Sparkle in Barbaro's eye makes hearts skip a beat

Posted on Mon, Jul. 17, 2006

"The Philadelphia Inquirer"
By Mike Jensen Inquirer Staff Writer

graphic by: Cybergifs.com

Exercise rider Peter Brette has seen the horse up and seen him down. Yesterday, there was some optimism.

By Mike JensenInquirer Staff WriterOn his day off, Peter Brette drove the now-familiar 30-minute route from his home to Barbaro's stall yesterday morning.

Before this ritual began, Brette was on the back of Barbaro every morning as the Kentucky Derby winner's exercise rider and assistant trainer to Michael Matz. Now, every other day, Brette goes to the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center to see the horse.

"He was bright, he was alert, and he sort of - he's always had a bit of a sparkle in his eye," Brette said yesterday morning. "Last week when I went to see him, he didn't. He was obviously very tired, and we were all very worried last week. We're still very worried, but it's very good for me to go in and see him like this."

The week, Brette said, has been an exhausting emotional roller-coaster for everyone closely involved with the horse.

"It started last Sunday," the Englishman said over a cup of coffee down the road from the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square. "I went over Monday, and I didn't think he'd make the day out. He was under heavy sedation. It was the worst point probably I'd seen him. He looked as though he was beaten, basically.

"I spoke to Michael [Matz], I said, 'If it was me, I think I'd put him down.' And then Michael went two hours later, and he called me and said, 'You can't believe him. He's bright-eyed.'... [maybe] it was the drug that had just knocked him out a bit."

At that point, an infection in Barbaro's injured right hind leg was the major problem. By midweek, laminitis had set in, in his left hind leg. That situation has been even more dire, and Barbaro still is considered a long shot to survive. Brette figured it's gone from 70 percent to 10 percent in the last couple of weeks.

"Michael said it best: He was so sure he was going to win the Triple Crown," said Brette, a former champion jockey in Dubai. "I think we all did, to be honest. When he broke his leg, Michael was absolutely so sure he'd recover, and then last week he was so sure he was going to die. That's just in a week."

Brette has watched the footage of the Preakness Stakes only once, the day after the race, he said. When Barbaro's breakdown in the first furlong is shown on television, he turns his head.

"Unfortunately, they keep showing it now on the news," Brette said. "I find - and a lot of people must find - it distressing. Why can't they show him winning the Kentucky Derby?"

During recent better weeks, Brette and Matz reminisced about a lot, such as the training session early this year in Florida, how Barbaro switched gears.

"He was galloping around one day and someone comes by, and he went to take off on me," Brette said. "It was like, if you've ever driven a Porsche and put your foot down, and it bumps you right up... . That's what he did. I said, 'Good God, he's getting stronger and stronger.' "

And then there was Barbaro's breeze the weekend before the Kentucky Derby that was the talk of Churchill Downs.

"He went down the straight in three strides," Brette said. "I pulled up and said to Michael, 'This will win the Derby.' Then his phone just started to ring nonstop. Before he got off the track, he got six phone calls. There was one guy that came over, a guy that sits in the stands. All he does is he looks at horses and clocks horses. He told Michael, 'That was the best horse to breeze at Churchill Downs for at least five years.' "

Recent days have been tougher, of course. Once it was decided to fight the laminitis, owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson left late last week for a trip to Africa. They are in daily communication. There is a kind of phone chain of information passed along each day, Brette said, among the regular visitors. Brette - who always has called the horse "Bobby," after his own 21/2-year-old son - knows what long odds are all about, but he also knows that Barbaro hasn't quit on himself.

"The other day, they took him off the sling for a couple of hours," Brette said. "He was obviously getting a little uncomfortable. He got up and walked over toward the sling, as if he wanted to say,'Put me in that thing.' They put him in the sling, and he washappy again."

For the man who was on Barbaro's back more than anybody, a chance to go in and tickle the horse behind his left ear already had confirmed yesterday's positive medical update.

"Once you see him as he is, it just puts the Preakness a little further in the back of your mind," Brette said.

Contact staff writer Mike Jensen at 215-854-4489 or mjensen@phillynews.com.

Barbaro still stable, but condition yet to improve ESPN 9:27 AM ET

Updated: July 17, 2006, 9:27 AM ET

Associated Press


Graphic by Cybergifs.com

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Barbaro's vital signs, appetite and heart rate remained normal Monday, though there was no indication the Kentucky Derby winner's condition has improved since a grim prognosis by his veterinarian last week.

"His vital signs are all good. He had a very good night last night. His heart rate is absolutely normal. He's eating well. If you were to see him, you'd think he's a fairly comfortable, happy horse. But his pain is being intensively managed." Dr. Dean Richardson

The colt, who had 80 percent of his left rear hoof wall removed last week, still faces the same tough odds to survive a severe case of laminitis and a reconstructed right hind leg.


For the fourth straight day, Dr. Dean Richardson said Barbaro's condition remained stable.



"His vital signs are all good. He had a very good night last night. His heart rate is absolutely normal. He's eating well. If you were to see him, you'd think he's a fairly comfortable, happy horse. But his pain is being intensively managed."
Dr. Dean Richardson

"He had a restful night last night," Richardson said Monday on "Good Morning America." "That's really how we're assessing him each night as whether or not he gets up and down and sleeps well and then when he gets up that he eats normally. His vital signs are all good. He had a very good night last night. His heart rate is absolutely normal. He's eating well. If you were to see him, you'd think he's a fairly comfortable, happy horse. But his pain is being intensively managed."

Richardson, who has treated Barbaro since the colt shattered his right hind leg a few yards after the start of the Preakness Stakes on May 20, said the best case scenario is still "many months of very extensive medical care and rehabilitation."

Assistant trainer Peter Brette emerged after a Sunday morning visit to the intensive care unit and said the colt "is in a good frame of mind."

"He was bright," Brette added. "He sort of at least had a bit of sparkle in his eye."

Brette, who exercised the colt daily for trainer Michael Matz, has been visiting Barbaro almost every day since Barbaro was injured.


"We're still very worried," Brette added, "but it's very good for me to go in and see him like this."

Barbaro has casts on both rear limbs. The cast on the colt's right hind has been changed at least four times in the last two weeks at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals. A smaller cast is on the left rear hoof, and the bandages protecting it were changed Saturday, and are likely to be changed again in the coming days.


On Wednesday, veterinarians performed a procedure to remove most of the hoof wall in Barbaro's left rear leg to combat the laminitis, a painful, often-fatal foot disease usually caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs. The disease could appear in another limb at any time, and if it does, it would likely result in the horse being humanely destroyed.

Barbaro has been listed in stable condition since Friday, the day after Richardson said the colt had laminitis "as bad as it gets" and termed his chance of survival poor.

While Barbaro's condition is being constantly monitored, it was a relatively quiet weekend around the New Bolton Center. Residents and interns tended to their rounds, checking on the many other animals in their care. One resident said he's treating two goats in the stall next to Barbaro's.


Homemade signs that implored the colt to keep fighting and that they would keep believing continued to be posted on the fence near the hospital's entrance. Other signs thanked Dr. Richardson and his staff while one read "God Bless Barbaro. Hang in There!" with a single red rose taped next to the message.

A couple from Hershey, Pa., made a side trip to the hospital and left a get-well card at the front desk before heading to the races at nearby Delaware Park.

"So many people are rooting for Barbaro to make it -- he was going to be our Triple Crown winner," Dawn Templin said a few minutes after admiring the get-well cards, flowers and fruit baskets on display in the lobby. "We came here to leave a card, and just see the place where they're trying to save his life."

Laminitis explanation

Another Update From Tim Woolley 7/17

Barbaro Updates: 11

Update 254: It is my understanding that they are planning to change Bobby's cast on his right hind today, and x ray both hind legs (monday). We should hear more about this later I guess, but I wanted to also note that this is likely to occur while Bobby is in a sling, under some form of sedation, rather than having to go completely under as with previous cast changes. Again, I am thinking this from a few conversations I have had this morning, and wanted to relay that the fact they are planning to do all this via the sling should help tremendously. Lets hope we hear positive news from this today. We know he had a comfortable night last night (update 253); but we also know he is in serious condition.

Tim Woolley's 7/17 AM Update!

Let's keep all this positive energy flowing, folks! With all of our collective support- this is definitely helping our Wonder Horse! Thank you all so very much!!

Jo

"Update 253: Barbaro had another comfortable night last night (sunday). Again, he was able to get up and down two or three times. Michael Matz relayed this positive news to me as I was coming back from the track at 6:50 this morning (monday morning). He had just spoken to Dean Richardson."
Updated 7:10am

ESPN.Com "Barbaro's condition still stable" 7/17 AM

Updated: July 17, 2006, 2:51 AM ET

Associated Press
Horse Racing News Wire


KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Barbaro's vital signs, appetite and "attitude" remained good, though there was no indication the Kentucky Derby winner's condition has improved since a grim prognosis by his veterinarian.

The colt, who had 80 percent of his left rear hoof wall removed last week, still faces the same tough odds to survive a severe case of laminitis and a reconstructed right hind leg.

For the third straight day, Dr. Dean Richardson said Barbaro's condition remained stable.

"His vital signs are good and his attitude remains positive," Richardson said in a statement Sunday. "He is acceptably comfortable today, and his appetite remains excellent."

Assistant trainer Peter Brette emerged after a Sunday morning visit to the intensive care unit and said the colt "is in a good frame of mind."

"He was bright," Brette added. "He sort of at least had a bit of sparkle in his eye."

Brette, who exercised the colt daily for trainer Michael Matz, has been visiting Barbaro almost every day since the colt shattered his right hind leg a few yards after the start of the Preakness Stakes on May 20.

"We're still very worried," Brette added, "but it's very good for me to go in and see him like this."

Barbaro has casts on both rear limbs. The cast on the colt's right hind has been changed at least four times in the last two weeks at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals. A smaller cast is on the left rear hoof, and the bandages protecting it were changed Saturday, and are likely to be changed again in the coming days.

On Wednesday, veterinarians performed a procedure to remove most of the hoof wall in Barbaro's left rear leg to combat the laminitis, a painful, often-fatal foot disease usually caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs. The disease could appear in another limb at any time, and if it does, it would likely result in the horse being humanely destroyed.

Barbaro has been listed in stable condition since Friday, the day after Richardson said the colt had laminitis "as bad as it gets" and termed his chance of survival poor.

While Barbaro's condition is being constantly monitored, it was a relatively quiet weekend around the New Bolton Center. Residents and interns tended to their rounds, checking on the many other animals in their care. One resident said he's treating two goats in the stall next to Barbaro's.

Homemade signs that implored the colt to keep fighting and that they would keep believing continued to be posted on the fence near the hospital's entrance. Other signs thanked Dr. Richardson and his staff while one read "God Bless Barbaro. Hang in There!" with a single red rose taped next to the message.

A couple from Hershey, Pa., made a side trip to the hospital and left a get-well card at the front desk before heading to the races at nearby Delaware Park.

"So many people are rooting for Barbaro to make it -- he was going to be our Triple Crown winner," Dawn Templin said a few minutes after admiring the get-well cards, flowers and fruit baskets on display in the lobby. "We came here to leave a card, and just see the place where they're trying to save his life."



AP Racing Writer Richard Rosenblatt contributed to this report.
This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

Barbaro's assistant trainer: Another good night for Derby winner

Associated Press
Horse Racing News Wire


KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Barbaro had another good night in the intensive care unit, and the Kentucky Derby winner's assistant trainer said Sunday the colt "is in a good frame of mind."

Although Sunday's official medical update has not been released yet, assistant trainer Peter Brette visited Barbaro at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals.

"He had another good night, " Brette said. "He's doing fine. He's in a good frame of mind."

Brette, who exercised the colt daily for trainer Michael Matz, has been visiting Barbaro almost every day since the colt shattered his right hind leg at the Preakness Stakes on May 20.

Barbaro's condition was stable through Saturday, and Brette seemed more upbeat than he was last week.

"He was bright," Brette said. "He sort of at least had a bit of sparkle in his eye."

The 3-year-old colt has the painful and often fatal condition laminitis in his left hind leg, and 80 percent of his hoof wall was removed Wednesday.

Barbaro has casts on both rear limbs. The cast on the colt's right rear leg has been changed at least four times in the last two weeks. A smaller fiberglass cast to protect his left rear hoof was changed Saturday, and is likely to be changed again in the coming days.

On Saturday, Dr. Dean Richardson reported that Barbaro was in stable condition -- four days after he said the colt had laminitis "as bad as it gets" and termed his chance of survival poor.

"His heart rate and pulse are normal, and his appetite is good," Richardson said Saturday in a statement issued by the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. "He continues to respond well, looks good and has a positive attitude."



This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

New ESPN Video

Tim Woolley's Update #9. Barbaro Continues To Prevail!!

Barbaro Updates: 9

Update 246: Jeannine Edwards caught up with Michael Matz yesterday (saturday afternoon) at Delaware Park, she e-mailed me this:

i actually talked to michael today at delaware. he and D.D. gave me a good update. he told me about the cast change today. he told me barbaro's been using the sling very well, and that he actually likes it, he "sits" in it and rests sometimes. he said at one point, while in the stall and out of the sling, he got a little tired or uncomfortable or something and he moved over to the sling and stood there like "hook me up!!" anyway, michael gave me a good on-camera interview for tomorrow's show. we'll use just a short comment from him. he couldn't help but get a little emotional.... it's obvious this has been an excrutiatingly painful ordeal for them. he was as gracious and as wonderful as he's been all along.

The cast change Jeannine refers to is the one we mentioned yesterday on his left hind. ESPN2 will have some coverage later today (5pm) which will include footage of Michael.

The New York Times also caught up with Michael yesterday at Delaware Park: For Barbaro's Trainer, the Race Must Go On (thanks Mary). The following are a couple of excerpts:

"Not so much physically, but, mentally, everything is catching up with me right now," he said between races here Saturday. "I thought for sure this horse could win the Triple Crown. Then, when this happened, I thought it wasn't supposed to be, but he was still going to be a good stallion. Then this latest setback comes along, and I've had to resign myself that maybe we'll have to put him to sleep. Then, he bounces right back again. Sometimes, I don't know what to expect."

and

After the races, he was planning to head to Kennett Square to make his daily visit to Barbaro. He did not know what to expect.

"Sometimes he wants somebody to be there with him and sometimes he wants to be left alone," Matz said. "It all depends on what people are doing with him."

Matz does not try to pretend he is taking it all in stride. He understands that, despite Saturday's positive report, the odds remain very much against Barbaro. The type of severe laminitis that Barbaro has is difficult to cure and can lead to severe pain. About the only factorworking in Barbaro's favor is his spirit.

"It's like anything else with this horse," Matz said. "You can never count him out. He's just an unbelievable horse who doesn't want to give up. I'll put it this way: I'm not giving up on him. If any horse can get through this, it is him."

I saw Michael leaving New Bolton just after 7 pm last night, as I was there for the Vigil. Unfortunately it seems NBC was not aware the intent of the Vigil was for those who want to come to NBC to gather outside the gate, by the get well posters etc. I hope everyone who wanted to participate found a quiet time to think of Bobby.