Racing is a blood sport. If the jockey club were a bunch of unwashed peasants keeping ponies in a back field the RSPCA would have had them all in prison ages ago.
Ruby Walsh, the jockey, gave an interview a few days back in which he was silly enough to admit that horses are "expendable". This is entirely true but not what the British public wants to hear- and it inundated him with hate mail and death threats.
"At least it's not as sadistic as bullfighting," says Judy. Agreed. But a damn sight more hypocritical.