2008 Woodie Awards
Loss of a hero
Ron Besser
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Sports
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Monday, we lost a great athlete and hero. Some would say Barbaro was just another racehorse, but that's like saying Michael Jordan was just another basketball player.
Barbaro's career was short, but spectacular. He was young, but won every race before his career was ended at the Preakness.
After winning the Kentucky Derby as an underdog, fans believed he was destined to be a Triple Crown winner. Unfortunately, the horse that ran away from the favorites in the Derby suffered a devastating injury to his right rear leg as he left the starting gate at Pimlico.
Maybe it was the injury that made Barbaro so special to many people who never followed racing. In most cases, an injury as severe as the one Barbaro suffered would cause the horse to be "put down" at the track to end the suffering. Barbaro, however, was taken to New Bolton Center, near Philadelphia, where doctors completed a five-hour operation to fuse the shattered joints.
Given a slight chance of survival, Barbaro rallied and appeared to beat the odds of surviving his injury. He started eating better and eying the mares while looking forward to life as a stud.
Unfortunately, the injury to his right rear leg led to a case of laminitis in his left leg.
Despite setbacks, Barbaro kept beating the odds, until it appeared he had healed well enough to go home. But then new complications set in, a fact that forced the doctors to give up on Monday. After eight months of hope and two-dozen surgeries, Barbaro was euthanized.
If there was any good that came from the heroic, but futile, fight to save the horse, it was the publicity that helped raise the awareness of strides made in treating previously fatal injuries.
During the fight to save Barbaro, people who never followed horse racing sent medals, flowers, cards and other goodies. The best gift was money raised for the Barbaro Fund to buy needed equipment that can be used for horses who, in the future, may require surgery.
While the nation mourned the loss of Barbaro, the sports world of human "superstars" continued its downward trend.
Barbaro's career was short, but spectacular. He was young, but won every race before his career was ended at the Preakness.
After winning the Kentucky Derby as an underdog, fans believed he was destined to be a Triple Crown winner. Unfortunately, the horse that ran away from the favorites in the Derby suffered a devastating injury to his right rear leg as he left the starting gate at Pimlico.
Maybe it was the injury that made Barbaro so special to many people who never followed racing. In most cases, an injury as severe as the one Barbaro suffered would cause the horse to be "put down" at the track to end the suffering. Barbaro, however, was taken to New Bolton Center, near Philadelphia, where doctors completed a five-hour operation to fuse the shattered joints.
Given a slight chance of survival, Barbaro rallied and appeared to beat the odds of surviving his injury. He started eating better and eying the mares while looking forward to life as a stud.
Unfortunately, the injury to his right rear leg led to a case of laminitis in his left leg.
Despite setbacks, Barbaro kept beating the odds, until it appeared he had healed well enough to go home. But then new complications set in, a fact that forced the doctors to give up on Monday. After eight months of hope and two-dozen surgeries, Barbaro was euthanized.
If there was any good that came from the heroic, but futile, fight to save the horse, it was the publicity that helped raise the awareness of strides made in treating previously fatal injuries.
During the fight to save Barbaro, people who never followed horse racing sent medals, flowers, cards and other goodies. The best gift was money raised for the Barbaro Fund to buy needed equipment that can be used for horses who, in the future, may require surgery.
While the nation mourned the loss of Barbaro, the sports world of human "superstars" continued its downward trend.
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