Freakness at the Preakness!!

[swirlundergrounder]

BALTIMORE -- Thoroughbred racing is built upon a terribly thin, terribly frail foundation: The lower legs of the half-ton animals that captivate us with their speed, grace and beauty.

We were reminded of this brutal fact Saturday, when a sun-splashed Preakness Stakes day dissolved into an emotionally wrenching disaster.

When Barbaro, the regal Kentucky Derby champion and legitimate Triple Crown aspirant, broke down on the Pimlico Race Course homestretch less than 3/16 of a mile into the race, racing's darkest nightmare was realized. The splendid colt trailed the pack as it came past the grandstand for the first time, bobbling badly. His right hind leg flailed at a gruesome angle that revealed the ugly truth:



Horsephotos
Barbaro was pulled up by jockey Edgar Prado early in the Preakness.
Fractures above and below the ankle -- a career-ending and life-threatening injury. Leg injuries to horses are especially dangerous, because they cannot lie down for extended periods of time to take pressure off their limbs.

"There's some major hurdles here," said attending veterinarian Larry Bramlage, one of the straightest shooters in the business. "This is a significant injury, and there are at least a couple of things that are very life-threatening for him. ... Under the best of circumstances, we're looking to try to save him as a stallion."

At its best, horse racing can make romantics out of hopeless cynics. At its worst, it can smash a romantic's heart.

This was racing at its worst.

Barbaro was taken by van from the Pimlico stakes barn at 7:18 p.m., almost exactly an hour after the injury, on his way with a police escort to George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals in Kennett Square, Pa. Surgery was to be performed there Sunday. Trainer Michael Matz followed the equine ambulance in an SUV.

They left behind an old racetrack steeped in sudden depression.

In an instant, the joy was sucked out of this event and replaced with horror and sadness. A vibrant day became one of the lowest moments the hard-luck sport has ever had, as Bernardini's upset victory was completely overshadowed. This injury joined the breakdowns of Ruffian, Charismatic, Go For Wand and Prairie Bayou among the truly dispiriting moments in racing history.

"It's heartbreaking," said Joe DeFrancis, chief executive officer of the Maryland Jockey Club, which runs Pimlico. "Just heartbreaking."

Screams and gasps exploded from the grandstand as jockey Edgar Prado struggled to bring Barbaro to a halt and keep the horse's weight off his ruined leg. Tears streaked hundreds of faces. Hands covered hundreds of mouths. One bereaved woman in the front row screamed, over and over, "No! No! No!"


At its best, horse racing can make romantics out of hopeless cynics. At its worst, it can smash a romantic's heart.
Barbaro's assistant trainer Peter Brette, who rides the horse in the mornings on his exercise gallops, sprinted out to the track. While outriders worked to keep Barbaro still and help load him into an equine ambulance that sped to the scene, Prado walked over and embraced Brette.

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[Bling]

wow this is horrible. i was wastchin espn before this happened and they were all saying this is one of the best horses in recent history..

very sad that his career is over

[JMT]

i took barbaro in both races. the florida derby winner is usually a pretty strong bet.

i hope he pulls through so he can be put out to stud. 20 years ago the injury would have been hopeless.

[swirlundergrounder]

Originally Posted by JMT

i took barbaro in both races. the florida derby winner is usually a pretty strong bet.

i hope he pulls through so he can be put out to stud. 20 years ago the injury would have been hopeless.

Yeah. His bloodline is to valuable to just be put down. Unfortnatley this happens often to horses with less of a proflie than Barbaro and they are put down immediatley.

I saw the xRays of the surgery last night on the news and the bones in that leg were shattered! :'(

[tres-b]

50/50 live or die is the current report...

As far as breeding goes, there is a good chance that he will be unable to "perform". The injured hind leg may not be able to support his weight.

Lesser horses also have owners with less means. Can you imagine the cost of transport, surgery and aftercare?

[swirlundergrounder]

Originally Posted by tres-b

50/50 live or die is the current report...

As far as breeding goes, there is a good chance that he will be unable to "perform". The injured hind leg may not be able to support his weight.

Lesser horses also have owners with less means. Can you imagine the cost of transport, surgery and aftercare?

Yeah. you're probably right...

[PORNSTAR]

Still only a 50/50 chance of making it

[Slide On The Ice]

Jesus. What a terribly sad turn of events.

[Oni]

If he makes it, there are ways that they can artificially inseminate. And yes, the cost of these surgeries is INSANE. It cost me $500 when i had to put my horse down from colic. I imagine that vet bill to be hundreds of thousands. And thats not even considering that if the horse lives, im sure it will have to undergo therapy too.

I almost cried when i saw this. :'( Reminded me of my dads horse that also had to be put down, but from a broken hip. Right before i was about to start training with him.

[tres-b]

Originally Posted by Trouble

If he makes it, there are ways that they can artificially inseminate.

This is not allowed in professional horse breeding....

Racing's governing authorities around the world - including the Jockey Club - have always insisted that foals be produced by direct contact between stallion and mare, rather than by artificial insemination (AI). Artificial impregnation has been resisted because, the argument goes, it opens the way to a potentially catastrophic narrowing of the gene pool as a result of literally thousands of mares being impregnated by a single highly-prized stallion.