Horse racing's underlying tragedy

While the national sporting press continues its infatuation with such trivial doings as Spygate and Roger Clemens' alleged philandering, it has until now missed a far more important and disturbing story that came to light this month on HBO's "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" — the rampant slaughter of thoroughbred race horses.

With the sport still reeling from the death of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby, the report by Bernard Goldberg reveals an ugly underbelly in which horses at the end of their racing careers and no longer deemed useful by their owners are sold in auctions to "killer buyers" who then have the animals shipped to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada. The horses eventually become meat for European and Japanese diners who pay top dollar for the delicacy. These slaughterhouses, the report says, are frequently less regulated and less humane than those in the U.S.

Goldberg's must-watch expose notes the practice of selling thoroughbreds for slaughter is being done at venues across the country. The HBO report centers on a track in West Virginia, where horses are seen herded into the trucks of the so-called "meat men."

At one point in his investigation, Goldberg learns that a Kentucky Derby contender from just two years ago was identified and saved by an organization that raises money to buy and rescue the discarded horses literally moments before it was to be sent to the slaughterhouse. Thousands of other horses, the report continues, weren't as fortunate.

The "Real Sports" segment is by no means easy to watch but shouldn't be missed. It is currently airing on HBO and HBO2 and will be available on HBO On Demand from May 19-June 9.