at Noon: Don’t forget to watch the Preakness!!! It has pre races and pre show on ESPN1 & ESPN2 and then it goes to NBC I think!!
oh my God I’m just sick.
Just wasn’t Barbaro’s day I guess. I have never seen a horse break through the gate like that. I haven’t watched as many races as some of you but that was weird. I think he either snapped a tendon or chipped/broke his right hind ankle. I feel just horrible…i hope they can fix what ever it is…
I saw it, it was horrifying. He has a double break, Above and below the ankle. My prayers are not that this is not life threatening.
Hats off to Bernardini,
but a very sad day.
In all the time I have watched and participated in racing I’ve never seen an injury like that! It is indeed a fracture above and below the ankle. I was sick to my stomach as I saw it unfold and to say I’m on the verge of weeping tears for him would not be to far from the truth. Unlike humans you can’t immobilize a horse for 6 to 8 weeks to let the fracture heal. It has been done but… Let us hope and pray and I mean “PRAY”, that he comes out of this to be able to be able to breed at the very least. We have seen his last race an I can say he was good… very good…
Myles
Poor Barbaro and all of his connections. We had another Triple Crown winner. I have watched a lot of horse racing and never seen that injury occur before. edgar did a wonderfull job of realizing the problem and pulling him up quickly. Hopefully that made the injury not as bad as it could have been. Hopefully Barbaro will pull through all of this and become a very nice breeding stallion. Pray for him
Lisa
OMG!!! Career ending injury to the horse that was though to finally be the super horse of the triple crown!!! Hat’s off to Prado for pulling him up before the turn!! It could have been worse with him going around the turn and using that leg to push. We should ALL be greatfull!!
I recorded the replay and I watch in slow motion what happened. He is what I can tell and my theory.
O represents Barbaro’s right hind ankle.
02 represents the horse behind him (???I can’t tell-too many horses in that bunch up around Barbaro) and 01 the horse next to him (Brother Derrek I believe)
02 and 01’s hoofs hit the ankle at the same time. 01’s hind leg hit on the right side of the ankle causing the lower break and 02 from hit the ankle from behind with a fore foot causing the higher break.
O-01
|
02
How sad… I must say, though, that Barbaro has the best chance of survival with one of the leading equine surgeons in the world (Dr. Larry Bramlage, who was interviewed on nbc) at his side and is going to what is probably the best clinic on the east coast, the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Of course I am a little biased as Im going to UPenn’s vet school in the fall 
He should benefit quite nicely there from their pool recovery system post-op, which is one of the most critical times for horses in surgery. It was heartbreaking to watch though and makes the Preakness and the Belmont a little lackluster. With the lack of effort on the parts of Brother Derek and Sweetnorthernsaint, I think Barbaro could have blown Bernardini out of the water. I guess we’ll never know though…
For some reason I had a sort of ‘sick’ feeling previous to the race, I was bodily shaking, my mom even asked me if I was okay. Now I understand why.
I really doubt that Barbaro will have to be put down. If they have to they will probably put him in a cast (like they did my horse when she hurt herself) and tranq him constantly so he doesn’t get injured. One of the racehorses at the Milne’s is recovering from a shattered PELVIS, and is going back to the track within the next month, so I imagine Barbaro will be fine, though I can’t ever see him race again.
Ugh, I was sick watching the replay, and then the shot of Edgar hugging the assistant trainer, the anguish on his face brought me to tears, granted I was already crying from seeing Barbaro running on three legs.
Why is it always the good horses that get injured? Ruffian, Go For Wand, and Charismatic for three.
Could he have been a great one? My gut instinct says yes, but we will never really know.
To go from running the fastest last eight mile of the Derby next to Secretariat to a double fracture of the ankle. Heartbreaking.
Poor Barbaro…
I was a big fan of Brother Derek and still am, but watching that race, I believe now that the two true contenders in the Preakness were Bernardini and Barbaro. What a great stretch run that would have been, I’m sure.
I too can only hope that he can be saved. I heard something about it depending on the blood supply he can get to his leg…so I’m assuming if he didn’t damage blood vessels or veins as well, he’ll have a chance? I don’t really know anything about injuries like that.
I really hope he recovers, though. It breaks my heart when any horse has to be put down in the prime of their life like that.
I know its a rhetorical question, but I think its mostly perception as these are high profile cases, but I think its also, in part, that the truly great horses, like these and Barbaro, will give it their all despite not being 100% and will try to fight the pain because they are such great competitors. The same drive that makes them exceptional is the same drive that causes them to try to run through things that normal horses won’t. I’m not saying that Barbaro wasn’t 100% healthy going into the race, I seriously doubt Matz, Prado, and the owners would have run/ridden him if they didn’t believe it, but it could have been something little that was imperceivable to the human eye that allowed this to occur. Something that a normal horse would have shown some sign of but the true champions shrug off without offering a hint of something being wrong. Or it could have been just a wrong step. Either way it sucks 
I really hope that there is still viable blood flow to his pastern and hoof so he can be saved!
This is from the Bloodhorse…
"According to Dr. Larry Bramlage, a prominent equine surgeon with the American Association of Equine Practitioners, Barbaro suffered a condylar fracture of the cannon bone in his right hind leg above the ankle. Below the ankle is a comminuted fracture (meaning it is in pieces) of the first phalanx and there is a piece off the sesamoid.
At New Bolton, Dr. Dean Richardson will be in charge, according to Bramlage."
So fractures in three different bones… not looking too good for Barbaro
They can put him in suspension and save him. It would be ludarcris to put him down. They’ve done it in Australia and New Zealand with a number of valuble colts who’ve gone on to breed and mares that have gone on the win Gr.1’s.
Very sad though… He looked promising to win the Triple.
That’s how I feel about it also. It would be just horrible to put him down after all he’s done. He’s won enough money to support himself and given the right care will recover just fine. I think that even though he may have a slight limp for the rest of his life it would be better than just putting him down. I mean people go around everyday with limps and hitches in their step. Even if he isn’t breeding sound I’m positive there are many stables/farms around the country that would be more than happy to give him a retirement home…I know I would!!
They’re going to operate tomorrow which will help increase his chances of survival. I was watching TVG and they were talking to Bramlage and apparently his chances are 50-50. 
Here are somemore updates that were sent out on a list I’m on.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032808/
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=63927&subsec=2
Prado heard the break and pulled the horse up, and Brother Dereks jock heard it also from the story on Thoroughbred Times.
Oh my god, I can’t imagine being a jockey and hearing my horse’s leg break. I remember one year at an event, I heard of a girl who was riding her horse who had a heart attack on cross country, and I thought that was horrible enough. But to actually hear your horse’s leg break? I can’t imagine anything worse.
I really thought this was going to be it-our next Triple Crown winner I mean. Why do these beautiful animals have to be so fragile and break our hearts like this?(this is a rhetorical question btw) I really believe today’s Preakness was the saddest thing (and alltogether oddest, with the early break and all) that I have ever seen.
My prayers are that Barbaro will come out ok and enjoy a long happy life somewhere.
This is the saddest day in racing since I saw Ruffian’s tragic race.I only hope the final outcome is better.Say a prayer for Barbaro-a wonderful creature who deserves a full life.
Hi guys,
Very sad, he is such a nice horse. Here’s a recent article from DRF:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/74752.html
As far as the breaking through the gate, I’ve watched alot of races and seen a decent amount of horses break through the gate. It’s not something that is like unheard of, it does happen. Never a good sign, and it seemed his trainer felt the same way as he kinda winced when he had to be reloaded. In my experience, it is very rare for a horse to act that way pre race and then run his best race. I bascially will be ready to rip up my ticket if I have bet on a horse who has broke through the gate. I’m not sure what it is, maybe they are too amped up or expend alot of energy before the race runs.
Hopefully he will recover really well from this tragic injury, no animal deserves to suffer. I hope he is at least feeling a bit better or at least not in as much pain. We’re pulling for ya Barbaro!
Sounds like he came out of surgery like a champ. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that he makes it through the next couple of weeks without getting an infection.
Jase (think it was you, read through the thread really fast), have mares actually come back from breaks like this to run and win again at top levels? I know there’s basically no chance of it happening, but it’d be awesome IF he makes it and IF he looks sound on it to see if they’d put him back in training. The owners definately sounded game to challenge him if they were talking about Arch de Triumphe for him after the TC races and all…
sigh That seriously ruined my moving day.