Big Brown enters the prestigious Belmont Stakes race in New York this weekend with a chance to win American horse racing's Triple Crown. Big Brown has already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.
But, for the second year in a row, a horse sustained a fatal leg injury in one of the Triple Crown races, setting off a debate about the ethics of racing horses. In the Kentucky Derby this year, second-place finisher Eight Belles sustained an injury as the race ended and she had to be put down. Last year, Derby winner Barbaro was injured and after medical interventions failed, he was also euthanized. As VOA's Tony Budny reports, the Belmont Stakes' importance now extends beyond racing.
