Excellent Information About Barbaro

photo by Alex Brown

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Barbaro (middle) walking to the track at the Fair Hill Training Center a week after winning the Kentucky Derby. Photo by: Alex Brown (website may be viewed at:Alex Brown) 

Barbaro (born April 29, 2003) is an American thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2006 Kentucky Derby and was expected by many to win the Triple Crown. However, while running as a heavy favorite in the Preakness Stakes on May 20th, 2006, he suffered a career-ending injury shortly after the start of the race, as he fractured three bones in and around the ankle of his right hind leg. On May 21st, 2006 he underwent surgery at the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania for his leg injuries.

Shortly before the operation, the surgeon, Dr. Dean Richardson, called the injuries "life threatening" and also said "You do not see this severe injury frequently because the fact is most horses that suffer this typically are put down on the race track.

Barbaro broke his leg in three places; a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint was dislocated. The surgical team successfully inserted metal implants to hold the fractures together and enable Barbaro to place weight on the injured leg as it heals.

Concern for the horse as an "individual" is strong among his connections and many racing fans, yet the monetary aspect of the situation cannot be ignored: if Barbaro recovers, the injury should not prevent him from breeding, and his value as a stud will probably be very high, provided the injury itself is not traced to a heritable predisposition. Owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson have all the possibilities covered with insurance policies on both Barbaro's life and on his stallion potential, but the horse's earnings at stud are likely to be significantly higher than the payout of either policy.
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