While I do agree that 2-year-olds are pushed too hard, too fast these days, I'm not so sure I agree entirely with Sherman's assessment about year-round racing. There has always been year-round racing; it just depends upon the coast. Furthermore, when top horses like Curlin, Street Sense, and Rags To Riches — to name the three biggies from 2007 — can and do take 4-6 months off at a time, something I don't think Man O' War, Damascus, or Dr. Fager ever did, it's clear that many owners are happy to let the animals rest and heal from past all-out efforts. I believe Lost In the Fog (recently lost to cancer) was given a few months off from working as well.
Where one does see horses run too frequently is, unsurprisingly, on the lower end of things: the claiming races, the non-graded stakes races. The potential purse may mean feeding the horse and paying the farrier and vet for another few weeks.
There is some truth to Sherman's statements, but it's not the entire picture. A tragic finish like what we saw Saturday certainly does not help the sport, particularly in the light of other recent losses like George Washington, Pine Island, Mending Fences, and of course Barbaro, Ruffian, and Go For Wand. At the same time, I'm not so sure breakdowns are more or less common than they were long ago when we didn't have nearly the medical knowledge with which to help the mounts.
Unfortunately, yes, such things are an inevitable risk of the sport, just as a hockey player runs the risk of getting brutally checked or hit in the head with a puck, a baseball player could trip and shatter his arm, or a football player could snap his neck during a play. The difference is that while humans are capable of living and even excelling after such things, horses need all four legs to stand on at all times. While some of these injuries can indeed be corrected (Chelokee's chances look good after yesterday's surgery), not all of them can, and it's far more compassionate to let these animals go than it is to try and keep them alive, as in the case of Eight Belles.
One fundamental question this brings up is "Are humans justified in breeding animals (or plants) for entertainment purposes? Is this proper stewardship?" I don't have an answer I am satisfied with. I can see that the answer might be different for plants than for vertebrates. Some breeds of pigeons, dogs, and cats seem to be purely ornamental. I guess that race horses are, too.
