sombre

Saturday at the races, according to the Age, was one of those dark days
The death of three horses in two jumping races at Moonee Valley yesterday was an unfortunate feature of jumps racing, chief steward Des Gleeson said
These are some pictures of Piermont who had been expected to contest the feature races in the current season. "He just keeps whacking away and the longer distances will suit him". Instead this was his fate, as described by The Age.
Piermont, the $5 third favourite in the steeple, crashed at the second fence in the back straight the first time around.
The nine-year-old gelding badly injured his back and could not be moved from the track.
Officials placed witches hats around the fallen horse so the field would avoid him on the second circuit of the course.
The other runners were forced to jump the outside of the fence.
Piermont was destroyed...
And yet the Herald Sun only sees tragedy in a jockey being beaten. It prefers the word sombre to describe the unfortunate aspect of the sport, "part and parcel of jumps racing" according to the Chief Steward.
Boynton heard an apologist call in to talk back radio yesterday. It was like humans, he said, those who can't handle the flat turn to the hurdles. We're not sure that horses actually exercise this much choice in their career path. You'd have to doubt that if they knew the facts, they'd think it was a good bet.