it. I’m a 40 year old man! Horses have had as much huge significance in history…remember that they were the way everyone got around in ALL OF HISTORY before the automobile wich is only 100 years old! For Millenia man and horse have been best friends. WHOLE ECONOMIES AND ARMIES HAVE BEEN DEPENDENT UPON THIER BACKS SINCE THE BEGGINING! THAT IS A PROUFOUND RELATIONSHIP TO MANKIND!!!They are special in a mysterious way. We don’t know all of the in’s-and-out’s of how everything works in this universe…and the possibility of Eight Belles’s immortalization should be considered. Consider this: As dominant as Big Brown was…Eight Belles dominated HIM and was leading in the final stretch until the unstoppable Big Brown turned on a burst of speed I have never seen from a horse. I believe that Eight Belles ran the race of her life!!! I could “feel” her joy as she went to the gate! Being that she took 2nd in a very fast field and that only 2 other Phillies have won the Derby in history, IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT EIGHT BELLES WAS THE FASTEST RUNNING FEMALE IN HISTORY!!! THAT’S THE STORY HERE!!! Someone needs to compare her finish time with the times of the winning Phillies of the past! I wish we would appreciate Eight Belles!!! For her to run that race like she did speaks of her BIG HEART! THE HEART OF A CHAMPION. It is not mean to race horses! They LOVE IT!!! They love to be run and they love to please man! God made them that way!!! I believe Eight Belles died on her own terms!! Running the race of her lifetime!!! Much like the first marathon runner in history at the very first Olympic Games in Greece who also collapsed and died. Perhaps sometimes their heart is too big for their body?! I wish we could ALL HAVE THAT BLESSING!!! AND LEAVE THIS LIFE AS GLORIOUSLY AS EIGHT BELLES DID! I believe she is running with the angels!!! THANK YOU EIGHT BELLES!!!
Posted by: Stephen Sharon | May 4, 2008, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm
Oh, and no one wanted to mention the good things about Barbaro. Do you know how much money was poured into that horse to try and fix his leg!!! His owners truely did care! And they even knew he’d never be able to race again!
Posted by: KAT13RM | May 4, 2008, 4:11 pm 4:11 pm
Oh, and one more thing. Shame on Eight Bells’ jockey for not knowing something was wrong!! He should have pulled her up!
Posted by: KAT13RM | May 4, 2008, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
Hillary is an amazing candidate who knows it is time to back girls since there are boys clubs everywhere and brotherly love who only look out for their boys. Women out there who make a stand about this without apologizing, good for you and I take my hats off to you.
As for Eight Belles, she ran her heart out and it is too bad her jockey ran her to her death. He beat the crap out of her not taking consideration she was the only filly running with boys. What an act of thoughtlessness! Watch the tape and you will see him beat her, the only thing the filly did was give her ALL!! Perhaps she fainted and fell on both her ankles. Whatever it is, she performed spectacularly and this was a preventable tragedy.
Posted by: Mike L | May 4, 2008, 5:03 pm 5:03 pm
Running a horse around your yard until it breaks two legs and then killing it would get you arrested, right?
I don’t get this sport. Bunch of rich gamblers and old breed plantation owner
types come to mind. They might just like a
good old fashioned dog fight.
This is sickening, again!
Posted by: AmScam | May 5, 2008, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
This story and the ultimate result is just too ironic for Hillary Clinton.
Posted by: Kloche | May 5, 2008, 4:24 pm 4:24 pm
Way to go Hillary for cheering on the filly! I am too going to stop watching the horse races. These horses are run WAY TOO YOUNG, and should not be running on dirt tracks. England has been racing their horses on synthetic tracks and has prevented 75% of injuries because of it. Wealthy Amercicans and politics has kept US from changing to synthetic tracks. And IT IS BEATING A HORSE WITH A WHIP! My horses feel a fly land on them, don’t tell me that they hardly feel a crop on them!!! Use one on yourself and you see how it feels!
Posted by: Jana Lake | May 5, 2008, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
I googled to see if anyone had heard Joe Scarborough’s prescient question; I saw Samm’s quote above…thanks Samm. Hillary linked herself to the filly…ooops. Now, I’m not laughing at Eight Belles…the horse didn’t link herself to Hillary.
Some of these posts are quite laughable…. While Hillary initiated the parallel between her and the filly, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her breaking her ankles as an earlier post suggests…have you seen Hillary’s ankles?!
For all of you Hillary fans, she’s not going to win the democratic nomination unless Barack Obama is caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy. Barring that scenario (I would bet on the live boy), this is how the whole thing plays out. Hillary continues to trash Obama. Super delegates slowly line up behind Obama. Obama does not get the number required for the nomination until after the final primary in June. The remaining super delegates then decide to unite the party by backing Obama in sufficient numbers to make seating the Michigan and Florida delegates inconsequential. Hillary scuttles initial efforts to do that. A plan finally gives Michigan and Florida a “voice.” Hillary questions the legitimacy of the results; her supporters do not back Obama. Obama goes into the general election crippled. Hillary works about as hard for Obama as she did for Gore. McCain wins! Hillary is poised for a 2012 run against a very old McCain.
Posted by: Mike W | May 6, 2008, 12:35 am 12:35 am
I am sorry to report that in my southern area of the US their is much racism coming from Afro Americans toward whites…they don’t want us to forget the past slavery issue. It is very unsettling to say the least.
I refuse to vote for Obama, I can see where that will lead and make the climate even more hostile. The Afro Americans feel they are owed so much and they like to rub the whites noses in it over and over and over and….
We can’t change the past, we can only change the present but that does not seem to be enough here in my city unfortunately.
I LOVE horses and I feel this wonderful filly was pushed beyond her capacity…it is so sad!
Posted by: George | May 10, 2008, 10:28 am 10:28 am