Word: barbaros
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...superior racehorses have their Secretariat moment, that brief stitch in time when they reveal the true measure of their talent, and for BARBARO that instant arose as the horses came charging to the turn for home in the 2006 Kentucky Derby. Lying dangerously close to a fiery pace, the colt rushed to the lead and--following one of the fastest final quarter miles in Derby history--won the Roses by nearly seven lengths, the longest Derby victory margin in 60 years. I had witnessed every Derby but one since 1972, and Barbaro struck me--for his sheer athleticism, his explosive...
...start of the Preakness, inspiring a nationwide vigil. He was saved, but never out of danger: one day ready to sprint out of that Pennsylvania veterinary hospital that suddenly became a center of the sports world, the next day yet another setback. The emotional wave has finally crashed, as Barbaro was euthanized on Monday in Kennett Square, Pa., three months short of his fourth birthday, due to complications from his Preakness injuries...
...Even if you question whether the tens of thousands of dollars that Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, spent on his medical care was worth it, for both a horse and fans in constant pain, you must admire how he inspired the public, showing that horse racing, now a marginalized pursuit on the American sporting landscape, can still have an impact. Just 200 yards into the Preakness, Barbaro's right hind leg gruesomely gave out. Jockey Edgar Prado's quick reflexes - he immediately halted the colt - saved Barbaro's life right there. The record crowd...
...Surgery was successful. But while he survived the first scare, an eight-month roller coaster followed. In July, Barbaro developed severe laminitis, an equine foot disease in which the connection between the bone and hoof separates, causing excruciating pain. Dean Richardson, Barbaro's surgeon, called the colt's prognosis "poor." But his left hind hoof, uninjured in the Preakness, continued to re-grow after surgery removed 80% of it. In November, a cast on Barbaro's shattered right hind leg was removed. "In my mind's eye, he can leave in the not so distant future," Richardson declared...
...Barbaro watchers are left to wonder if the last eight months of pain and hope were really worth it. In virtually all such injuries, the racehorse would be euthanized - the unfortunate cost of a brutal, beautiful sport, where 1,200-lb. beasts fire down tracks on bean-pole legs. But Barbaro wasn't your typical horse. Whatever you think, Barbaro fought hard, and the fact that there was even talk of releasing him was a medical miracle. Isn't a near-miracle worth the try? It's a story with an unhappy ending, but the Jacksons got the timing right...