Preakness - Barbaro - OMG!!!

[drgnfly30]

Any one else upset over what happened to Barbaro during the Preakness?! I'm in tears! I hope they'll be able to treat him....

 

[lynxstch]

Hate to see anything like that happen..nbc sports says he has fractures above and below his right rear ankle..I hope they can treat him and he can go on to live a healthy life..though I am afraid his racing days are over..so sad!

 

[jjskribs]

Wow that really is a shame. I remember when Ruffian broke down and had to be destroyed. It was so sad. Hopefully they will be able to save this beautiful horse.

 

[Hannathy]

They said they were taking him to Penn. If anyone can save him they can. I guess they are worried about whether the circulation below it has been cut off.The facilities at Penn are fabulous.
What a beautiful horse! and what a shame.

 

[drgnfly30]

The local news is covering this pretty closely.. said it's a pretty serious fracture & it all depends on if the blood flow was damaged... I don't have a good feeling about it

 

[crazymomof4]

Glad to be able to share my feelings here. All around me there are people saying, "Why do you get so upset over a horse?"

I'm from the Philly area and have been "into" the the triple crown races since Smarty Jones stole my heart in 2003. Last year it was Afleet Alex. I like watching the horses because you know they only do it for the love of running. Racing is in their blood and they want to do it. They don't know anything about the money.

I was so psyched for Barbaro. He seemed so ready to run, judging by his false start, maybe too ready! Watching them lead him from his stall to the gate he was literally bouncing. I said to my son, "He can't wait to race!"

If I'm this upset and I only know the horse through the TV and newspapers, I cannot imagine what his trainer, owners, jockey and all of the others who are with Barbaro every day are going through right now. I hope he makes it through this and can at least live out his days as a stud, like Smarty.

I'll be watching for news that the danger to his life is past..........

 

[pixiemomma]

I teared up as well. I don't usually watch horse racing but it happened to be on when I turned the television on.

 

[Quinn222]

It's so horrible. I hope they can help him but it seems a pretty extreme injury.

 

[Virgo10]

I felt sick to my stomach when I saw that. And, yes, I was crying too. Just so sad for all concerned. The injury looks pretty bad.

Dr. Larry Bramlage, the attending veterinarian for the race, said Barbaro suffered a fracture above and below the ankle.

The Rest of the Story

 

[CheshireVal]

We were at a sports bar during the race, and I started crying, too, when I saw what happened. A little embarrassing-- I don't think anyone quite gets why I am so upset.

I hope he's okay.

 

[olena]

I never watch horse racing, but for some reason we tuned in.

Holy cow, that poor horse! I hope this didn't end his career.

 

[cheerbop]

Very sad...
I heard that it is the end of his career but that they (Drs) will Try to save his life.
He was doing what he loved and it could have ended his life...I hope not!

 

[DVCCarrie]

I love watching horse racing. My stomach dropped when he busted through the gate and then my heart broke when he was injured. I am glad to hear there are others as upset as I was. Hopefully he'll be fine and spend retirement with his dad at the Three Chimneys Ranch.

 

[ktink]

I was in tears when I saw this happen. It was very sad to see Barbaro in that much pain. This is near and dear to my heart, we are horse lovers, DH is a Tn Walking Horse Trainer and to see a horse w/ that much heart and spirit. I feel so bad for the jockey and all involed, but kudos for the jockey for being so aware of the situation. Thanks for posting this thread that way those of you w/ local access can keep us updated.

 

[wvjules]

That poor horse. You can tell he was in a lot of pain. Kudos to that jockey for being alert and knowing something was wrong. I hope they're able to save his life. Boy, was he ready to race or what!?!?!?! Going up to the gates you could tell he was wanting to race.

BTW, would he have kept on racing on a severly injured leg if the jockey hadn't pulled him back? Would he have just raced until he collapsed?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sounds awful!
I just saw a blurb today where they were talking about this horse. They were speaking about he was going to be the "next great horse".
I am sorry to hear this news.

 

[Teejay32]

The poor thing. It looked horrible.

 

[crazymomof4]

That poor horse. You can tell he was in a lot of pain. Kudos to that jockey for being alert and knowing something was wrong. I hope they're able to save his life. Boy, was he ready to race or what!?!?!?! Going up to the gates you could tell he was wanting to race.

BTW, would he have kept on racing on a severly injured leg if the jockey hadn't pulled him back? Would he have just raced until he collapsed?

Good question. I'm not an expert but you could def. see the jockey pulling Barbaro's head hard to the right to get him to slow down and exit the track for help.

Yes, he was so bouncy and seemed so obviously excited to race. The commentators were noticing that too. That's what's so heartbreaking about this, he really wanted this and to think of what could have been. Like my DH said after watching the race, "Barbaro would have blown them out of the water!"

When I saw him going off injured, I thought it may just be a sprain. But then seeing him holding that leg up in the air and the trainer and jockey embracing.......that's when I started to cry.

I'm checking comcast sportsnet (Phillies game now) and ESPN periodically. If anyone has an update, please post.

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

It was so sad, my DD and I were watching, hard to believe just 2 weeks ago we were enjoying the KY Derby, and all the fun, DD really thought Barbaro was going to be the next Triple Crown. Haven't heard any more news.

 

[Cinderella Fan]

Good question. I'm not an expert but you could def. see the jockey pulling Barbaro's head hard to the right to get him to slow down and exit the track for help.

Yes, he was so bouncy and seemed so obviously excited to race. The commentators were noticing that too. That's what's so heartbreaking about this, he really wanted this and to think of what could have been. Like my DH said after watching the race, "Barbaro would have blown them out of the water!"

When I saw him going off injured, I thought it may just be a sprain. But then seeing him holding that leg up in the air and the trainer and jockey embracing.......that's when I started to cry.

I'm checking comcast sportsnet (Phillies game now) and ESPN periodically. If anyone has an update, please post.

One of the comments made was that his jockey had noticed something wrong with his hind legs before he was put into the stalls. When he was being led out, the jockey kept turning around to check the back right leg, which we thought was a little strange.

As of right now, his racing career is over. Hopefully, the vets at Penn will be able to save his life, which is the only priority right now.

Sending him a little that he is able to make it through this and stays healthy!