Barbaro -- updated 9 minutes ago

[dirty]

Derby champ suffers life threatening injury Story Tools: Print Email Blog This Associated Press Posted: 9 minutes ago

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke down at the start of the Preakness on Saturday, galloping only a few hundred yards when his right rear leg flared out and he veered sideways while his eight rivals passed him. Photo gallery ... Preakness Stakes Also ... Preakness Stakes chart Foes unite in concern Drought continues Cruel fate for Barbaro Tears replace cheers Barbaro sent to Penn The hushed crowd of more than 100,000 at Pimlico Race Course watched as jockey Edgar Prado pulled the powerful colt to a stop and jumped off. With Barbaro still on the track and running on three legs, there wasn't much enthusiasm for the finish, especially with many of the fans in tears. Bernardini won the $1 million race, beating Sweetnorthernsaint by 5 1-4 lengths. Barbaro, thought by many to be a serious contender for the Triple Crown if he won the Preakness, was diagnosed with a fracture above and below his ankle. Dr. Larry Bramlage, of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, called it a "life-threatening" injury. The horrifying scene occurred right in front of the grandstand as the field of nine headed to the first turn. The unbeaten 1-2 favorite was in the middle of the pack when he suddenly dropped back under Prado. "During the race, he took a bad step and I can't really tell you what happened," Prado said. "I heard a noise about 100 yards into the race and pulled him right up." The colt was noticeably favoring his right rear leg. "It's a serious fracture. This will require pretty major surgery," Bramlage said. "Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer. His career is over. This is very life-threatening. "Under the best circumstances, we will try to save him as a stallion." Bramlage said a human would have to spend six weeks in bed with a comparable fracture, "with a horse that's impossible." The 1-2 favorite, Barbaro broke through the gate before the official start, but Bramlage said that had nothing to do with the injury. After the colt was led back to the gate, the field broke cleanly. As soon as his horse broke down, trainer Michael Matz bolted from his seat and ran onto the track where he embraced Prado. The jockey walked over to owner Gretchen Jackson and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She put an arm on his shoulder and said, "You did a great job." Fans were crying in the grandstand as the strapping 3-year-old was loaded into an equine ambulance and taken away, his injured leg in an inflatable cast. "You never expect it," Jackson said as she walked back to the barn. The devastating development drained all the excitement from a Pimlico crowd expecting a victory by Barbaro that would have set the stage for seventh Triple try in the last 10 years. Donna Walker, of Reston, Va., watches an indoor monitor at Pimlico, showing race favorite Barbaro being attended to after fractured his right rear leg. (Matt Houston / Associated Press) The Triple talk is over now. Bernardini took control from pacesetter Like Now and pulled away for his victory. Hemingway's Key was third behind Sweetnorthernsaint, followed by Brother Derek, Greeley's Legacy, Platinum Couple, Like Now and Diabolical. Ridden by Javier Castellano, Bernardini became the first Preakness winner who didn't run in the Derby since Red Bullet in 2000. "It's very exciting for everyone, for me especially, to win the Preakness. It's also very, very sad. It's a big disappointment," Castellano said. Lightly raced, Bernardini was taking a major step up in class in just his fourth career start. The well-bred son of A.P. Indy came into $1 million Preakness off an impressive win in the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on April 29. The colt has now won three straight after running fourth in his debut, and earned $650,000 for Darley Stable, operated by Dubai's Sheik Mohammed. Winning time for the 1 3-16 miles was 1:54.65, off the stakes record of 1:53.40. Bernardini paid $27.80, $9.40 and $5.80. Sweetnorthernsaint, who finished seventh in the Derby, returned $7.80 and $5. Hemingway's Key paid $8. Winning trainer Tom Albertrani said he didn't see Barbaro break down. "I saw Michael run by me and I knew something was wrong," Albertrani said. "You feel very upset when you see something like that." Barbaro was taken back to his barn, where he was X-rayed, tranquilized and stabilized before being transported to the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, a veterinary hospital, in Kennett Square, Pa. Matz and assistant trainer Peter Brette accompanied their horse. "Barbaro's behaving like the true champion that he is and hopefully he'll get the best care possible and be all right," D.D. Matz, the trainer's wife said. Thoroughbreds have broken down in the past in big races: In the 1993 Preakness, Union City broke down and was euthanized; in the 1999 Belmont Stakes, with Charismatic trying to win the Triple Crown, he was pulled up while finishing third with a fractured ankle; Go For Wand broke down in the stretch of the 1990 Breeders' Cup Distaff and was euthanized; and in 1975, the great Ruffian broke down in a match race with Foolish Pleasure. She was operated on, but was later euthanized.

[THE SHRINK]

I don't know why but this really upsets me...

[dirty]

Pretty sad Considerning they probably should have scratched him and had a Vet check him before he got back in the gate... I think Wrigs pointed it out earlier.... But after breaking thru the gate he probably, in hindsite, have been checked before he was allowed to enter again

[Austin]

Tough road to recover. Have to keep the horse immobilized in a sling. Very hard on a high strung thoroughbred. If this were a cheap claimer, it would have been put down almost immediately.

Those connections were on top of the world, full of hopes and dreams. All shot to pieces in a span of 20 seconds. You just never know.

[pressitup]

After that Derby race, I really wanted to see this colt run..........a long time.

To me Secretariat's Belmont win was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. After Barbaro made that turn at the Derby, I thought"Could we finally see another like Big Red?"

I remember watching the match race between Foolish Pleasure and Ruffin. And when Ruffin blew her wheel, that leg flopping around as she ran, you knew they would put her down.
It's sad that we cannot see what this colt could have been.

Press

[railbird]

should have scrathed the horse after false start, too much greed involved

[kidslick]

here is an update and some video coverage

Quote:
Barbaro was sedated and backed off the van from the track without putting any weight on the leg, reported another vet, Nick Meittinis. "After we X-rayed the leg and found what it consisted of, we put a very large padded bandage on him, and the entire time the bandage went on, he never moved a muscle."
Track veterinarian Dan Dreyfuss was the one who put the splint on, on the track.

"I saw an unstable right hind leg," Dreyfuss said.

Gate crash video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJOM...earch=preakness

Breakdown Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkg_...earch=preakness

[winkyduck]

i think we all know how this will probably end up

we hope it ends up the other way but deep down i think we all know this has the makings of one of the all-time saddest stories EVER

this horse was all set to lead the good life - have a wide open field to himself and plenty of hot babes brought over to him so he could get them pregnant - and then get LAUDED for it - not yelled at by her father and demand he marry her

now...................

[kelp0027]

wink:

you got that rite;

lol

sob..!!!

gl

[The Devil]

Hate to say that I agree with Winky....but from all reports I see Barbaro seems to understand the severity of his injurys and may be the type of horse that has the patience to recover.....

[Willy Loman]

Thought I heard on the news that the will operate today.

[roach23]

here are some pictures from yesterday. in #6 you can see how fucked up his leg was

http://inquirer.philly.com/slideshow...060520barbaro/

[The General]

I heard the same Willy.

It is a shame for the horse, the owner and all of us who will always wonder "what if".

[taconite]

How the hell can they say there was "no connection" between the 2 events? Talk about a cover up. Of course a Vet should have checked him. That situation w/Ruffian was the worst thing I`ve ever seen in sports, right up there w/Theisman`s broken leg.

[IDENTITY]

ugh roach that is a bad break.....

roach - how come they cant do the surgery and then the horse live with it? im sure the horse would adjust its lifestyle and let the injury heal....

[THE HITMAN]

Really upsets me too. It put a distinct damper on my day yesterday. I don't know why, but it bothers me alot more when a horse has a serious injury vs. a player having one.

[dirty]

said on ESPN that he was in the OR right now..... would update when they hear anything on ESPN News

[roach23]

Originally Posted by IDENTITY

ugh roach that is a bad break.....

roach - how come they cant do the surgery and then the horse live with it? im sure the horse would adjust its lifestyle and let the injury heal....

i dunno ID. i don't really know much about horses. i just bet on them from time to time.

[Jagermeister]

Originally Posted by IDENTITY

ugh roach that is a bad break.....

roach - how come they cant do the surgery and then the horse live with it? im sure the horse would adjust its lifestyle and let the injury heal....

It is hard for a 1200 pound horse to keep weight off the leg. Its bones and ankles are small, the loss of blood flow is the key.

[dirty]

Beaner Posted yesterday when this question was asked in one thread that if Blood can't flow to all parts of a horses Body it goes back to the heart and will kill the horse. And with how much they weigh if they can't stand on all 4 limbs then that is what will happen

[WYM]

cant even stand to look at pics or replays, it hurts soo much. i remember when they put down ruffian during a lousy exhibition. shed a few tears.