Eight Belles honors set

Eight Belles, this year's Kentucky Derby runner-up who was euthanized after suffering a catastrophic breakdown moments after the race, will be interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs, the track announced Tuesday.

The Churchill Downs Foundation and Eight Belles' owner, Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm, also announced that each will contribute $25,000 to the Eight Belles Memorial Fund, established by Thoroughbred Charities of America, for continued research into racehorse injuries and toward the retraining of retired Thoroughbreds.

"We're still grieving and struggling to accept her loss, but even in the midst of our sorrow, we are determined to see something positive come from her death," Porter said in a release from Churchill.

Churchill Downs also announced that it is renaming the $150,000 La Troienne Stakes in honor of Eight Belles. A Grade 3 stakes race for 3-year-old fillies, it will continue to be run on Kentucky Derby Day. The track also plans a ceremony on Kentucky Derby Day next year in memory of Eight Belles.

Eight Belles' remains will be at the base of a tree planted in her honor. The memorial will be near the graves of four Kentucky Derby winners: Sunny's Halo, Carry Back, Swaps, and Broker's Tip.

The 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, who was euthanized Jan. 29, 2007, following complications from a breakdown in the 2006 Preakness, is scheduled to have his ashes interred at Churchill Downs in 2009, although within the track itself, not on the adjacent museum grounds.

A date for the Eight Belles interring has not been determined.