The Morning: How humans failed racehorses

Plus, campus protests, Latino evangelicals and retired couples.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 5, 2024 Good morning. Today my colleague Joe Drape explains the troubled state of horse racing in the U.S. We're also covering campus protests, Latino evangelicals and retired couples. — David Leonhardt At Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Jon Cherry for The New York Times Human error By Joe Drape He has covered the Kentucky Derby for 25 years. It was a thrilling finish: A long-shot named Mystik Dan held off a late charge by Sierra Leone and a colt from Japan named Forever Young on Saturday to win the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, America's oldest major continuing sporting event, bringing to a close a much-needed casualty-free week of thoroughbred racing. It was a welcome conclusion for the multibillion-dollar sport imperiled by frequent racing fatalities, reckless breeding, dodgy doping practices and the old-fashioned greed of veterinarians, trainers and owners. Last year, 12 horses perished at Churchill Downs in the days surrounding the famous race. It only got worse. Two weeks later, a horse trained by one of the sport's most recognized trainers died at Pimlico Race Course. At the historic Saratoga Race Course in New York a few months later, another 13 horses died while racing and training at the sport's signature summer meet, including two that seemed poised to win their races before they broke down near the finish line on nationally televised broadcasts. Ambulances rumbled onto the track, emergency workers erected privacy screens and, behind them, vets euthanized the horses with injections. All of it put the social acceptability of one of America's oldest sports at risk. The root of the problem Ahead of the race.  Audra Melton for The New York Times Why do racehorses die? As beautiful as a thoroughbred is in full flight, the legs that seemingly rarely touch the ground are fragile. Ankles the size of a Coke bottle and hooves the size of a crystal ashtray propel a 1,200-pound thoroughbred at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. Over the past 12 months, my colleague Melissa Hoppert and I analyzed confidential documents and covert recordings made by law enforcement authorities to report on why so many horses, supposedly in peak physical condition, were breaking down. (Our investigation, which you can read here, also became a documentary, "The New York Times Presents: Broken Horses," which is streaming on Hulu.) As is so often the case, money is the root of the problem. Trainers push horses too hard, sometimes giving them illegal performance-enhancing drugs. That's because owners know that a signature win will turn their million-dollar investment into a multimillion-dollar A.T.M. in the breeding shed. Do the math: Sierra Leone can be retired tomorrow and enter a life where he mates twice a day, to 155 mares, potentially earning $31 million annually over a breeding career that can last 10 years or more. Even at the more modest levels of the sport, trainers sometimes rely on illegal drugs. More often, though, the problem is overuse of legal corticosteroid medications that mask pain and allow at-risk thoroughbreds to run until they perish. Among the cluster of 13 deaths at Saratoga, for example, 11 were the result of injuries to a fetlock joint, which can be weakened by injections. Three of the 11 received corticosteroid injections within 30 days of racing. Another three had been declared unsound by veterinarians before their breakdowns, though their owners and trainers still managed to get them into competition. In short, the humans failed the horses. Most people involved in the sport have put their horses first, and they were integral in creating the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the federal body that now polices the sport. But if that group does not do its job, horse racing could be in trouble. It is at risk of losing its core audiences, including horse lovers, who do not want to see animals die, and gamblers, who now have many other options for betting on sports. Along with a multibillion-dollar economy, an important part of American history and its soul would be lost. For more The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. Audra Melton for The New York Times "And they're off": See photos from this year's race. Attendees donned wide-brimmed hats adorned with spring florals and soft feathers. Here are images of the best ones. Yesterday, Larry Demeritte became the second Black trainer since 1951 to compete in the Kentucky Derby. Mike Repole is racing's loudest critic and a prominent horse owner. He's still trying to win his first Derby. ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Two Israeli men who were thought to have been taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 were actually killed during the attacks, according to the Israeli authorities. A doctor from Gaza who was detained by Israeli forces and held for four months has died in Israeli custody, Palestinian officials said. Iran says it has released the crew of an Israeli-linked container ship that its forces had seized last month. Campus Protests In Ann Arbor, Mich. Nic Antaya/Getty Images The police arrested at least 25 people yesterday at the University of Virginia and took down an encampment on campus. Pro-Palestinian supporters briefly interrupted a commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan. And at Indiana University, protesting students walked out of a ceremony, some shouting "free, free Palestine" as they left. At Vassar, protesters dismantled their encampment after the college agreed to review a divestment proposal. The protests are the latest in a tradition of student-led, left-leaning activism dating back at least to the 1960s. Tensions appear to be spreading to campuses in several countries, including France, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied a building at Science Po, an elite university. War in Ukraine At a morgue in Ukraine's Donetsk region.  Nicole Tung for The New York Times The families of some Ukrainian soldiers say they have spent months trying to get official death confirmations. The military, they say, is overloaded with casualties. Russia's army is recruiting more women to fight in the war. That effort clashes with Vladimir Putin's conservative agenda. More International News Voters in Britain appear hungry for change after 14 years of Conservative government. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak seems unable to persuade them otherwise. Xi Jinping has chosen France, Serbia and Hungary — nations that, to varying degrees, embrace China's push for a new global order — for his first trip to Europe in five years. Months after a coup in Niger, its deposed president is still imprisoned in the presidential residence without access to his phone or his lawyers, members of his inner circle said. Politics Pastor Camilo Perez at his church in Henderson, Nev. Isadora Kosofsky for The New York Times Latino evangelicals are helping to re-energize the Republican coalition. Read about how one pastor became a foot soldier for Donald Trump. "The chattering class is freaking out": At dinner parties and receptions, many in official Washington joke about where they would go if Trump returns to the White House. Florida banned the production and sale of lab-grown meat, a move considered by other states. Other Big Stories Many U.S. jails and prisons are ill-equipped to deal with the thousands of inmates estimated to have major psychological problems. One man's story illustrates the system's failure. At this point in the year, high school seniors should be celebrating their college choices. A new FAFSA application has left some unsure of which college they will be able to afford. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Who puts campus safety at risk? The protesters. Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments on college campuses disobey rules and orders meant to protect everyone. "It is terrifying to contemplate where such occupations might end — and who might get hurt," Jay C. Hartzell writes for Houston Chronicle. The universities. The choice to call riot police leaves administrators directly responsible for the escalation of tensions. "For the administration to sanction violence against its students without a fundamental understanding of what they are voicing is embarrassing," Antonio Wu writes for CalMatters. FROM OPINION Most people trust vaccines. The true barrier to people getting vaccinated is poverty and lack of access, Jessica Grose writes. The best college you can go to is one where you don't fit in, Michael S. Roth, president of Wesleyan University, writes. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on a photo from Gaza, David French on Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ross Douthat on Covid vaccine injuries. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. ADVERTISEMENT MORNING READS Sharing space.  David Hilliard for The New York Times Golden years: Retired couples have time; they have money; they have leisure. They also have a problem: They are driving each other mad. The wood age? An analysis of 300,000-year-old wooden tools revealed that Neanderthals were better craftsmen than was originally thought. Vows: When she sent him an Instagram DM, she had no idea about his run on "The Bachelor." Lives Lived: The artist Frank Stella moved American art away from Abstract Expressionism toward cool minimalism. His exploration of colors and form were constantly on exhibit. He died at 87. THE INTERVIEW Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times By David Marchese This week's subject for The Interview is the comedian and actor Marlon Wayans. We talked about his upcoming standup special, "Good Grief," which is about how humor helped him heal after the death of his parents, and also what he's learned from his transgender son. How do you find the funny thing in the sad thing? I mean, all of us Wayanses, we're crazy people. The worst thing happens, and the first thing we'd think is What's funny about it? I remember when my cousin Ceddy died and my auntie buried him on jeans and a T-shirt and some Air Force 1s and a baseball cap. [Wayans's brother] Damon looks and goes, "If there's a dress code in heaven, I don't think Ceddy's getting in." Are there elements of the new special that you could point to and say, This is the kind of material that I couldn't have done five or 10 years ago? When you talk about real-life pain, like parents passing, and you can get through that set and you can still be irreverent, edgy, crazy, silly, thought-provoking and vulnerable, I think that's growth. I miss my parents dearly, but I'm a different human with my parents gone than I was when they were here. Now I'm a man. In the special, you talked about how you learned to be a man from your dad. And here with me you talked about how finding a way to move forward after your parents died also helped you grow into manhood. But I'm curious what you learned about manhood and masculinity from your son. It's OK to be vulnerable. It's OK to unstrap from your masculinity and your ego. Sometimes it's not about trying to teach them. Maybe God's trying to teach you something. It's OK to have those stupid thoughts — those egotistical thoughts like, Nah, I think I can control everything. Then God breaks you down, and life breaks you down, and when you realize you're on your knees, that's when God can whisper to you, and you're like, Oh, that's what you're trying to teach me. Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photograph by Mickalene Thomas for The New York Times. Click the cover image above to read this week's magazine. BOOKS Robert Cormier  Paul Miller/Fairfax Media, via Getty Images Robert Cormier: "The Chocolate War," published 50 years ago, became one of America's most challenged books. Its author spent years fighting attempts to ban it. Modern classics: Looking for your next read? The Book Review has a new collection showing its favorite books from 2000 to 2023. Our editors' picks: "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," in which Salman Rushdie recalls surviving an attempted assassination, and seven others. Times best sellers: Emily Henry's romance "Funny Story" lands at No. 1 in its first week on the hardcover fiction list. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with delicious Asian snacks. Survive your high school reunion. Start composting. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For Panama's presidential elections are today. Xi Jinping begins a tour around Europe this week, starting in Paris. The Met Gala is tomorrow. The Eurovision Song Contest final is on Saturday. Meal Plan Julia Gartland for The New York Times In this week's Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Emily Weinstein suggests using leftover chicken to make crispy Cheddar chicken tacos, or pouring a glass of white wine to enjoy with spaghetti al limone with shrimp (the dish is ready in 25 minutes). NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were deceiving and evidencing. Can you put eight historical events — including the first European universities, Joan of Arc and roller disco — in chronological order? Take this week's Flashback quiz. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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