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The legacy of Barbaro
By Gina Spadafori
April 29, 2007
The Kentucky Derby is less than a week away, and for many, the event will bring up thoughts of last year’s winner, the ill-fated Barbaro, who shattered a leg in the Preakness Stakes two weeks after his Derby triumph.
As with many tragedies, the loss has driven change. Barbaro’s fight to survive advanced veterinary medicine, and his injury pushed the horse-racing industry to move more quickly on replacing dirt tracks with cushioned track surfaces, which have been shown to help prevent injuries to both horses and jockeys.
The L.A. Times looks at the lasting impact of Barbaro:
Synthetic tracks are proliferating as the industry points to them as safer for horses because they help diminish the kind of missteps believed to have caused Barbaro’s injury.
Two full brothers to Barbaro are in the wings. One was born a few days ago, and another, named Nicanor, is a yearling. (Like Barbaro, Nicanor is named after a foxhound in an old painting in the home of owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson.) That doesn’t mean they’re going to be winners, though:
[...The] legacy of Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who will be widely, and perhaps exhaustively, celebrated as Saturday’s Derby approaches, is more likely to be an improvement in the welfare of horses than it is to be a band of brothers who are all Triple Crown contenders.
“A sibling is by no means a clone. Racing ability doesn’t necessarily follow,” said Bayne Welker Jr., an executive at Mill Ridge Farm, the Lexington horse farm where both colts were foaled.
“We have a saying, ‘Joe Louis’ mother had seven kids, but there was only one Joe.’ “
And only one Barbaro. I know he’s running free on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.
Update: The Bloodhorse reports on what’s being done to honor Barbaro and his connections at this year’s Derby.
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Gosh Gina you sure know how to start off the afternoon and make me cry. (smile) I wish the outcome had been better for Barbaro but then maybe it has.
Comment by VJ — April 29, 2007 @ 9:35 am
Rest in peace dearest Barbaro. You were truly a hero and will never ever be forgotten.
Comment by Adrienne — April 29, 2007 @ 9:35 am
The injury rate among thoroughbreds is unacceptably high - the industry itself acknowledges this. The question is: what is being done?
Comment by Steve — April 29, 2007 @ 9:46 am
I’m a horse owner and all too familiar with Laminitis. Barboro is a hero, and he did not die in vain.
The study of the horse has been largely neglected due to funding. In the U.S. it is not a viable meat source. Pigs, cows, etc. receive a great deal of funding.
Due to the press that Barboro received and all of the country loving him, this has changed. We’ve received, finally, millions to study some of our most common ailments, including but not limitied to, Laminitis.
Here is one article:
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/104-grants.shtml
A trust fund in his name grew to $1.2 million by the time Barbaro died. New Bolton Center doctors say the money will be used for new equipment, treatment and cures.
Comment by shelly — April 29, 2007 @ 9:55 am
at 5 pm today on NBC they will have a movie on BARBARO. I think Barbaro will be in it ?
Comment by Mary Ann — April 29, 2007 @ 10:29 am
It is called Barbaro: A Nation’s Horse. I really want to watch but not sure I can bear to see his accident again. He was definitely a brave and wonderful horse who I have no doubt would have won the Triple Crown hand’s down. He will never be forgotten.
Comment by Adrienne — April 29, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Well, I think this is where I check out. Anyway, maybe Pet Connection can set up The Pet Food Crisis Thread Archives for easy access.
Comment by Steve — April 29, 2007 @ 11:31 am
This Hockey game is going to remove something off the air. I hope it isn’t Barbaro’s special.
Comment by shelly — April 29, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
For those interested in the Barbaro special that was shut out by the hockey game, it is supposed to air on NBC on Friday, May 4 at 9 p.m.EDT.
Comment by Linda P. — April 29, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
Barbaro’s story was a tough one to watch and follow. I think most people realized his chances from the beginning were slim. He had his ups and downs, and it seemed like from day to day there was always some hope.
He will be remembered, though. Pass the hankie now, please…
Comment by Robert M. Blevins — April 29, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
“Barbaro: A Nation’s Horse” will also be replayed twice this Thursday 5/3 on Universal HD at 8pm and 9pm (Eastern time). Bring the Kleenex, but then don’t miss the last few seconds of the program (you’ll get to smile after all the tears).
Comment by Ron — April 30, 2007 @ 3:38 am