Barbaro Updates: 1337 -
1514
Update 1514: Gatornation ran second today in Laurel's first race. Tim had
his jockey take Gator well off the pace so he could use his speed late in
the race. Watching the race he did seem to drop back quite far, but sure
enough he came charging down the lane. It looks like he only got beat
about a half a length in the end. A nice return to the races by Gator.
Tim also worked Red Aspen at Laurel this morning. She worked 3/8ths, her
first work back this year. Tim was happy with the way she worked. A good
visit to Laurel today.
More early news for this year's triple crown, this time from Jay Privman:
Sanders has seen classic
stock before. Jamie Sanders is the trainer of Teuflesberg, "upset"
winner of the Southwest Stakes. She worked for many years for Nick Zito,
whose wife we featured yesterday in update
1508.
Update 1513: With temperatures at about freezing point this morning there
was plenty of ice about after the big thaw yesterday. The main concern at
Fair Hill is to get the track back now as soon as possible. It seems
people are hard at work on that. I spoke to Sally Goswell (Fair Hill
manager) briefly this morning and she said the plan was to have the track
tomorrow. I know people are frustrated, but I also remember how good the
track was in the wicked cold temperatures of a couple of weeks ago. Lets
hope this issue passes by the end of the week and we can all get back to
regular training.
I rode six today, Hawty Creek, Drop Kick Murphy, Nopariel and Bandit
(Lynda Fox trainer) jogged around the horsepaths (which had a little bit
of ice on them in spots so you had to be careful). The final two I jogged
around the shedrow.
Tim left for Laurel early this morning. Gator Nation is in
the first race, he also took Red Aspen with him, I am guessing to
gallop at Laurel this morning.
Update 1512: Steve Haskins writes about the Kentucky Derby and trainers'
strategy for getting horses ready for the first saturday in May: Kentucky Derby
Trail: Two for the Road. I am not sure why Barbaro's five week gap
between the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby is considered a "layoff". I
am sure he was in full training and likely more trainers may try the same
this year.
Santa Anita has now officially committed to a synthetic surface, and will
put it in place during the Del Mar meet, no decision has yet been made as
to which surface: Santa
Anita to go synthetic this year.
Penn National is still struggling to get its live racing program back: Penn
National cancels Wednesday's live racing (its been about three weeks).
I would be curious how they have managed their training hours in the
morning.
Update 1511: Tim's Farouche made her debut today at Philadelphia Park.
She finished sixth after running close early. She seemed to hit the
inside rail which stopped all her momentum. She appears fine after the
experience. Fair Hill's Tapeta track will be closed again tomorrow in
order to give the maintenance crew all day to work the track and
presumably get the excess moisture out of it.
Jack Ireland wrote an article on Allison Hershbell: Former
DelPark jockey Hershbell, 30, dies.
Update 1510: The AVMA has a nice piece on the increased awareness of
Laminitis as a result of Barbaro: Increased
research to follow in Barbaro's wake, excerpt:
"My hope is that the events over the last few months, and in particular
Barbaro's unfortunate passing, have raised the public's awareness of the
frustrating and devastating effects of laminitis and will catapult efforts
to raise substantial research funding that can be used to advance our
knowledge and understanding of this horrible disease through unified,
collaborative research efforts," Dr. Moore said.
Fortunately Barbaro has also increased the public awareness of horse
slaughter, something the AVMA does not support: It's
back---Congress, again, takes up horse slaughter.
Update 1509: The Tapeta track was closed again this morning until 9 am, to
the frustrations of a few trainers. It is winter training, and as such, I
guess we need to be adaptable to the conditions. I rode four before 9 am,
on the horsepaths. Again getting a good 2 mile jog into each (Hawty
Creek, Slew, Nonpariel and Drop Kick Murphy). From 9 onwards I rode three
on the track. The track was suitable for light galloping. The problem
seems to be the quick thaw we are now experiencing (this truly is a
heatwave), I am guessing the track is not draining as fast as it needs to
drain. Lets hope things are back to normal tomorrow.
Xchanger was due to ship back to Fair Hill today (after the Southwest) but
like all plans, things may be changing, and he may stay at Oaklawn Park
for his next race.
Edgar Prado came to Laurel on monday and Sandra McKee interviewed him
about Barbaro: Prado
says Barbaro won him an Eclipse, the article ends:
"You don't become a champion just by winning for yourself," he said. "It's
what you do for others that makes you special, makes you great.
"When Barbaro won in Kentucky, he didn't just win the Kentucky Derby, he
won people's hearts. And in our hearts, he will forever be a champion."
Update 1508: Yesterday I spoke to Kim Zito, wife
of trainer Nick
Zito. They are both passionate about horse welfare. Kim has a simple
idea that would enable any owner to attempt to keep track of horses they
no longer own. An owner can write on the foal papers a note asking that
they have first refusal of the horse once it is no longer wanted for
racing ./ breeding, along with permanent contact information.
Kim does this, and has a recent case where it worked. She sold a
racehorse Mill Reef Affair, about nine years ago, and lost track of the
horse. She received a call a couple of years ago from someone who saw
the papers when Mill Reef Affair was on its way to a kill auction. She
acquired the horse and he has now been adopted out as a show horse. The
horse spent time at New Vocations
Racehorse Adoption Program during its rehabilitation.
This is a simple idea, but one that can be very effective for those who
want to know what happens to their horses.
Update 1507: English Channel, one of the top turf performers of 2006, is
back in the entries on thursday, prepping for a possible race during the
Dubai World Cup card: English Channel in far below
usual level.
Jockey Jon Court has received the 2007 Santa Anita George Woolf Memorial
Jockey Award: Court to Receive
Woolf Award, excerpt:
The Woolf Award honors riders whose careers and personal character reflect
positively on themselves and on the sport of Thoroughbred racing. Since
1985, jockeys nationwide have voted to determine the winner and as such,
it is considered by those that participate in the balloting to be one of
racing's most prestigious awards.
On the breeding front: Breeders'
Cup Mile winner Artie Schiller to shuttle to Australia. It used to be
stallions had a very limited book (40 mares I think) from one hemisphere.
Now the top stallions seem to breed in excess of 100 mares. I wonder how
this has impacted the supply and demand equation for the progeny of some
of these stallions.
Update 1506: An excellent opinion piece from the Bloodhorse: It's the
Horse, Stupid, a short excerpt:
If racing learns one thing from the spectacular outpouring of public
emotion during Barbaro's eight-month ordeal, it should be this---it's the
horse, stupid. Your fans love your horses. From a marketing standpoint,
the horse is racing's greatest asset; however, the business does little to
protect it, and in so doing, is risking everything.
Update 1505: Wow, it was more than 40 degrees before the morning began, it
felt like a veritable heatwave! I rode six today. Hawty Creek jogged
about two miles, around the horsepaths. The rest went to the Tapeta
track. The Tapeta track opened at 7:15 am this morning, it was scheduled
to open at 9. I guess with the milder night we were able to get on it
earlier. Anyway, all the horses went well. I rode Quick Quest again for
Tim, he does seem like a nice type of horse. Slew also went well,
especially considering its been a few days since he has been on the track.
Mediman seems to have come out of her first race in good order. Tim also
noted that a couple of people at Laurel yesterday came up to him and told
him they enjoyed reading this site. Very cool (that's the first time
someone has approached Tim because of the site I think.)
All in all a decent morning, which finished up with a quick conversation
with a friend of mine in Dubai who has spent sometime running their Gallery. There may be
some good ideas for the Museum the Jackson's are considering.
Update 1504: Mike Jensen reports on Hard Spun's race: Favorite Hard
Spun hits tough times at Southwest Stakes. Its hard to find excuses
for Hard Spun. They are speculating that he just did not like the track,
yet he worked over the same track recently and it was a very impressive
work. You can also consider that Hard Spun easily beat Teuflesberg (the
winner) in his last start, but then in his last start they changed the
tactics (apparently unsuccessfully) on Teuflesberg. No matter, Hard Spun
had been impressive to this point, yesterday he was not. Lets see how he
comes out of the race and assume they will still move forward to the
Rebel.
On other triple crown news, Breeders' Cup winner Street Sense has his
first serious work of the year: Street Sense starts to
buckle down, excerpt:
"This is what we've been building to thus far all winter," said Nafzger.
"He really kicked in down the stretch and hit the line good. We've hit
every step perfectly with him up to now, but he's still a couple of more
works away before he's ready to run. But a work like this gives us more
options to consider as we get closer."
Update 1503: Regarding the article in the Lexington Herald Leader about
the KY Equine Humane Center in update 1500 (A shelter from
harm; Horses get care, retraining for possible adoption at new
facility), I have discovered one of the ESPN producers who works with
Jeannine is involved in the project. Joan Ciampi lives in Lexington and
is on the board of directors of the shelter and has been part of the
entire process, from concept to reality. Joan herself is a horse person
and has taken several Thoroughbreds off the track and turned them into
show horses, or just plain pasture pets. Joan told Jeannine the premise
of the KY Shelter was such that no equine should be neglected, abused, or
slaughtered. If the animals are not adoptable, (extremely and permanently
lame, extremely old, or are in very poor health) they will be euthanized
instead of being left to suffer. The organizers of the shelter hope that
other facilities like it will eventually open across the country, and that
the horrific practice of slaughter will become a thing of the past.
Joan said that since today's article ran, the response has been absolutely
overwhelming! She said they are so touched, they can't believe it. Purina
has called and offered to donate all their feed, a local vineyard has
offered to cater their opening day benefit (April 15), and outfits like
KBC Horse Supplies, Pinkstons, Sallee Vans, Rood & Riddle, Hagyard
Davidson McGee, Darley, Three Chimneys, etc, have been so helpful and
generous. Additionally, many, many people are calling and offering to
volunteer at the shelter. Isn't that amazing? It seems the benevolent
spirit that Barbaro inspired has truly swept the nation.
The shelter's website is www.kyequinehumanecenter.org.
Update 1502: Hard Spun was a dull fourth in the Southwest Stakes. He was
rated off the pace, he was produced wide coming into the final turn but
really had little kick coming down the lane. A well beaten fourth place
finish. The winner, Teuflesberg, looked good!
Update 1501: Mediman made her first start today at Laurel. She ran a
nice race, dualing for the lead early on, and just weakening a little down
the lane. She finished fourth, beaten a neck for third place. Tim noted
that she cooled out well. He was very happy with her first effort.
Update 1500: A nice story about a new equine shelter in Kentucky: A shelter from
harm; Horses get care, retraining for possible adoption at new
facility. Staci Hancock, president of the Board for this new
facility, is very active in anti horse slaughter.
Update 1499: Another very cold morning this morning at Fair Hill. We are
told this is the last day of this persistantly cold weather, I will
believe it when I feel warm! The Tapeta track was closed until 9 am, they
were working on it earlier. This will be the same tomorrow, and then
things should return to normal.
Tim had the idea to use the horsepaths this morning (before 9) as our
training track. It worked out quite well. I think we got a good 2 mile
jog into each of them (for me, Hawty Creek, Nonpariel, Slew and two more)
and it was nice to do it in the fresh air, even though it was thoroughly
cold. At 9 I had three left, they each went to the track. They were
pretty psyched about that, the first bronked its way onto the track, the
second was a little better, as was the third. For each we did two
circuits, galloping slowly from the 5/8ths to the quarter pole (a mile and
a quarter). The track seemed fine for slow exercise.
It is sad to note that Alison Hershbell passed away last weekend. She was
too young. As a jockey she provided Tim with his first winner, London
Ice.
Update 1498: Mike Jensen writes an informative article on the breeding of
Hard Spun: Hard Spun:
Gifted son of breeder's beloved mare. I think Tim rode his mother
when she was in training, Turkish Tryst!
Santa Anita has still not yet finalized the type of sythetic surface it
plans to adopt: Breakdowns put spotlight
back on synthetic surface. Also of note is the second article from
that link: Hollywood offers retroactive purse increase. Hollywood
experienced an increase in business in its short winter meet, and is
distributing $300,000 as a result (with more being held over). Much of
this increase is attributed to the Cushion Track.
Update 1497: Its nice to see international media covering Hard Spun in
preparation for tomorrow's Southwest Stakes: Hard
Spun out to join fleet. Mike Jensen is now at Oaklawn Park covering
the race for the Philadelphia Inquirer, so we should see some stories from
Mike early next week I think.
A nice opinion piece on Barbaro: MY
TURN: Barbaro set example for people. This article reminds me to
thank everyone who sent me cards and wishes after Barbaro's passing. Many
of the cards included stories about how Barbaro had effected them deeply
and persuaded them to action. Actions included directly rescuing a horse,
contributing to group efforts financially for horse rescue or actively
engaging with government. A friend of mine called yesterday, she is
planning to open up her farm to rescue some horses. Very cool.
Update 1496: We have our track back! That's the good news this morning at
Fair Hill. Its not ideal (its a little deep) but its a welcome relief to
be able to get outside and train. I took Hawty Creek to the track and we
jogged / hacked around three times. For the most part she was settled,
but since I took her out a little later in the morning than usual she was
a little fired up when horses came galloping by her, or were jogging at
her on the outside rail. At one point she bucked so high her tail brushed
the back of my neck (much to the amusement of Ricky Hendricks). I was
safely stationed in the saddle secured to her neck strap. Anyway there
were quite a few out training for a sunday; Tim sent some horses out,
Barclay Tagg's crew were out there when I was out there, as were Graham
Motion's, Bruce Jackson's and Dr. Fisher's riders. I imagine today, with
a strong sun, they will work the track and begin to get it tightened back
up. Anyway, a nice short day for me today.
Update 1495: The Daily Racing Form writes about NoBiz's work on saturday
and the options for preparing for his next race (Fountain of Youth still
favoured): One work down,
two to go. They also write about Hard Spun's preparations for
tomorrow's Southwest Stakes: A more savvy Hard Spun in
Southwest. It appears they have been working him in behind horses in
order to give them more options for his running style (he is used to being
close to the lead and on the lead).
Ron Franklin, Spectacular Bid's jockey, is trying to get his career back
on track: Ron
Franklin to Seek Maryland License Reinstatement.
Now off to Fair Hill (late on a sunday) to get on Hawty Creek.
Update 1494: NoBiz Like ShoBiz worked this morning 5/8ths in 1:01.
Barclay was very happy with the work, he did it easily, went very well.
Barclay also noted that both Showing Up and Funny Cide are back to
galloping a mile and a half every day. Both will need about a month's
worth of breezing to get ready to run. I also spoke to Peter briefly this
morning. He is very happy with how Chelokee came out of his allowance
race, he galloped him this morning and he felt great. He will likely work
again next weekend.
Jay Hovdey wrote a great article on the efforts of Fans of Barbaro: Chalk one up for online
mission of mercy. Unfortunately you need to be a subscriber to read
the article. I bought sunday's form to read it. Jay documents the story
of this week's valentine's rescue with Grace Foundation. Brilliant.
Update 1493: Another chilly morning this morning at Fair Hill, and another
morning in the shedrow. The Tapeta track is still under snow and ice, and
the maintenance crew is tryng to determine how to remove the snow and ice
without impacting the Tapeta surface underneath (which is apparently not
frozen). Given that we will barely get above freezing today I am not sure
what they can do.
That all being said the shedrow is fine with me in this weather. I rode
seven again. Hawty Creek seems to be enjoying her shedrow training, her
appetite is getting pretty good and she bit me twice today too! I jogged
her a good fifteen minutes today. I shedrowed three for Tim, Slew,
Nonparial and Quick Quest. This is the first time I have ridden Quick
Quest and I had wanted to ride him for a while to see how he felt (I have
seen him gallop many times when I have been in his company). He is a nice
mover and very light on his feet. The other three I rode were all for
Bobby (another trainer in Parlo 1, and trainer of Flash). They also all
went well. The shedrow was nice and uneventful this morning.
Towards the end of the morning owner's of Drop Kick Murphy (a new horse of
Tim's I have yet to update on the site) came to visit. They brought some
nice goodies for us (crumb cake etc.) and the horses (carrots and mints)
so were very popular all around. They are part of the Headless Horseman (I think)
who supported Tim early in his career.
Jack Ireland wrote a nice piece on this site for today's News Journal: The
man behind Barbaro's updates. The article includes a picture of me
shedrowing a horse. Thanks Jack!
Update 1492: Bad weather continued to plague racing on friday with Turway
Park canceling and Penn
National has not run yet in February.
Hard Spun draws tough
post in Southwest ... and Fair Hill's Xchanger draws the inside post.
I am guessing neither is ideal, but something that should be over come by
a triple crown contender ... And the Queen may come to watch the first
leg: Queen
Elizabeth II Might Attend Kentucky Derby.
The interview Jeannine Edwards did with Dr. Richardson will air mid March
during ESPNs early coverage of horse racing. When I know the specific
date I will alert everyone here. Last week I had dinner with a few
"Barbaro people" including Dr. Richardson and his wife. I spent most of
the evening talking with Dr. Richardson's wife which was a lot of fun.
She noted that Dr. Richardson has really taken solace in all the wonderful
messages of sympathy and support they have received over the past couple
of weeks. They have really helped him through.
Update 1491: Peter Brette called earlier this evening. He wanted to write
something to acknowledge all the wonderful support and wishes he and
Michael had received over the past couple of weeks. This is what Peter
wrote and sent:
Barbaro: What a beautiful difference, one single horse made.
Michael and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank each and
every one of you for all your good wishes, and kind words at what has been
an extremely emotional time.
The fact that Barbaro has touched so many hearts all over the world is
overwhelming.
Michael and I were extremely privileged to have been around such a special
horse for the majority of his short life, he was everything you could ask
for, kind, clever, talented and an absolute pleasure to train. Most of his
battles on the racecourse lasted only two minutes; he won all of them,
except the last one, lasting eight months. We will always dream and
wonder what could have been but just have to accept it was not meant to
be. God had other plans for him.
As proud of him as we were on the racecourse what he achieved after his
accident is so much more and just emphasized what an amazing horse he was
and he will always have a very special place in our hearts.
Although we have lots of wonderful memories of him on the racetrack, we
were so happy to be able to spend some more time with him at New Bolton,
to groom him, take him out for grass so he could feel the sun on his back
and just to let him know how special he was and how much he meant to us.
We will never forget him, and will carry him in our hearts forever,
Thank you once again,
Michael & Peter
Update 1490: Premium Tap begins 2007 as he finished 2006 winning a grade
one, but this time in Dubai: Premium Tap
Wins in Saudi Arabia. It is not noted whether his tongue was hanging
out for all to see, but I suspect it was.
Update 1489: It remains very cold at Fair Hill, and for the third day in a
row we stayed in the shedrow for training. The Tapeta track is still
under a cover of snow and ice. Lets hope they are able to get the track
back for us soon. (Pictures
of me and Tim coming on to the track the other day).
Again I shedrowed seven today, the same seven I shedrowed yesterday. At
least we are able to get a good jog into our horses (about 12 minutes each
which is about 2 miles). If a horse has recently run then this kind of
exercise will enable us to keep them ticking over no problem. The shedrow
was nice and uneventful today, again the largest set we had was a set of 5
which included the following riders, me, Tim, Robbie, Kelly and Lynda.
The barn seems to be about 10 degrees warmer than the outside air, I
realized this when I took my dog for a walk between one of the sets.
Update 1488: 2002 Horse of the Year, Azeri, had her first foal: Azeri's First
Foal Is a Colt.
Hosting the Breeders' Cup outside of North America I cannot imagine
happening:
Dubai the only runner in the race. That being said, we know how much
more popular horse racing is virtually everywhere else in the world
(certainly in Europe and Asia).
Sean Clancy, who wrote: Barbaro: Horse Who Captured Amerca's Heart
appeared on Talkin' Horses yesterday: Transcript.
Update 1487: Update 1486 noted some of the differences with respect to US
and European racing, this article takes it much further: I'm
not Barbaro, for lots of reasons.
The tongue-wagging Premium Tap, who finished a creditable third in the
Breeders' Cup Classic, and followed that effort with a nice end of year
win in the Clark Handicap, will make his 2007 debut on friday in Dubai: Premium Tap in desert
debut.
Update 1486: Polytrack will make its debut on a racecourse in Ireland
later this year: Coming
Soon - Ireland's First All-Weather Horse Track. It is worth noting
that there are major differences in the types of racing between the US and
Europe. While US is principally dirt racing, with one or two turf races
carded in the program, european racing is all turf racing with one or two
tracks now synthetic (Polytrack). European racing typically only meets at
a certain racetrack for 1 - 4 days at a time, hence their ability to rely
solely on turf (which can detereorate quickly with adverse weather and
excessive racing), whereas US racing meets for months at a time at each of
its tracks (Philadelphia Park never closes) hence their need for a surface
other than only turf. I don't think anyone would argue the best racing
surface is good old turf.
Update 1485: A colder morning this morning, although with the layers of
clothing I wear you can hardly tell. I am pretty sure the Tapeta track
was shut for training, even if it was open the horsepaths were unpassable
today. They did start ploughing the paths later in the morning so I am
guessing they are planning to open up training again tomorrow.
Another day of shedrowing, this time I shedrowed seven. Started with
Hawty Creek, then three for Tim (Nonpariel, Grandma and Slew), and three
more for Bobby (including Flash). At one point we had a set of five
jogging around the shedrow (me, Tim, Kelly, Joe and Robby), it was
crowded! Three is really the ideal limit I think. The shedrow can also
be a little dodgy, with other workers continuing what they need to get
done (mucking stalls, going to the muck heap outside the barn, filling hay
nets etc.) That being said we are fortunate in Parlo 1 that the shedrow
is its own circuit outside the stalls etc. Anyway, so far this week no
one has fallen off in our shedrow (it has happened)!
Update 1484: The Thoroughbred Times writes Barbaro's
final resting place is still undetermined, it includes the following
excerpts:
"We haven't decided anything," Roy Jackson said. "It will probably be a
little while; we're still trying to weigh our options. We're just going to
take our time and try to do what is best."
and
"We got thirty letters [on February 7]," Roy Jackson said. "It's amazing,
they are from all over the place, and many of them were very well thought
out. People took the time to sit down and write something, there are
generally very uplifting. They just address them to West Grove, and
somehow it gets to us.
"It's time to get on with our lives. It's sad, but we did the best we
could and wouldn't change anything. It just wasn't meant to be. It was a
great experience, really. I'm just sorry he didn't make it."
Another amazing horse rescue effort from Fans of Barbaro: URGENT:
Valentine Feedlot Rescue.
Update 1483: Today's weather continued to have an impact on racing
cancellations: Winter Storm
Leads to Cancellations (my students thought it unfortunate it did not
lead to cancellation of my class this afternoon).
It looks like Hard Spun will be taking on another Fair Hill horse (I say
another as Hard Spun spent two weeks at fair Hill before his last start)
in the Southwest: Xchanger ships in for
Southwest.
Update 1482: A treacherous morning this morning. Not particularly cold,
but ice everywhere. The track may well have been fine, but getting to the
track was out of the question from Parlo 1. I ended up shedrowing eight
this morning, starting with Hawty Creek, three for Tim (Nonpariel, Grandma
and of course Slew) and four more (including Flash). The shedrow was
pretty well organized so quite an easy morning really over all. A couple
of the trainers in the barn did not made it in (one had no electric in
their house etc.) but others there covered for them.
Frank DeFord of NPR discusses naming a race horse and the love of Barbaro:
Barbaro's
Baby Brothers: What's in a Name?
Update 1481: Bernardini has now begun his new career: Bernardini's
First Breeding Is a Success. After reading Home
Run Horse I recognize this is a big first step.
Hard Spun is now getting ready for the Southwest: Hard Spun in role of latest
local hero. His recent work looks very strong, and of course
we consider him local!
On Dubai World Cup news we have news on Discreet Cat: Discreet Cat may skip World
Cup prep. Of course we are expecting a clash between Discreet Cat and
Invasor in the World Cup.
The weather looks miserable outside, no doubt training will be impacted
at Fair Hill.
Update 1480: From Upenn:
Roy and Gretchen Jackson Endow Chair for Equine Disease Research at
Penn Veterinary Medicine School
Feb. 13, 2007
A $3-million gift from Roy and Gretchen Jackson, owners of Barbaro, will
endow a chair in the name of Dean W. Richardson at the School of
Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
In acknowledging the gift, Penn President Amy Gutmann said, "Gretchen and
Roy Jackson have already done so much for veterinary medicine through
their commitment to giving Barbaro every possible opportunity to recover
from his catastrophic injuries. People throughout the world now
understand that veterinary medicine --- and Penn veterinary medicine in
particular --- shares in the advances that define today's biomedical
science. Now, with this generous gift, Gretchen and Roy Jackson not only
promote continued progress, but they pay tribute to the doctor who, like
them, gave his heart to a magnificent horse."
"This endowed chair," said Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of
Veterinary Medicine, "is a strong recognition of the power of translating
fundamental scientific advances into new real-world treatments. With a
new faculty position dedicated to the study of equine disease, we will be
better positioned to fight deadly conditions like laminitis."
The endowed chair is the cornerstone of a major new Penn Vet initiative to
fight laminitis, which afflicted Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Laminitis
is a severe, painful condition in horses that can be fatal. The laminitis
initiative will foster training programs and studies for new treatments of
equine diseases.
"We are very pleased to make this commitment in support of the School of
Veterinary Medicine's research of equine diseases," Gretchen Jackson said.
"Our close relationship with Dr. Richardson over the last eight months
persuaded us to name the chair in his honor. We are indeed grateful to
him, and we especially look forward to a future without laminitis."
Roy and Gretchen Jackson have a long and close connection with Penn and
the School of Veterinary Medicine. Both are Penn graduates, and they have
been dedicated supporters of Penn's athletic, medicine and veterinary
programs for many years. In addition, Gretchen Jackson serves on the Penn
Vet Board of Overseers.
"I am deeply honored by this generous and important gift," said
Richardson, chief of surgery at Penn's George D. Widener Hospital and
leader of the team that treated Barbaro. "The Jacksons' remarkable
philanthropy will translate into better outcomes for injured and ill
horses in the future."
The Penn School of Veterinary Medicine is a leader in the development of
new treatments and technologies to improve the health and care of both
companion and large animals and is at the forefront of training students
and veterinarians in diagnosing, preventing and curing animal diseases.
Update 1479: Horseracing lost a wonderful person yesterday: Trudy
McCaffery, 62; horse breeder and owner worked to improve racing.
Trudy McCaffery was also breeder of Round Pond.
Update 1478: It seemed relatively warm this morning first thing (low
thirties I guess) but then a "wintry mix" descended upon us and made
riding a cold task. First set was Hawty Creek, the weather was still
decent and we did three laps of the Tapeta track. She basically ended up
galloping about a mile and a half. She went well, but got a little
steemed up coming home as the horsepath was pretty busy with horses by
that time. I will likely start getting on her a little earlier over the
next few days. I rode three for Tim, Chesapeake City Slew, Grandma and
Medi Man. Each went well as the weather got progressively worse. The
"moister" was horizontal and a mix of snow and sleet I guess. OK when it
was on your back, but when coming right at you it was pretty miserable.
My last three sets were shedrows in the barn (phew)! Anyway with the
weather we are likely to have its likely the track may not be in use
tomorrow. Wednesday is typically one of our gate days for gate schooling,
that has already been cancelled.
I think I missed this article: Prado
honors Barbaro for his 'courage, will to live', which quotes Edgar
Prado, including:
"Barbaro was a very special horse, not only because he provided me with
the greatest achievement in my career but also because he showed he was a
horse with a lot of courage and a lot of will to live," Prado said. "He
fought for eight months and nine days, but unfortunately the laminitis was
just too strong."
Update 1477: Ed Fountaine writes a nice piece about NoBiz: 'BIZ'
IS THE BUZZ. The following is an excerpt:
Recalling the first time he saw the "Biz" as a 2-year-old in Florida, Tagg
- hardly a gushing, love-struck schoolboy-type, as we learned when he
trained Funny Cide to win the Derby and Preakness four years ago - said:
"Before he jogged three steps, I called (owner-breeder Elizabeth Valando)
and told her 'this is the most gorgeous horse I've ever seen. If he's not
a Triple Crown candidate, they've never made one.' "
I remember Ed relaying this comment to me when we had dinner a month ago.
The Daily Racing Form has a nice recap of the Derby situation for those
who ran in the stakes last weekend: First pieces of Derby puzzle
fall in place.
An FOB created scrap book for NBC is under development, if you want your
name listed please add here: Names
for NBC Scrapbook.
Update 1476: Turfway continues to investigate its Polytrack issues: Temperature
Believed to Have Impact on Polytrack. Various reasons are being put
forward as to why the track is not performing as well as it had previously
in terms of breakdowns (which still appear to be much reduced from the
previous dirt surface). Temperature is one of the main issues put
forward, but it seems the critical issue might stem from the change in the
surface:
During the winter of 2006, when there were no catastrophic injuries, there
were rampant complaints about "kickback" of the material during races.
That in part led management to change the surface in August by adding
Spandex and cabling material. The surface got much quicker--perhaps too
much so--and apparently didn't play well when unusually cold temperatures
set in over Kentucky.
The Tapeta track at Fair Hill seems to be handling the wicked temperatures
we have had in the morning training hours. The only thing that seems to
happen in extreme cold is the track gets tighter, and thus a little
faster. I know horses have been breezing on the track this winter that
would not have done so on the regular dirt track or the old wood chip
track.
On weather and track conditions, Gulfstream cancelled today after one
race: Gulfstream
Cancels Monday Racing After First Race. I guess winter in Florida is
not always the answer!
If you buy a horse with expectations of a big performance, its nice to see
the seller offer to buy back when the horse does not perform up to
expectations: Roman,
IEAH Stables canceling Lawrence the Roman deal.
Update 1475: It felt warm this morning at Fair Hill, and for one set I
even shed a couple of layers of clothing although I decided that that was
only temporary and put them back on. Hawty Creek had the day off today.
First set for me was Chesapeake City Slew, who seems to have come out of
his weekend work well. We galloped around with Tim on Nonpariel. Then it
was Grandma ... she weeled at one point coming on to the track, she was a
little fired up after her day off and little work. We did survive. Next
I breezed a filly 5/8ths from the gate. The initial plan was to breeze
her from the pole on her own, but on my way to the track I saw a couple
who looked like they were breezing, and they were ... from the gate. I
asked my trainer if we could all go together ... yes ... so we could also
get a gate card. Anyway my filly broke well on the outside of the group,
she spotted the inside horse about a length and a half once we had gone
about an eighth, the horse in the middle did not break so well. I was not
sure whether to wait for the third horse or push my filly up to the leader
... which I then did. She went well the rest of the way, and was giving
away serious weight (Nick Santagata was on the horse on the inside).
Anyway, it turned out to be a decent work. The rest of my horses all went
well which included taking one to the gate for its first time. She
behaved beautifully and walked through the gate a couple of times. Again,
I had managed to find company on the way to the track to do this. All in
all, a decent monday morning.
Update 1474: There appear to be four books
available on Amazon
about Barbaro (and a Beanie Baby). My second book recommendation is
for Barbaro:
America's Horse
by Shelley Mickle.
This book first came to my attention via Mrs. Jackson (it is authorized by
the Jacksons). Mrs. Jackson had read the book and was very enthusiastic
about it. I called up the author and asked if I could get a pre-print
copy. Shelley obliged. It is a book for children, third grade I think.
That being said I think anyone who wants to get a little more insight into
the life of Barbaro will enjoy it, and of course it is a nice quick read.
The most striking thing about the book is I think you get to really feel
the personality of Barbaro, or at least a personality comes through that
seems to be a good match for Barbaro. The book takes you through the life
of Barbaro, beginning from where he was born (it includes a baby Barbaro
picture). Anyway, all in all I really enjoyed it despite one or two facts
not being absolutely on target (perhaps that should be a challenge, note
two factual errors when reading the book). Again, these errors take
nothing away from this book. It is cool and I think kids will love it
too.
Also, some of the proceeds from the book will go to the Belmont Child Care Association
and the riding camp at the Kennett Square YMCA.
Update 1473: A nice return to the races for Lawyer Ron. He rated a little
off the pace (something he found tough to do last year), got shuffled back
a little, came widest around the turn, and was still able to draw off.
Lets see if he can repeat this kind of performance when he returns to
graded stakes company.
Michael Matz's Chelokee was third in an allowance race at Gulfstream. He
was well placed throughout the race, but it was a wicked fast race for a
mile allowance race. I am guessing he will come on well for this test.
Update 1472: Another amazing rescue effort by the Fans of Barbaro: URGENT!
LCC Foal Rescue!!!.
Update 1471: The track was busy this morning, whish surprised me a little
being a sunday. Hawty Creek galloped a mile and a half. The last five
eighths were an open gallop with the last quarter being close to a breeze.
I wanted to get some air into her. She seemed to do it all well and cool
out well. She will have the day off tomorrow. I saw Tim briefly. He
breezed a bunch of his horses yesterday so they had a light morning today.
I did get on one extra, a horse that will be breezing tommorrow, so needed
to go out for a gallop today. Another chilly morning, but perhaps not
quite as cold as early last week. Apparently we may be getting snow
tuesday of this coming week.
Update 1470: Whoops, Silent
Witness' last race was last week (Update 1469) not this weekend.
Apparently he finished, but not well and is now well retired. A terrific
career winning seventeen consecutive sprint races (Cigar's record was
sixteen consecutive races).
Easy morning this morning at Fair Hill. I just have Hawty Creek to ride.
Update 1469: I was unable to watch any of the feature races today (HRTV
covers other tracks). Here is a quick recap from a couple of races with
possible triple crown implications...
The Risen Star went to Notional: Notional Gets
Lucky Trip in Fall-Marred Risen Star, Circular Quay was compromised
when taken up to avoid a fallen jockey. Apparently horses clipped heals
in front of him (unseating the jockey), but did not go down. Lawrence of
Roman's Derby trail may be over before it started for his new owners: Summer
Doldrums scores first stakes win with convincing Whirlaway romp.
On the international scene, Good luck to Silent Witness who makes his last
start in a few hours before retiring to "Living Legends," in Australia: Hong Kong Hero
Silent Witness Bows Out Sunday.
Update 1468: Another lovely Barbaro tribute from a Fan of Barbaro: And
it is All Barbaro.
Update 1467: This morning did not feel as cold, although I am sure the
temperatures were still in the teens. The difference from yesterday, much
less wind. As I had thought, plenty of action at Fair Hill this morning
with lots of workers and plenty of horses breaking out of the gate.
I had Hawty Creek out first, and she was first on the track again. She
galloped a good mile and a half. There was a race for her tomorrow,
maiden special weight, non-PA bred. We did not enter ... it is an easier
race than the PA-bred version that was canceled on tuesday, so a bit
bummed about that. Oh well, hopefully a race will come up for her soon
enough.
Next set I breezed Chesapeake City Slew an eighth in company with Tim on
Grandma. They went well together, and he felt awesome. He's a quirky
kind of horse to ride, I have found he goes best when I ride long and keep
my hands down. He then concentrates much more on what he is doing. When
we went to pick it up as we straightened down the lane he really did pick
it up well. Once past the wire he also galloped out very strongly. Of
the next four sets I took three to the gate, each of which broke from the
gate, and broke well. Two were to get gate cards (successfully) and one
was the first time to break (Flash!) Flash is definitely moving forward
with his training.
Edgar Prado is at Aqueduct today ... this might mean something: 'ROMAN'
TRUE TRIPLE THREAT ?
Update 1466: Turfway Park continues to struggle with its Polytrack surface
since they "re-did" it: A
crack in Polytrack shows up, excerpt:
Last fall, in an attempt to reduce kickback and slightly quicken the
surface, Turfway altered the composition of the top two-inch layer of
Polytrack to include more wax, sand, and smaller rubber bits. The original
recipe, which still lies just beneath the top layer, used a higher
percentage of carpet fibers and larger rubber bits and a lower percentage
of wax and sand.
First Saturday in May star
Lawyer Ron returns in an allowance race this weekend: Lawyer Ron plunges into
allowance. Lawyer Ron won the Risen Star last year, this weekend's
3yo feature. Todd Pletcher, who took over training Lawyer Ron late in the
year last year returns from his suspension sunday in time for this race.
Now off to Fair Hill for what is likely a busy and cold morning.
Update 1465: Kennett Square mourns the loss of Barbaro: Why I
love Kennett Square.
Update 1464: The Risen Star is the key three year old race this weekend:
Tough test for Circular
Quay. Hard Spun was planning to run in this race, I forget now why he
is not but don't think it was anything serious. Another interesting three
year old in the entries this weekend is Michael Matz trainee Chelokee, sunday at
Gulfstream.
A recent resolution adopted by the Pennsylvania state Senate honours Barbaro
and his connections.
My heating appears to be working (THANKS!)
Update 1463: Another cold morning this morning at Fair Hill. The wind is
not letting up. It really gets you walking back to the barn! I went in
earlier than usual this morning and had Hawty Creek out on the track
before anyone else was out there. She relaxes a little more when she is
on her own, and I can let her gallop on a little without her getting too
head strong. Anyway she trained well for sure and was more relaxed coming
home. Chesapeake City Slew and Grandma , Tim's two I am riding this
week, both went well. Grandma was my third set and by that time I was
cold. I had forgotten my scarf, so for the fourth set I added a saddle
towel to my clothing, and wrapped it around my neck so as to be able to
use it as a make shift face mask. It worked very well and for the
remainder of the morning I was warmer. I ended up riding seven, the
Tapeta track remains a great surface despite the ridiculous weather
conditions we are having.
I got home and the heat in my house is not working!
Update 1462: A couple more tributes to Barbaro:
Barbaro:
His Greatest Legacy, Grieving "Barbaro Nation" Poised to Move Forward,
excerpt:
But during his stay at NBC, they did a lot more. They mobilized hundreds
if not thousands of ordinary folks to introduce anti-horse slaughter
legislation. They brought the plight of abandoned and neglected horses to
the web site to be read by people across the globe. By keeping Barbaro in
the news, one way or another, they forced the issue of thoroughbred racing
injuries into public view and saw tracks moving to safer polytrack
surfaces as a result.
Requiem
for a hero, In a vain fight against death, Barbaro became more than a
stricken Kentucky Derby winner. Bred to win on a track, this horse - and
its handlers - won over a nation's heart., excerpt:
There are those who will say that Barbaro was just a horse, but the truth
is that to so many he was also a symbol of hope ... of courage ... and the
selflessness of the man who trained him and rode him and the people who
stood beside him in the winner's circle on Derby Day.
But maybe the shared joy of his survival that later turned to shared
suffering when he couldn't make it is not really that hard to understand.
He was an athlete with an athlete's heart. His courage was
self-explanatory in an age when America grows weary of big-money athletes
who have exhausted their intelligence with their whining.
Any way you look at it, an American hero died Monday.
Our friend Collier Hill was rated joint-top horse in Canada for 2006: Collier Hill,
Go Deputy Lead 2006 Canadian Thoroughbred Ratings.
Update 1461: A couple more nice Barbaro articles:
Vet
student remembers 'a special patient', excerpt:
"It was a little scary," she said. "We weren't sure what he was going to
be like."
Though he was treated like any other horse that entered their care,
Cornman said, it quickly became apparent Barbaro was a people person --
uh, horse.
"He had a good personality. He liked his carrots and grain and was always
watching out his stall door," Cornman said. "He was just always interested
in what was going on around him."
Former patrolman remembers Barbaro's greatness and courage, excerpt:
"This horse makes me shiver when I see him work on the dirt," he said.
Racing from the far outside, the colt captured a hard-fought victory in
the Florida Derby. Matz knew he had something special.
"He went in as a boy and came out a man," Matz told me in early April.
Update 1460: Jazil was second again, to an impressive Corinthian. Jazil
seemed to make an early move going into the turn, but was no match for
Corinthian when Corinthian was asked to run a little. Corinthian won by
more than ten lengths...
Here is a nice article on Kenett Florist:
Kennett Florist carries on Barbaro effect. The following is an
excerpt:
"Mrs. Jackson has asked us to continue our work for the anti-slaughter
bill and to contribute to the Laminitis Fund," Berstler said, "so that's
what we're going to do.
Update 1459: Mrs. Jackson just called and we had a nice long conversation
about Barbaro and all the good things that seem to be happening. I
alerted Mrs. Jackson to this
rescue effort, she was thrilled! Mrs. Jackson obviously misses
Barbaro a lot, he was so much a part of her life for sure, but she did
emphasize she would not change a thing (other than the accident itself of
course). She is very grateful of all the support and is very busy working
on Barbaro's legacy.
Update 1458: Another cold morning this morning at Fair Hill, and with the
wind picking up progressively through the morning it simply got colder.
Tim described Fair Hill as desolate this morning ... I think it is an apt
description. That all being said the Tapeta track was again good, and I
saw at least one horse work on it this morning (and one horse running off
with its rider, I was alerted to this when I heard someone holla "oh crap"
as they came by me ... they soon regained control). Hawty Creek was my
first as usual. She was pretty lively, I may need to work her this
weekend to get a bit of wind into her and take the edge off her a little.
She is sharp right now, but her race is now not until next weekend at the
earliest. I rode Chesapeake City Slew and Grandma for Tim. Both went
well, and in company with Tim each time. Flash galloped around nicely
again, the others I rode also went well and thankfully my last set got
cancelled ... making it seven for the day instead of eight. It was simply
a cold morning.
Another tribute: Barbaro The Legend.
Update 1457: Sports Illustrated has a nice Barbaro story: A
champion until the end, Barbaro touched us with his grace and fighting
spirit. The following is an excerpt:
Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby in the manner of an athlete who is evolved
beyond his peers. He cut a massive, striking pose in the Derby paddock
before the race, taller and more muscled than the others in the race. The
breeding industry buzz had been that Barbaro would one day do his best
running on the grass. As Barbaro circled the Churchill paddock, Jill
Baffert, the wife of three-time Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert, turned
to her husband and said, "You better hope he's a grass horse."
I remember that quote from Mrs. Baffert, in response to her husband's
comment that Barbaro was supposed to be a grass horse.
Jazil is running today: Jazil, Corinthian meet
again. Achilles of Troy, who appears in First Saturday in May along
with Jazil, was scratched from a race at Aqueduct yesterday.
Update 1456: Jeannine Edwards interviewed Dr. Richardson today. The
interview was for ESPN, but may also air on Good Morning America. Once I
know where and when I will post. Jeannine called me this afternoon to let
me know and shared some of the interview with me. She noted the interview
was emotional, obviously this has been tough for Dr. Richardson, and there
is now a huge void for him. There was a tear in his eye at at least one
point of the interview. When Jeannine asked him about his favorite
memory, it was walking outside with Barbaro in the grass. When Jeannine
asked why, he said with a quivering voice "Because he was happy." Dr.
Richardson noted that for the vast majority of time, Barbaro was a
comfortable, happy horse. He wasn't being tortured or "experimented on".
He also said the notes and messages from well-wishers have touched him.
Jeannine shared more but I will leave it to the interview that is aired.
Jeannine was very grateful to Dr. Richardson and the New Bolton staff for
allowing for this interview. Dr. Richardson is now Jeannine's favorite,
most heartfelt and sincere interview subject, not Allen Iverson!!
Apparently Dr. R. knows what that means.
Update 1455: A nice essay that helps explain what Barbaro means to his
broad fan base: America's
Pony. I would comment on the end of the essay when Barbaro's legacy
is discussed. Shortening races will yield no benefit, but put further
emphasis on speed, Polytrack is one of three brands of synthetic tracks,
and there is no mention regarding the move to push through anti horse
slaughter legislation.
Update 1454: Michael Matz has been named Overall Horseman of the Year
by The Chronicle of the Horse (you need to get their magazine to read
the article).
Update 1453: I just spoke to Barclay Tagg about NoBiz Like ShoBiz. He
said he came out of his race well (Holy Bull) and trained today (jogging).
It is usual to give a horse three days off after a race. It looks like
the Fountain of Youth in early March is their current planned next race,
but that is "not etched in stone".
It was a little warmer this morning, all things being relative, so no
shedrowing, I took six to the Tapeta track. Hawty Creek was first out
there, and there was about a two inch layer of snow covering the ground
and track. I jogged / galloped her two turns, as I was coming off the
track the next horses had just got to the track (Barclay's crew). The
track was good first set and handled the many horses that trained on it
today. For the most part my horses went well, but a couple of days
training in the barn did get a couple of them stired up when getting back
outside. It was also very bright outside, goggles were necessary.
Chesapeake City Slew and Grandma were the two I rode for Tim, both are
cool. As is Flash, who had a nice gallop around there, really extending
himself. A decent morning, and things can only get warmer I think.
I asked Tim about The Kielbasa Queen, who ran a couple of days ago (fifth
of six at Laurel). She came out of her race well but it seems they have
now decided to retire her. A good decision, she did break her maiden, but
just does not seem to be as competitive as you would like. Lets hope her
owners can find a good home for her, she is cute.
Update 1452: Barbaro has clearly touched many of us, which in many cases
has manifested into giving: Barbaro's Memory
Spurs Retirement Program Donations, excerpt:
Two weeks ago, before Barbaro's recovery took a turn for the worse, the
Friends of Barbaro, an Internet-based fan group presented Old Friends, an
equine retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky., that is home to 24
ex-racehorses including Breeders' Cup champion Sunshine Forever, with an
unexpected gift in honor of trainer Michael Matz's birthday. Matz trained
Barbaro.
"I called over to his farm and left a message and told him, 'If you're
looking for your birthday presents, they're over here at Old Friends
because these people raised nearly $700 for these old retired horses,' "
said Michael Blowen, president and founder of Old Friends.
And while opening the daily mail, Blowen was taken aback to find a check
for $1,500 from a Maryland racing fan for a run-in shed.
I spoke briefly to Peter Brette yesterday. He noted that he and Michael
had received many many kind expressions of good will over the last week.
He also noted Chelokee worked well yesterday and Round Pond may be working
this morning for a March return to the races. I also spoke to Gary
Stevens. I wanted to thank him for writing the "letter to the editor" to
the LA Times. He noted that others had also done the same (Eoin Harty's wife being one of them).
Now its time to really push forward on anti horse slaugher, calling your
representative and congressmen, and encouraging others you know to do the
same.
Update 1451: This is cool: More on Barbaro and horse
slaughter, excerpt:
After your overwhelming response, I have decided to research slaughter
more thoroughly and hopefully bring more recognition to this important
issue. I will be doing a feature article on slaughter in the coming weeks
and have decided to be a voice for the anti-slaughter activists. Any time
there are so many people devoted to such a good cause, I want to be a part
of it. With the help of NTRA.com, I look forward to bringing more
awareness to this terrible practice. Thank you for all of your emails.
Update 1450: Glenye Cain, author of The
Home Run Horse (my first book recommendation), sent me this article:
Mepache,
dam of leading Texas sire Valid Expectations, pensioned. It is nice
to see someone looking out for this mare after all she has done for racing
and breeding.
Update 1449: Michael Blowen, who runs Old Friends writes an open
letter: OLD
FRIENDS' MICHAEL BLOWEN ON THE DEATH OF BARBARO and makes some valid
points. It would be nice to see, with the influx of slot money, monies
set aside for horses that no longer can compete for their retirement.
Remembering
Barbaro: 'America's Horse' Who Touched the World, from UPenn, includes
the following:
After Barbaro was euthanized Monday morning, January 29, President Amy
Gutmann issued the following statement: "We are truly heartbroken to learn
of the death of Barbaro. He was a magnificent animal, who fought towards
recovery throughout these past months with a grace and spirit that was an
inspiration to us all. Our hearts go out to his devoted owners, Gretchen
and Roy Jackson, to his brilliant and caring surgeon Dean Richardson, and
to all the devoted staff at Penn's New Bolton Center who took such
magnificent care of Barbaro all these months.
"Barbaro was a true athlete, whose unwavering spirit and will to live
touched the hearts of thousands of people throughout the country and the
world. He became 'America's horse,' and despite his injuries and illness
brought joy to the hearts of so many. We will miss him."
Update 1448: Steve Haskin provides an update on those on the Derby Trail:
Kentucky
Derby Trail: Bizzy Weekend. NoBiz is top of the list following his
Holy Bull win, the Daily Racing Form notes he has some flexibility in his
schedule going forward: Nobiz Like Shobiz enjoys
flexible schedule. I'll plan to follow up with Barclay Tagg in the
next couple of days to see how NoBiz came out of his race. Steve Haskin's
report also mentions Chelokee, who worked today (5/8ths in 1:01.2).
On the Derby Trail last year, and featured in First Saturday in May was
Achilles of Troy. He was injured in the Gotham (New York Derby prep
race), and has his first start back tomorrow: Achilles of Troy
resurfaces.
It appears that pioneer Turfway Park is having some trouble with
their Polytrack: Turfway
examines injury rise on Polytrack. Lets hope this can be resolved
very soon, meanwhile Arlington has decided to adopt the Polytrack surface:
Arlington Park picks
Polytrack.
Update 1447: Philadelphia Park cancelled racing today, sense prevails.
Even if they had a good racetrack its just too cold to race.
I shedrowed six this morning. It was brutally cold outside, but the barn
is about ten degrees warmer I think. The biggest pain is the water
buckets, the snaps (that connect the buckets to the stall) were frozen and
no matter how careful you are you get wet and cold cleaning them out.
The horses I rode were good for the most part. A couple were somewhat
fractious at the beginning before we started jogging. It can get a little
wild in the shedrow. A few riders did venture out to the Tapeta track
(not from our barn) and I heard the track was actually quite good. Well
if its good in this weather then it is being well tested for sure.
Tomorrow I may venture out to gallop on it, but who knows how much warmer
it is supposed to be.
A lovely tribute: You're
Still You Barbaro, Forever in Our Hearts.
Update 1446: The seventh clip of Barbaro from the Hennegan Brothers: Derby morning, coming
onto the track at Churchill. Sunday's Daily News had an article on
the film they are making, its the second story: Barbaro
legacy lives on in film.
It looks like it will be cold again at fair Hill this morning, meaning
plenty of shedrowing!
Update 1445: From time to time I may recommend a
book or other product, and the recommendation will be linked to Amazon.com
If you buy via the recommendation I will make a little money (little). I
just wanted to be transparent about this. Any money made over the cost of
maintaining the web-sites will go to some horse-related cause of course.
My first recommendation is for The
Home Run Horse: Inside America's Billion-Dollar Racehorse Industry and the
High-Stakes Dreams that Fuel It
. The author, Glenye Cain, has been covering
Barbaro for The Daily Racing Form. She sent me her book after I had had a
few conversations with her about Barbaro, a horse she adopted (indirectly)
off the racetrack that had at one time been trained by Graham Motion, and
horse related issues such as horse-slaughter. As someone closely involved
in racing I enjoyed the book as it shed light on aspects of our industry
in which I was less familiar (breeding / auctions etc). I do think,
however, the book best serves those first learning about the thoroughbred
industry and wanting to get a solid base of knowledge from which to then
build. Anyway, I understand the book got decent reviews when it was first
published, and I would be excited if someone read it because I wrote about
it. It is excellent.
Update 1444: A chilly morning this morning at Fair Hill. I think the
temperature was about 9 degrees ...sensibly we trained all ours in the
shedrow this morning (jogging about ten minutes each) so we actually were
able to remain somewhat warm. I jogged eight in the shedrow. The only
time I really got cold was mucking out Hawty Creek (I took my gloves off
so as to warm them up for riding) and doing her water buckets (water was
frozen on top, but at least the snaps functioned, when they freeze its
just a pain). There were reports of a few going out to the Tapeta track
... and I heard the reason for some of them was because their respective
shedrows were frozen. The others out there ... well no reason for that at
all!
We had a guest in the barn this morning, Carla, a photographer from the
Wilmington News Journal. A story on this site may appear in the next week
or so. I asked Jack Ireland if he would write a story since classes start
this week at Delaware and I wanted my students to read about me in the
paper ... Well that was the plan anyway.
Another article that defends the outpouring of support for Barbaro and the
good that Barbaro can and has brought upon us: Going
the Distance --- Barbaro reminded us that life is worth fighting for.
Update 1443: A nice commentary in the Baltimore Examiner: Brooke
Gunning: Barbaro: Lessons from a horse's life, it ends:
Barbaro had a different destiny. Some winners have gone on to further fame
and success in their racing careers or at stud. A select few have won the
Triple Crown. All were victors in their day. A rarefied few achieve
greatness. Through thousand of races over ever-increasing generations, the
names of the truly great still resound. Secretariat, Seabiscuit, Man o'
War and Native Dancer hear the hoofbeats of the newest legend to join
their august racing ranks. Barbaro has earned his place.
Many will participate in a moment of silence at 10:30 am to pay their
respects to Barbaro and his connections. Many will then continue to fight
for all those things that are now important to sustain Barbaro's
legacy.
450 horses have been nominated to this year's triple crown series: Record
450 horses nominated to Triple Crown.
We are anticipating it to be very cold this morning, I imagine all work
will be in the shedrow today.
Update 1442: Another Barbaro tribute: A Tribute to Barbaro.
Mrs. Jackson sent me an e-mail this morning. In the e-mail she wanted me
to thank everyone for their kind love and support. They have received many
messages of support and are overwhelmed with how much Barbaro was loved by
so many.
Another article:
Barbaro
touched a common chord, excerpt:
A country driven mad by partisanship found common cause in Barbaro - an
utterly neutral reservoir of hope, beauty and determination. For a while,
we were all in the race with a champion, and, for a while, we were
champions, too.
Update 1441: The sixth clip of Barbaro is now available from the Hennegan
Brothers: Barbaro and
Peter, Messaging and Michael, walking back to the barn after exercise.
The barn they pass in the background is where Tim is stabled. You also
may notice a grey horse out in a round pen in the background, those
following the site for a while may remember the piece I was interviewed
re: anti horse slaughter, the grey is Carnival World who was featured for
that piece. Carnival World is now at Freedom Hills enjoying a new career.
It was cold this morning at Fair Hill, but bright sunshine nonetheless. I
only had Hawty Creek to get out so it was a nice and quiet morning. She
galloped on the Tapeta track which continues to hold up well in this very
cold snap of weather we are having. While I wanted a nice quiet gallop,
because I did not get up so early the track was a little busier than I had
hoped. Barclay Tagg's team turned around and galloped in front of me ...
of course Hawty Creek thought that was cool ... we ended up passing one of
them down the lane. Anyway, she seems in good form and had her head in
the feed tub ten minutes after I got back to the barn which is a little
uncharacteristic of her.
As I arrived in the barn Tim was leaving, off to Laurel with The Kielbasa
Queen and his weekend team: Mike and Megan!
Update 1440: Sue McMullen wrote a nice piece on Barbaro (and mentioned
this site) for today's Scottish Herald: A
fight too far for champion.
Mike Jensen writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer about "First Saturday in May" from
which we have benefited already with the barbaro clips
the Hennegan Brothers have been posting on youtube: Barbaro makes it into
the movies. The article notes they plan to do a separate documentary
on Barbaro:
"We are going to pursue our own Barbaro documentary," John Hennegan said.
"He's an important historical figure in the sport."
Update 1439: The fifth clip from the Hennegan Brothers (First Saturday in May): Barbaro grazing at Fair
Hill after the Derby.
Update 1438: How much trouble did Invasor have to overcome? He clearly
prooved a worthy horse of the year for 2006 in his 2007 debut. MUCH the
best in a very troubled trip, winning going away with ease.
Update 1437: NoBiz Like ShoBiz won the Holy Bull by two lengths. He ran
green, switched leads late and looked like he was lugging a little. If
this horse learns to run straight and focused then we will see something
very different perhaps. He is at the top of his division. Scat Daddy was
off the bridle early. The field was strung out in the end.
Update 1436: NPRs Scott Simon: Barbaro
Death Touches Admirers.
I am fascinated at how those who have reported on the Barbaro story have
been directly effected by the story. Jeannine Edwards provided us her
perspective. Jack Ireland, who has followed the story for the Wilmington
News Journal provides his: 'Big
Fella' showed class from start to finish. I had a nice phone
coversation the other day with Jack, much of which is reflected in this
article.
Hawty Creek is back in the entries, for tuesday at Philadelphia Park (I
just returned from grazing her). Breeders' Cup and Eclipse Award winner
Miesque's Approval ran a dull race in his 2007 debut, getting beaten by a
never threatening four lengths.
Update 1435: There was a light layer of snow on the ground this morning,
and on the Tapeta track. I was curious how the track would handle this
throughout the morning especially since it is a saturday and saturdays
usually mean plenty of horses working. My first set was Hawty Creek and
she galloped across the track as the first horse to do so in the morning.
The track felt fine and Hawty Creek felt great ... it was cold however.
My second set was a work, 5/8ths no less ... I worked in company with
Jesus Bracho and really the track was good. Subsequently I worked a
couple more and my last horse was coming off the track at 10 am, and still
the track was good. The one problem with the track is it is getting very
busy and there are definitely a few near misses in the mornings with
horses ducky and diving away from each other etc. but I don't think
anything bad happened today. You did have to keep your goggles down for
most of the morning to avoid snow blindness as once the sun got up it was
very bright. No superbowl gossip (its hard to really think it is the
superbowl this weekend) but a couple of comments about Brett Favre's
return for one more go at another superbowl ring! Lynn and Denise
visited, it was nice, but I was soooo busy (seven horses ridden and
looking after Hawty Creek) I could have been a better host.
Here are a couple of must reads:
Horse racing community
won't forget Barbaro ...lets hope not, there is much work to do!
Cohen:
A champion dies, reflects on how Barbaro has effected us.
Update 1434: A Tribute to Barbaro from a Fan of Barbaro: Barbaro Tribute.
A couple of Fans of Barbaro are planning to visit Fair Hill this morning,
wrap up! It looks like it will be a busy morning.
Update 1433: Here is the fourth clip of Barbaro from "The First Saturday in May": Peter on Barbaro
galloping at Fair Hill. Very cool.
Gary Stevens
speaks out in response to a very poorly written article in LA Times.
I have met Gary a few times and he has supported this site with his
comments.
Update 1432: While this has been a very tough week (we english guys are
known for being a little understated at times), racing does continue and
some standouts are running this weekend. 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor
is at Gulfstream (Horse of Year
Invasor Returns in Donn Handicap) as the highweight in the Donn
Handicap. Also at Gulfstream NoBiz Like
ShowBiz and Scat Daddy clash in the Holy Bull (won last year in the
slop by Barbaro) and Eclipse Award
winner Miesque's Approval returns. Finally "First Saturday in May"
star Brother
Derek tries again at Santa Anita.
A couple more recent Barbaro articles:
Losing
Barbaro
Derby Fever:
2006 Was All About Barbaro
Update 1431: From Dr. Kathy Anderson:
Dear Fans of Barbaro:
Although I have communicated with you indirectly through Alex and this
blog I am writing to you now to share some of my thoughts and emotions at
the end of Barbaro's journey through life. First, I would like to thank
all who energized and galvanized our will to see this journey through ---
your frequent messages and notes were very appreciated and a constant
reminder of just how many people were touched by Barbaro, the warrior
horse.
So, what of Barbaro? Please be reassured that throughout his
hospitalization, and indeed his life, Barbaro remained in charge --- his
eye did not dim nor did his spirit waver until the last. Most of you have
come to know him intimately through your research but for me the best
thing about him was he was first and foremost a horse, an equine hero to
be sure, but always a horse with all that is so special of our equine
friends. He was kind and talented as a two year old, he became
increasingly confident as his fan base increased, and prior to the
Preakness I believe there could be no happier horse ... nor human support
team.
Following Barbaro's tragic misstep, we staggered with him, but like he,
brushed ourselves off and carried on with the challenging task in front of
us --- to bring Barbaro back into our lives healthy and happy. New
members joined the team, Dr. Richardson becoming the visible "leader" with
many behind the scenes caregivers. Despite the odds, Barbaro improved
steadily, our hopes rekindled, our fears diminished and Barbaro remained
constant --- day by day inspecting his kingdom and his servants with
little patience for the slow or weak of heart. The critical week in July
became the fork in the road --- he took the path less traveled and still
managed to look challenge in the eye and gather momentum towards his
future. In early January I took my children to see him, for I was sure
that our next visit would be in a grassy paddock at the farm of his
choice. He stood on that sunny afternoon, silhouetted against his large
window with a panoramic view of nearby pastures, gazing intently at the
lucky equines on the horizon, no doubt plotting what contortions and
gyrations he would enjoy when he joined them in the not too distant future
--- that is the memory I hold in my mind's eye. His inner peace and ever
present confidence that all would be right in his world, his shiny healthy
coat, his well muscled and conformed body, even his wonderfully naked legs
with no wraps, casts or bandages --- just his badges of courage --- the
healed but deformed right hind limb and the lightly padded left hind foot
... he was a portrait of health. True, he had lost his perfect body and
the innocence of youth but now he stood as a battle seasoned wise warrior.
This is how I remember him, and although my heart weeps for his loss I
know that he is now cavorting and challenging his cloud mates to those
races that he was destined to win. I will see that bright spark in the
eye of the racehorses I meet in years to come, and I will wonder if he
is mischievously playing with me, challenging me to search for that
intangible quality of "champion" amongst future generations. Certainly I
am forever indebted to Barbaro for his gift of courage and grace which he
bestowed upon us all from the moment he burst upon the racing scene in
2005. What a ride it has been "through sickness and health." Barbaro
fans hail from around the world with diverse cultural and economic
backgrounds but together we have found common ground and realize that
heroes come in many shapes, sizes and species --- hail to the hero
Barbaro!
Kathleen M. Anderson, DVM
Equine Veterinary Care, PC
Fair Hill Training Center, MD
Update 1430: Fair Hill felt warm this morning, I guess everything is
relative! I rode six, the same six as yesterday. All went well. Hawty
Creek is really doing well at the moment, there may be a race for her
tuesday of next week, or the following weekend, so I just need to try to
keep her ticking over. She galloped a strong mile and a half this
morning. Chesapeake City Slew and Nonpariel also galloped well. They are
both working an eighth tomorrow, together, so Tim will be riding one of
them I guess. Flash was cool (he garners attention out there). My other
two were also good. The Tapeta carpet was just that, like galloping on a
carpet. As I was grazing Hawty Creek later in the morning Kathy Anderson
stopped by. She wanted me to post something to this site about her
reflections of Barbaro. That will be the next update.
Update 1429: Here are some more of the many articles that have been
recently posted:
Barbaro's
legacy positive
Kentucky
horsemen recall Barbaro's early days
Vet: Barbaro was 'different horse' in final hours
Barbaro's
birth stall stands empty
Lessons
Learned From Barbaro
Barbaro's painter
recalls horse's strength
Steve Haskin:
Reflections on Barbaro and His Fight for Life
Barbaro's
Plight Shined a Light on Advances
Matz
soldiers on with Barbaro gone
The Barbaro Fund
hats have raised $15,400 for the Barbaro Fund. I am not sure yet if
more will be made available.
Update 1428: The Hennegan Brothers (First Saturday in May) have
posted their third clip of Barbaro on youtube, we will call it Brief conversation with
Michael Matz about the Holy Bull Stakes, in attendance, Barbaro, Alex Matz
and Eduardo.
Mrs. Jackson just left a nice long voice-mail. The upshot of the call was
to "Keep up the fight". Doing so is a good distraction from the sad
events of this week I think. She also mentioned the museum idea that was
reported by Mike Jensen.
Update 1427: Jeannine Edwards, of ESPN, has followed Barbaro's story and
reported on Barbaro's story extensively over the last several months. I
asked Jeannine if she would write about it, here is her essay:
Covering Barbaro
Barbaro first hit my radar when he won the Laurel Futurity here in MD,
late in 2005. In April, in the Florida Derby, we saw his athleticism and
courage, as he proved he could run on dirt. For me it was cool because he
was a Fair Hill horse. Two weeks later, I met the Jacksons for the first
time at Keeneland when I interviewed them about Barbaro and their other
rising 3-year-old star, Showing Up, before the Lexington Stakes. After
spending some time with the Jacksons, Joan Ciampi, one of our producers,
and I noted how genuine they seemed, and how utterly proud they were of
their colts. They were beaming parents! Showing Up won the race and the
Jacksons went to Churchill Downs with 2 undefeated Derby contenders.
I spent several mornings talking to Michael Matz at Churchill leading up
to the Derby, and I was increasingly impressed with how Barbaro looked,
and how quietly confident Michael was. Michael's story and background and
his horse's charisma made them an appealling choice for a lengthy feature
on our Derby day coverage. Joan did the taped interviews for that feature
and put it together. It was really nice. Together she and I watched from
the winners' circle and screamed as Barbaro flew down the stretch at
Churchill. He was brilliant!
After the Derby I remember interviewing Michael and the Jacksons for our
post-show and it all seemed very surreal.... Michael and the Jacksons were
relatively unknown to the racing public at large, they lived not very far
from me, and here their horse was still undefeated and left people agasp
with his performance.
The next day Michael took Barbaro back home to Fair Hill to prepare for
the Preakness. We spent several mornings there shooting (i.e. taping)
Barbaro and the other Preakness runner, Diabolical. I brought my dogs in
the car with me and they terrorized every passer-by. We put together a
feature about Fair Hill and its unique offerings for horsemen. We were at
Michael's barn several times, and because I used to gallop, he joked that
he had a few horses for me to get on. I answered the one I want to ride
is probably off limits!! We shot quite a bit of Barbaro.... The
often-replayed footage of him rolling and bucking in his round pen and
grazing in his paddock 2 days after the Derby was shot by our cameraman,
Steve Martin. It was extremely exciting to watch Barbaro train each day,
as a local person, you couldn't help but get caught up in Barbaro's aura.
If Michael was quietly confident before the Derby, he seemed to be
bursting with pride heading into the Preakness.
Derby and Preakness weeks are long and grueling for us, we do a total of
about 26 hours of live programming in addition to all the research,
interviews, and pre-taped stuff, so by the time we were off the air at 5pm
Preakness day (to make way for NBC's coverage), I was ready to relax and
enjoy a great race. I was standing in the infield, right on the finish
line on the grass, near the Preakness winners' circle. When Barbaro
busted through the gate early it was alarming, but he was pulled up by
Edgar Prado and the outrider quickly. Then the race began and all I
remember seeing was the blurred image of a horse being passed quickly by
others, then gasps from the crowd.... Then silence. Barbaro was
struggling to come to a halt on 3 legs not far from where we were
standing, and the race continued on.... Virtually meaningless at that
point. The air had literally been sucked out of Pimlico. You could hear
a pin drop. It was like getting kicked in the stomach.
My producer Jody Patrovsky and I had tears in our eyes, and we were
practically hyper-ventilating. We had to go do post-race interviews with
the winners of the race, but we knew the real work was just beginning at
that point.
I ran across the track and up into the jocks' room to attempt an interview
with Edgar... he was too distraught to speak on camera. I then ran back
down and interviewed Dr. Larry Bramlage, one of the foremost equine
orthopedic surgeons and our "AAEP Vet On-Call" for our TV shows. He gave
me an initial briefing and a very preliminary diagnosis... saying it
appeared to be a catastrophic injury and the situation was critical.
Barbaro was taken away in the ambulance and we ran back to the stakes barn
where his stall was. It was a mob scene.... Absolutely chaotic. They had
backed the ambulance all the way up to the barn and Barbaro was in his
stall.... Stall 40, where the Derby winner is housed. We waited with a
sense of dread and disbelief. Other horsemen and racing employees were
everywhere.... hovering, wandering around aimlessly. People were in
shock. We were sure he would be put down. It was tough to get
information at that point, but eventually a friend of mine, Dr. Dan
Dreyfuss, a MD vet and surgeon who did his residency under Dean Richardson
at New Bolton, emerged after assisting with xrays and splinting of
Barbaro's leg, and agreed to give us an update. He said it looked
bad...several fractures and that Barbaro's pastern was nearly "a bag of
crushed ice". Even he appeared shell-shocked. Moments later the horse
was loaded back into the ambulance and taken to New Bolton. We learned he
would have surgery the next day.
The news desk at ESPN had called and said they wanted me to go to NB in
the morning, it would be the first of many, many days I would spend at the
facility. I had been there before, several times, with my own horses, so
I knew my way around, but it was still an eery feeling. A producer from
NY met me there, and we were there for nearly 10 hours that Sunday. Dr.
Richardson arrived and addressed us in the press conference room by saying
he was going to "attempt" a surgical repair on Barbaro, but that he didn't
know what he was going to find once inside the leg. You could tell Dr. R.
had some trepidation but was pumped up for the challenge.... He was blunt,
assertive, and had that cocky Dr. R. persona that we've all come to know
and love.
When Dr. R. did not return to us shortly after beginning the surgery, we
took it as a good sign....If he was still gone and working, that meant
Barbaro must still be alive. That offered hope. For nearly 7 hours we
waited, starved for information. I did frequent updates on ABC (our
parent network) and ESPN TV and radio throughout the day. Later that
evening we finally got the news we had waited all day with bated breath
for.... Barbaro WAS alive, his splintered leg had miraculously been
reassembled, and he was back in his stall. I reported the
much-anticipated news live on ESPN and finally, totally drained, I drove
home around 11:00 that night. My phone never stopped ringing that day or
the next with various coworkers, acquaintances, and TV and radio networks
from around the country seeking updates.
I spent several days at NB after that reporting on Barbaro's progress. If
it weren't for the generous staff at NB providing us with pizzas and
coffee and doughnuts, many of us would most likely have wasted away!
Michael came to a couple of the press conferences and looked gaunt and
empty. The strain of it all became evident, he was taking it hard.
Nonetheless we were all amazed at the horse's resolve, and at what a
consummate patient he appeared to be. The most immediate threat from
infection after surgery appeared to have been warded off, so things were
looking pretty good.... The mood was cautiously more hopeful.
On May 30 I was priviledged to be part of ABC and ESPN's access to Edgar's
visit with Barbaro. It was the first time Edgar had seen Barbaro since
the Preakness, and we were in the ICU with our cameras, all done up in
scrubs, as the reunion took place. I loved how Barbaro tried to push
people around and wanted to march right out of his stall. It was
heartwarming to say the least. Edgar told me it was comforting to see how
bright and well his partner looked.
ABC televised the Belmont Stakes and so we did extensive coverage of
Barbaro during our 2 days on the air. We had a comprehensive piece on him
that featured Dr. R, Michael, Edgar, and the Jacksons. We did live hits
(reports) from his ICU. He appeared to be holding his own, and though we
contemplated what "might have been" as far as a Triple Crown, the fact
that Barbaro was alive and demonstrating that dauntless, endearing spirit
was reward enough.
We had a busy spring and summer with shows just about every week, but
Barbaro was never far from our thoughts. I would see Michael, Edgar or
the Jacksons at various venues and they would readily fill me in on how
the horse was doing. The releases that were emailed to us periodically
from Upenn kept us apprised of Barbaro's official status, but it was the
daily updates from Alex that gave us our "fixes". The tidbits were
invaluable.
In early July some of those "bad things" that Dr. R. kept warning us about
started to happen. Barbaro wasn't comfortable, had an infection,
underwent several cast changes, and I was sent to cover these
developments. ESPN took a genuine interest in the horse's welfare and
wanted to follow the story every step of the way. They felt because horse
racing had such a large presence on the sports network, Barbaro was
important to their audience. (As it turned out, Barbaro was important to
every audience.) So the viewers were horrified and saddened, as we
were, when Dr. R. told us Barbaro had foundered severely on his left hind,
and his chances for survival were "poor". He could not have been any more
direct... Barbaro had as bad a case of laminitis as you could get. I
remember him looking not just troubled, but agonized. I felt sick to my
stomach. But then Jennifer Rench came out to our satellite truck and
showed us the video NB had just shot of Barbaro walking around the ICU,
and it was relieving... he looked pretty good. I was there at NB for 3
days as we all kept vigil. On the 4th day I had to leave to go do a
remote show from Delaware Park. Michael was there running a horse and was
kind enough to give me an emotional interview. That's the interview from
which we got the term "Michael's Miracle".
Barbaro plugged on and a month later I interviewed the Jacksons at
Arlington Park in Chicago for our ABC telecast of the Million. It was
then the world found out that Barbaro had been taken outside for grass.
Outside!! It was uplifting, that's for sure. I remember a lot of the
people on our TV crew were cheering. The Jacksons seemed so elated with
how everything was going, the burden of constant worry seemed to have
eased a bit. Over the summer ESPN gave Barbaro's story more air time than
any other network, he became a regular. We even had weekly "Barbaro
Updates" on our other remote shows. Everywhere I went, from the track to
the airport to the grocery store, people would stop me and say "How's
Barbaro doing?"
As far as we could tell things seemed to be improving for Barbaro. I
would see Michael, Edgar, or the Jacksons at various places and the
reports were always optimistic. In between horse racing assignments I was
doing college football. It was getting close to Breeders' Cup time and
ESPN wanted to do a major piece on Barbaro for its BC week coverage. We
scheduled interviews with Michael, Dr. R., Edgar, and Barbaro fan Jean
Mansavage... Alex suggested Jean as the ideal candidate for the interview,
and he couldn't have been more right on. Jean was the one who put the
"GROW HOOF GROW" sign at NB. We were on a deadline and I was in between
football games, so my producer Amiel Weisfogel and I split up... I
interviewed Michael and Dr. R, and Amiel interviewed Edgar and Jean.
Michael was his usual self... heart on his sleeve, contemplative and
sincere. He and I went in and fed carrots to Man In Havana and Chelokee
(now residing in Barbaro's stall.) Dr. R. was great also, speaking
candidly and spending quite a bit of time with us. He gave me a hard time
(sarcastically) about a few things, but then again it wouldn't be a Dr. R.
interview without a few chuckles. The feature ended up coming out pretty
good.
BC day was long... we were on the air live for 8 hours (including
SportsCenter). After the Distaff, the death of Pine Island robbed the day
of its usual grandeur and electricity. What made it so ironic was that
Michael won the race. He seemed a bit overwhelmed as I interviewed him in
the winners' circle. He felt their pain.
Not too long after BC we were hearing talk of Barbaro possibly being well
enough to move on to a new home. ESPN told me they wanted to cover it,
whenever that day arrived. Little did we know, it never would.
Rather, I did a few phone reports when Barbaro's condition first started
to detiorate, in December and again in January. When he lost another
portion of that left hind foot it didn't look good. I spoke to Gretchen
on the phone a couple of times and she was as gracious as ever, what
lovely people the Jacksons are. She told me how concerned and anxious
they were, how they had so been looking forward to moving Barbaro to a new
home, and how they now had no way of knowing what was going to happen.
But she also still sounded like they had hope. She called Barbaro "a
trooper" and a "very special animal". I also spoke to Michael who said he
was extremely concerned, because any setback was a real blow at that
point. Dr. R. had called Barbaro's left foot a "formidable challenge" and
"ongoing concern". Then on Wednesay, another complication... this time
his right hind foot had an abcess. Now I had a sense of dread.
Amidst all of Barbaro's crises, not to mention juggling other surgeries,
teaching classes, and accomodating the endless media requests, Dr. R.
somehow found the time to operate on my dog Thurs night. Back in December
he had graciously agreed to perform an ACL repair on her (through his
wife's practice.) With all of this going on he could have postponed it.
What an amazingly dedicated and compassionate man. On Friday I spoke to
him about Jessie's leg, and then when I asked how Barbaro was, he said
"He's not where I'd like him to be. It's terribly disappointing. He's up
and eating his grass, but he's not where I want him to be. It's been a
rough few weeks." He sounded dejected. Saturday, the external fixator
was applied to Barbaro's leg and I spoke to Michael.... He was subdued and
seemed ill at ease. That's when he told me "How many times can you get
punched in the nose and keep getting back up?"
I got the news Monday morning that a press conference was coming, and that
Barbaro had been put down. I rushed up to NB. I did several live reports
and a taped piece for later. Once again, as we had done many times
before, the media gathered in the amphitheatre. Back on May 21 the mood
was one of foreboding, anticipation, and unknown. Over the next 8 months
it would swing from cautious optimism to grim reality and back again. But
always there was a glimmer of hope. On Monday, it was over.
The Jacksons were gracious, as ever, despite their grief. It was
especially difficult to see the anguish in Dr. R's eyes as he choked up.
He looked not just drained, but defeated. For the first time ever, Dr. R.
looked like a broken man.
I'd like to thank everyone at NB for all that they did, and especially
Alex for his tireless devotion to Barbaro, and his tireless, selfless work
on behalf of the fans, who yearned for news that only he could provide.
One thing I've come to realize through all of this is there are many, many
beautiful people in the world.
Update 1426: I just spoke to Barclay Tagg to get an update on NoBiz Like
ShoBiz, who is running on saturday in the Holy Bull (won last year by
Barbaro in Barbaro's first win on the dirt). ShoBiz breezed a half
yesterday very easily. He is doing great. He won't do much now going up
into his race. He walked this morning and will be turned out to roll in
the sand this afternoon. Tomorrow he will do a little jog / gallop, and
saturday morning he may also do a little jog.
I asked Barclay his thoughts on Barbaro and this week. He noted that
everyone did everything they could possibly do for Barbaro. Barclay said
that Barbaro was surrounded by a fine group of people, the Jacksons,
Michael Matz and his team, Edgar Prado, the New Bolton team, they all did
everything they could possibly do for the horse. Barclay also noted the
compassion the team had, indicated by the many visits they all made to
Barbaro over the months.
I asked Barclay how Showing Up is doing. Barclay noted he had a tough
campaign last year so they are still taking it easy with him, he is on a
"semi vacation" at this point. He needs a little freshening up and will
likely be back in the entries for April. Of course I had to ask about
Funny Cide too. He is also on "semi vacation", but like Showing Up, going
out for some exercise everyday. He may also return to the races sometime
in April, Barclay noted he may try him on the turf as well as a synthetic
surface!
From the Daily Racing Form: Tagg following familiar
road.
Update 1425: Fair Hill was not too chilly this morning, but then flurries
began and snow was horizontal for a while, and then the flurries stopped
and it was quite nice. Michael Dickinson was at the gap, no doubt keeping
an eye on the Tapeta track. It continues to handle the adverse conditions
well (its a shame its no warmer actually galloping on it!) Hawty Creek
was my first out there, Barclay Tagg's string (supervised by his Fair Hill
assistant Tim) was first on the track just before me. Hawty Creek
galloped around nicely. The two I rode for Tim, Nonpariel and Chesapeake
City Slew also went well. Tim says Slew may have his first little eighth
work since he returned to training on saturday. Flash also galloped
nicely (that was when the weather was at its worst I think) and I also had
a first time starter to the track. She also went well. All in all a busy
morning, but not as brutally cold as yesterday for sure. I mentioned an
idea to Tim and Kathy Anderson about perhaps doing something with the
Clockers' Stand to include some Barbaro "memorabilia" etc. I think it
would be nice. The pictures in there right now almost pre-date me!
Update 1424: Kim Brette forwarded these pictures of Barbaro's yearling
full brother: Barbaro's
Brother pictures. The New York Times writes about him: Can
His Kid Brother Follow in Barbaro's Huge Footsteps?
Delaware Park is wanting to pay tribute to Barbaro and Dr. Richardson: DelPark
wants to pay tribute to Barbaro and Gulfstream Park
Establishes Barbaro Foundation.
Sabina Pierce has updated her photos of
Barbaro.
Update 1423: Here is the second glimpse of Barbaro from John Hennegan.
This clip is actually is in the documentary "First Saturday in May": Michael introduces his
son to Barbaro.
Update 1422: It is taking me a while to read through the discussion board
(nearly 3,000 posts in the last 2 days), but I found this news report very
heart warming regarding Barbaro's legacy already at work: Barbaro
"Euthanized" ... and saves a horse
Update 1421: I just got off the phone with Gary Stevens, one of the best
jockeys we have seen in the US for many years. I asked him a few
questions.
Me: Your thoughts on Barbaro:
Gary: An outstanding racehorse who will be remembered more for his battle
to survive and will to live than for his Kentucky Derby victory.
Me: Your thoughts on Barbaro's Kentucky Derby win:
Gary: It was the greatest Derby win I have seen, one of the largest
margins of victory, and the ease with which he did it ...
Me: Your thoughts on Horse Slaughter in the US:
Gary: Its a travesty that they have been doing it all these years. Horses
should not be slaughtered for human consumption.
Update 1420: Some of many articles recently published:
Barbaro's
death: Equine beauty meets harsh reality
Barbaro's
Surgeon Has Empty Feeling
A
'Bottomless' Heart
One
Horse Dies
Richardson:
'Still Hard to Deal With' Barbaro's Death
Barbaro,
The Heart In the Winner's Circle
Kentucky
Derby winner Barbaro euthanized
Update 1419: Sue McMullen just sent this e-mail from the UK:
It is testimony to Barbaro's position on the world stage that he made the
mainstream 'heavyweight' newspapers in the UK, including The Times, The
Guardian and The Independant, in addition to the Racing Post, our only
dedicated racing paper and Horse and Hound, our main equine magazine. I'm
certain there was other coverage that I have yet to see. There might be
some follow-up stories, and I have been asked to do one of them.
News of his death didn't break here until it was too late to make certain
'print' deadlines, but the story was posted on the online versions. The
first UK outlet to break the news was Turftrax, a racing website, and they
had it first as, having visited here and seen the devastating news, I sat
in shock and sent a text message to their editorial director saying simply
'he's gone. The fight is over. 10.30 am this morning'. I didn't have to
say any more than that. He knew exactly who I was talking about and what
it meant. At that point I couldn't phone.
Clive Brittain is one of the UK's leading, most highly respected and long
serving Flat trainers and was one of the first to take horses to the US.
It was his filly Pebbles who won the BC Turf at Aqueduct in 1985 and Bold
Arrangement chased home the ill-fated Ferdinand in the 1986 Derby. He is a
tremendous character and a great horse lover. Needless to say, he has been
following the story and today he spoke warmly of Barbaro and his loss to
the sport, and beyond:
"It is tragic to lose such a horse. There is no such thing as a bad Derby
so the way he skipped away from the field showed he was something
exceptional. He may well have become the horse of the century. He was
truly a superstar and the way he coped for so long with his terrible
injuries indicated the type of horse he was. It is really very, very sad.
Let's hope all the good he generated continues."
Praise indeed from a man whose judgement you just have to respect.
On a personal note, I'm deeply sad that my first post here for 2007 is to
address something that many of us refused to contemplate as we had begun
to think him invincible. On Friday morning I visited hospital for a
routine screening that although not painful I knew was going to be very
uncomfortable. As I sat and waited, feeling some dread at the prospect, I
looked down at my Barbaro bracelet (that Sharon kindly sent to me) and
thought of all he had gone through, demonstrating his indomitable spirit
and unfailing courage. I suddenly felt my fears were utterly pathetic and
wondered how many others had faced much worse and drawn comfort from that
colt's great spirit.
In common with so many people I have spent the past eight months with the
same daily routine, logging on wherever I have been just to see he was
doing ok. Sometimes I had no time to read more than 'Barbaro spent a
comfortable night' and that was enough. I could go on with whatever it was
I had to do. I feel bereft and still can't quite believe he's gone so how
those close to him are feeling, I just can't imagine. I had a fantasy that
when he was discharged from NBC, there would be a celebration party
somewhere for as many fans as possible and I had resolved to attend. It
seemed almost 'when' rather than 'if'.
I'm still wearing the bracelet. I can't take it off yet. We have lost a
tremendous life force, a magnificent, imperious, galloping creature, a
fighter on and off the track, who became such a focus for good. May this
continue and become his legacy.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,379-2575211,00.html
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/horseracing/story/0,,2001545,00.html
http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article2198433.ece
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/108015.html
A "Fan of Barbaro", Elizabeth Laban, wrote this: Barbaro
taught her about the love of sport.
Update 1418: Dr. Richardson interviewed on CBS, broadcast this morning,
interview was yesterday: Veterarian
remembers Barbaro.
Mike Jensen wrote this: Barbaro
inspires idea for a museum which discusses some potential plans afoot
for a Barbaro inspired museum. The article also notes Barbaro was
cremated.
No doubt about it, it was COLD this morning at Fair Hill. Fortunately I
only had four to ride. Hawty Creek out first, and she really trained
well. She galloped about a mile and a half on the Tapeta carpet she felt
great. Chesapeake City Slew went to the gate, Tim was with me on Quick
Quest. We galloped out of the gate pretty alertly. Nice to see the gate
crew at work today! We did discuss the Larry King Show last night.
Nonpariel galloped around the track upsides Tim on Grandma. Finally I
rode Flash, and at that point I was cold.
I saw Kathy Anderson as I was leaving. She had just returned from a
conference in Mexico last night. We hugged, she (and I) was visibly
upset. She said she was glad to be out of the country when the news
broke. Kathy then asked me what we were planning to do with the site.
Lets hope we are able to help support Barbaro's legacy.
It was great to see Dr. Richardson and the Jacksons last night on Larry
King Live. Mrs. Jackson made a strong case for pushing the anti horse
slaughter bills through, so I hope we can take that signal and follow up
by calling our own congressman and senators.
Update 1417: John Hennegan (First Saturday in May) left a
comment (timestamp: 3:13 am) to alert us that he has provided the first of
a few outtakes of Barbaro on youtube: Barbaro in Boynton
Beach, FL, March 2006.
John and his brother Brad may have more footage of Barbaro in training
than most and the couple of times I have met John I have asked him about
making some of their content available for everyone to see. John called
me yesterday afternoon (after we had had lunch) and we discussed the best
way to do this. I hope you enjoy the short glimses of Barbaro in his
prime. I will post each as they are published, in an update. This first
one is of him relaxing in a round pen.
Update 1416: A couple of the many articles today:
Barbaro's
gallant battle is over, excerpt:
Hollendorfer said Barbaro stood out even in a talented field.
"He was a very impressive looking horse and his composure was second to
none," Hollendorfer said. "There are horses that come there that have
outstanding records and you can tell that maybe they aren't at their best,
but he was one of the ones that stood out. He looked like a star and he
turned out to be a star."
Harry J. Aleo, owner of Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Lost in the Fog,
who had to be euthanized last year after developing cancer, was also moved
by Barbaro's passing.
"I really feel badly for those people (Gretchen and Roy Jackson). They are
very good people, and they sent me hand-written notes every week after
Lost in the Fog was diagnosed with cancer," Aleo said. "They'll think all
the time about that horse, just like I think about Lost in the Fog. It's
heartbreaking."
Derby winner
Barbaro is euthanized, excerpt:
"At least he can rest now," said Peter Brette, assistant trainer to
Michael Matz, and the man who exercised Barbaro every morning. "He's been
fighting long enough."
Update 1415: Jennifer Rench just called to let me know that Mr. and Mrs.
Jackson and Dr. Richardson will be on Larry King Live tonight, 9 pm (CNN).
Dr. Richardson will also be on the CBS Early Show with Debbye Turner
tomorrow morning (7 or 7:30 am, not sure).
Edit: You can
e-mail your questions to Larry King Live.
Update 1414: Just back from grazing Hawty Creek, it continues to be cold
outside! I called Peter Brette, the first time we have spoken for a
couple of days. Peter appeared fine given the circumstances. I could
however tell in his voice that things had been tough for him, but he won't
reveal that directly for sure! He did thank me for the site and all it
has done ... that was nice. I asked him how Chelokee and Round Pond were
after their most recent works, and they appear to be well. Chelokee may
be back in the entries soon.
There are many many articles out there, and it will take me a while to get
to them, but I like this as it quotes a couple of other trainers: We'll always
remember Barbaro's battle, relevant excerpt:
"I think we all will remember Barbaro as one of the best 3-year-olds we've
seen, and remember his courage for fighting the past several months,"
Albertrani said. "This is the first time I've been around to see a horse
fight for his life for so long, and have had so many obstacles in his way
... he was a fighter. To see that in a horse, well, actually no one's ever
seen that before.
"I think he would have been a great stallion. You normally hope those
traits are passed down generation to generation, or at least hope they are
to maybe one or two of his offspring. That would have been something
special."
Fellow trainer Graham Motion has an interesting perspective on Barbaro and
the late colt's stoic trainer, Michael Matz. Both championship-level
trainers work out of the secluded northern Maryland training facility at
Fair Hill, which was Barbaro's home for much of his racing career.
"Michael keeps his thoughts close to him and shows very little emotion,"
Motion said. "I realized early this morning when I talked to him just how
grave things must have become from the changed tone in his voice."
"Barbaro was every trainer's dream from a racing perspective," Motion
added. "And while it's a sad day for everyone involved --- the Jacksons,
the people at New Bolton who worked so hard for so long to keep him alive
--- it has to be especially sad for Michael. What had to be the best day
of his professional life, winning the Kentucky Derby, has turned out to be
associated with the saddest of memories with the very same horse. Michael
can't ever again recall the happiness of the Derby without the sadness
associated with Barbaro's fate."
Update 1413: I went over to New Bolton at Lunchtime. There are some nice
flowers displayed in the lobby area. There were also some flowers placed
on the outside fence line. There are still some media there and we went
to lunch. Actually six of us went to lunch, but only three of us stayed
and ate lunch! Jeannine Edwards, John Hennegan (First Saturday in May)
and I had some nice conversations about Barbaro, horse racing in general
and John's documentary.
When we returned to New Bolton I asked Jeannine and Mike Jensen what is
was like to cover a story like Barbaro, and both have covered it pretty
extensively. Both agreed yesterday was a hard day for them. Jeannine
noted that it was tough to have to ask questions of people who are clearly
grieving when on a personal level she has a lot of empathy for their
situation, and I think, quite frankly likes the horse like any of us and
is very sad about this outcome!
I also ran into Kathy Freeborn and Jennifer Rench of New Bolton. If they
are reflective of the entire staffs' mood for the sad loss of Barbaro,
then New Bolton is a sad place today.
Dr. Richardson sent me a nice e-mail this morning thanking me for the work
we have done on this site, and I hope we continue. He noted he
had read the site, if not very often!
Update 1412: It was Fair Hill as usual this morning, but of course it was
not usual. The atmosphere was a little subdued, and I suspect quite a few
people simply had nothing to say. A few riders offered their thoughts, as
did a couple of trainers. Mostly they were just sad that this had to
happen to such a wonderful horse who had shown great talent determination
and will. Many of us have memories of Barbaro from the good days, when he
was a runner. We may have watched his final work before the Preakness (he
did not look like he was working, just galloping); or simply watched him
graze, without a care in the world, in one of Michael Matz's paddocks two
days after destroying the field in the Kentucky Derby. Anyway, I am sure
we all remembered our moments and memories this morning.
I rode six, my usual six. They all went well, although it was a bit of a
blur. My cell phone rang quite a lot, I talked to a few media people who
are becoming friends. Perhaps I should interview them on their attachment
to Barbaro. As I was grazing Hawty Creek at the end of the morning a "Fan
of Barbaro" stopped by for a chat. It was nice to share a few thoughts.
Off to New Bolton for an hour or so to see how things are over there.
Update 1411: Wide media coverage on the internet of yesterday's very sad
news. Likely I will highlight a few throughout the next few days, but
here are a couple of the articles to start:
Thoroughbred Times: Kentucky
Derby winner Barbaro euthanized, excerpt:
"We were really lucky, really lucky," Gretchen Jackson said. "I just
appreciate the heck out of him, and I think he knew it. He was well loved.
Such luck; at least he’s out of his damn stall, and running around with
Secretariat, I hope."
Philadelphia Inquirer: Kentucky Derby
champion Barbaro euthanized, excerpt:
"It is rough, but not to be there is rough," Gretchen Jackson said of
being in the stall at the end.
"He's been a friend or whatever, everything to us... I think we've been
concerned about him for a while. We just wanted the right moment where
he's still himself. I think it had reached the point where it was timely."
There will be more activity at New Bolton today I think. I know Jeannine
Edwards is planning to return and Good Morning America is planning to do a
piece on Barbaro. Flowers were starting to arrive yesterday afternoon at
New Bolton. I remember seeing one young girl with her father, they came
to deliver some flowers and good wishes. After Fair Hill I will likely
return to New Bolton and see how things are.
Off to Fair Hill, it looks like another chilly morning.
Update 1410: Here is today's news conference from NTRA: Barbaro euthanized
after long ordeal.
Update 1409: Just returned from a bite to eat with Jennifer Rench and
Kathy Freeborn from New Bolton. We were somewhat subdued, trying to go
over events over the last few days without really taking it all in. As we
were finishing up a few of the AP reporters came to join us. I left
shortly thereafter and on my way home chatted with Ed Fountaine. A couple
of observations of the day; Barbaro will be missed, Barbaro can help us
make a difference.
Update 1408: While the press conference is over, things are now starting
to wind down with post conference interviews, reports from media for local
news stations, wire services etc. I talked to a couple of reporters and
also WJZ out of Baltimore for their 6 o'clock news. Tom, the Jacksons farm
manager, just called and we chatted about Barbaro. Now off out for a drink
with a few of the New Bolton staff before I head home.
Update 1407: It's 4:25pm, the press conference has just wrapped up. It'll
take me a little bit of time to write up the details of the conference but
no doubt it'll be reported upon heavily. My initial thoughts are that the
three people addressing the press conference, Dr. Richardson and Mr. and
Mrs. Jackson, were clearly devestated by this turn of events. There were
times during some of Dr. Richardson's responses that you could tell it was
tough for him to maintain his composure. It was nice to hear from both Mr.
and Mrs. Jackson acknowledging the support that they have received
throughout this entire experience...whether it's been the devotion of Dr.
Richardson and his staff, Michael Matz, Peter Brette, or the public at
large. Their overwhelming hope appears to be that the positive good that
Barbaro represents and has highlighted becomes his enduring legacy. It was
also nice to see Mr. Jackson acknowledge not only the developments in
veterinary medicine that will come out of this episode but the heightened
focus on anti-horse slaughter issues and issues of backstretch workers
etc. I'll add a further update with regards to the press conference
shortly.
updated 4:40pm
Update 1406: Busy here at New Bolton Center. The mood is obviously very
somber among the staff. Jeannine Edwards is doing another "Outside the
Lines" piece for ESPN at 3:20pm this afternoon. It will focus on Barbaro's
legacy.
updated 3:10pm
Update 1405: I am now heading back to New Bolton for the press conference
(I returned home when the news was reported). I am starting another
update so as to allow for more of your thoughtful comments. I am leaving
comments open on the previous update.
Update 1404: The press conference will be held at 4 pm this afternoon at
New Bolton.
Update 1403: Barbaro was euthanized, at about 10:30 am this morning. Mike
Jensen spoke with Mrs. Jackson. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and Dr. Richardson
were all in attendance.
Update 1402: OK, I am heading over to New Bolton. I will attempt to
provide updates once I am there.
Update 1401: Jeannine Edwards just called to let me know New Bolton Center
is planning a press conference for some time later today.
Update 1400: While I am sure there will be persistant media coverage over
the next few days, I did want to alert you that Jeannine Edwards will be
on "Outside the Lines" at 3 pm today on ESPN. She will also be on ESPN
News following that broadcast.
It was a chilly morning this morning at Fair Hill, bright sunshine, but a
wind that made the temperatures pretty low. I ended up getting on six,
five of which went to the Tapeta track. I was actually first on the
Tapeta track this morning on Hawty Creek. The track continues to be very
good despite the weather. Hawty Creek did two turns at a jog / light
gallop. I rode Chesapeake City Slew for Tim, and then three more to the
track. One of the keys to keeping warm is wearing plenty of layers (I
just counted, nine in my case) ... and jogging to and from the racetrack.
Anyway, gate day was canceled today due to the weather, I cannot imagine
why a gate crew does not want to come out on a lovely day like today and
stand around for a few hours!
OK, likely I may head over to New Bolton at some stage today, but lets
keep all our thoughts positive for Barbaro!
Update 1399: The AP is reporting Barbaro did not have a great night: Barbaro
has another setback. Relevant excerpt:
When asked Monday morning at the New Bolton Center if Barbaro had a good
night, Richardson said, "No, not a great night."
Update 1398: Additional media coverage from saturday's surgery.
NPR's "All Things Considered": Derby
Winner Barbaro Still at Risk from Injuries. Allison Keyes interviewed
Dr. Richardson (not live), and reported from the interview that Barbaro
was bright-eyed, eating carrots out of people's hands yesterday (sunday).
She also noted the new brace is likely to be needed for approximately 6
weeks.
CBS News interviewed their vet / reporter Dr. Debbye Turner: Setback
in Barbaro's recovery. Interesting but no new information, she does
discuss his fighting spirit.
Sandra McKee of The Baltimore Sun: Barbaro
receives new foot brace after 'significant setback'. Sandra spoke
with Mrs. Jackson for this story on sunday:
"You wish it wasn't happening," Gretchen Jackson said. "But it is."
Jackson said Barbaro's initial injury has resulted in changes in his right
leg and in the way he walks on it.
"I guess it has to be an issue," she said. "He has to learn to live with
his new leg, and they're trying to help him live with it. But it has
created problems. Horses are horses and things happen."
Jackson again said the most important thing is for Barbaro to be
pain-free.
"As long as that is the case, we'll go forward," she said. "I visited him
twice [yesterday] with a friend, and his eyes were bright and he is still
trying to bite you. He's still interested in life.
"They're taking good care of him, and we are staying positive. That's
really all you can do."
Richardson said Barbaro "remarkably" continues to have an "excellent
attitude and appetite."
Mike Jensen, Philadelphia Inquirer updated his story: Surgery leaves
Barbaro at risk after talking to Mr. Jackson on sunday:
After visiting Barbaro yesterday, Roy Jackson said last night: "He appears
to be fairly comfortable. He had his three buckets of grass, and is doing
as well as could be expected under the circumstances."
At this point, everybody involved is just taking things "day-to-day,
hour-to-hour," Jackson said. One positive that he could find about the
latest surgery: "If this had happened two months after the [Preakness],
the fractures would not have healed enough to do something like that.
Thank goodness there's a chance."
And of course this latest setback is news around the
world.
Update 1397: Richard Rosenblatt, of the AP, wrote this article today: Barbaro
Has Another Significant Setback that includes quotes from Dr.
Richardson and Mrs. Jackson:
"When things start to go bad, it's like a house of cards," he said Sunday
in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "If one thing fails,
that puts more stress on another part. And if that fails, then you're
stuck with managing two problems. That's why these are difficult cases."
and
"No one is interested in putting the horse through any type of misery,"
Richardson said. "We're going to treat him the best way we can as long as
he stays comfortable. And we're going to stick with that no matter if his
chances are 1 percent or 90 percent.
"If he gets to the point where we just don't think it's reasonable to go
on, we will not go on."
Gretchen Jackson spent time with Barbaro on Sunday, and said her colt is
"still bright-eyed and still eating.
"It's not over 'til it's over," she said. "I'd say he's comfortable and
being treated very well. As long as he's comfortable ... Dean knows our
feelings. We trust him."
Mrs. Jackson's words are very comforting I think.
Update 1396: A quick summary of Jeannine's interview on ESPN News. She
explained the current situation as per the press release from New Bolton.
She noted that a vet acqaintance confirmed the procedure to add the
"stabalizer" is not unusual / not unheard of. It is a last resort attempt
to stabalize the situation and keep him comfortable. She stated the
current prognosis is not good, very very serious. She had just got off
the phone with Michael Matz. Michael was very down and very subdued.
Michael's comment (paraphrased): "How many times can a boxer take a punch
and get back up". She was unable to contact the Jackson's, and presumed
they are devastasted.
Jeannine did mention this site and the support you as "an amazing group of
people" are providing.
I will not be posting an update for a few hours (traveling) unless
something serious occurs.
Update 1395: Jeannine Edwards will be featured on ESPN News in a live
telephone interview at about 1:50 pm. It is scheduled to run for 4 - 5
minutes.
Update 1394: Mike Jensen interviewed Dr. Richardson this morning, after
New Bolton's release. His article includes content from both: Barbaro undergoes
more surgery. Excerpts from his interview with Dr. Richardson:
Richardson issued all that in a statement. In a telephone interview, he
said, "The big thing is we NOT see anything bad happen at this point for
awhile."
And Richardson made it clear that there are real risks involved.
"The major risk of the external skeletal fixation device is that the bone
bearing the weight can fracture," Richardson said. He added, "The other
thing -- we've been really struggling … it's one thing to have (problems
with) one foot at a time, but to have two hind legs, it means he's really
going to overload his front feet. Clearly, laminitis in his front feet is
a strong concern. The best way to describe this, it's essentially like a
house of cards. When one starts to go significantly awry, then more can
happen."
Of the risk involved, Richardson said, "Unfortunately, we felt we needed
to take this risk because this approach offered our only hope of keeping
Barbaro acceptably comfortable."
Richardson and Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, talked in
advance about the procedure, as they always do, but there wasn't any
debate on whether the procedure was worth trying.
"This is a logical thing to try under the circumstances," Richardson said.
"There was no reason not to try it under the circumstances. This is not
something that makes a horse real uncomfortable. Typically, when you put a
fixer on, it makes him more comfortable."
Update 1393: An update from New Bolton:
Update from Dr. Dean W. Richardson on Barbaro's condition:
On Saturday, January 27, Barbaro was taken back to surgery because we
could not keep him comfortable on his right hind foot. That foot developed
a deep subsolar abscess secondary to bruising when he went through a
period of discomfort on the left hind foot. It is not laminitis but the
undermining of the sole and part of the lateral heel region are
potentially just as serious. We attempted to manage the right hind foot in
a cast and then in a custom fabricated brace but it was impossible to have
access to the foot for treatment as well as acceptable stability and
comfort. We elected to place his right hind in an external skeletal
fixation device in order to provide the foot a chance to heal. This means
that two steel pins have been placed transversely through his right hind
cannon bone. These pins are connected to external sidebars that in turn
are connected to a lightweight alloy foot plate. This results in the horse
eliminating all weight bearing from the foot; the horse's weight is borne
through the pins across his cannon bone. There is significant risk in this
approach but we believed it was our only option given the worsening of the
right hind foot problem. The major risk of the external skeletal fixation
device is that the bone bearing the weight can fracture. Unfortunately, we
felt we needed to take this risk because this approach offered our only
hope of keeping Barbaro acceptably comfortable.
He had a perfect recovery from anesthesia and has been in and out of the
sling since then. His left hind foot appears to be stable at this time. We
remain concerned about both front feet. Remarkably, his attitude and
appetite were excellent overnight.
We will continue to treat Barbaro aggressively as long as he remains
bright, alert and eating. This is another significant setback that
exemplifies how complex his medical situation remains because both hind
limbs have major problems. Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of
Penn's George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center. Updates will be
provided when new information is available.
Update 1392: The Sunshine Millions showcased the return to racing of Lava
Man who made it a winning return now he is back in California: Lava
Man goes over $4-million in earnings in Sunshine Millions Turf.
Sweetnorthernsaint seemed to be cruising with a quarter to go in the
Classic, but then came up empty quickly: McCann's
Mojave steals Sunshine Millions Classic spotlight. Bordonaro met two
that were faster in the Sprint, one of which looked earily like Lost in
the Fog: Smokey
Stover bursts onto scene with Sprint upset. It was good to see racing
return to network TV.
Michael Matz had a nice winner earlier in the day at Gulfstream, Crusader
Rabbit, paying $130.40! Both Chelokee and Round Pond worked yesterday.
Peter was happy with both works.
I will endevour to get an update on Barbaro later this morning, early
afternoon. Mike Jensen updated his story: Owner: 'It's
not a good day for Barbaro'
Update 1391: Two articles today concerning today's events, both include
quotes from the Jackson's:
Barbaro's
comfort concerns doctors
Barbaro
has procedure on right hind leg
Update 1390: Today (saturday) was another tough day for Barbaro. He did
undergo a procedure, the nature of which I am not aware. I did speak to
Peter Brette later this afternoon and know that after the procedure
Barbaro was comfortable and standing and I think they were pretty
comfortable with what had occured. Keep your thoughts positive for
Barbaro.
Update 1389: This morning was busy at Fair Hill. The weather was
decidedly warmer (bright sunshine with temperatures that got above
freezing) and the Tapeta track was busy. Saturday is gate day and of
course plenty of horses working so as to be able to have sunday off. I
picked up an additional horse to ride this morning (got a call last night
when I was up in Philadelphia) and it literally drug me around the track
for two turns. Its a steeplechase horse getting ready for the new season
(six weeks away I think). Hawty Creek jogged the shed again, she will
start going back to the track on monday. She broke out in hives later,
the vet has now been so hopefully she will be fine! For Tim I rode
Nonpariel and Medi Man. Nonpariel did her first little work, an eighth of
a mile head to head with Quick Quest (with Tim). I was very pleased with
how she did it, I thought she might just stick her head up in the air and
back off the other horse, instead she really stretched out and seemed to
enjoy it. Medi Man went to the gate, just to stand. She was fine. Tim
rode Chesapeake City Slew (he knew I was nervous about that as he may now
decide he likes him so much I won't get to ride him again!) Anyway,
apparently he did like the way he went. Others I rode: Flash went to the
gate, he was to gallop out and then work a quarter down the lane, in
company. He stood well in the gate, when they opened I am not entirely
sure what happened other than I lost my right styrup and he seemed to leep
upwards more so than forwards. Anyway, we recovered relatively quickly
and he actually went very nicely down the lane. Another horse I rode
breezed a half in company, Jesus Bracho was on the other, and on my
inside. Despite the weight I was giving away (and the rail) my horse
actually seemed to work better than then one Jesus was riding. I think
the trainer was a little suprised. I know I was, its very rare my horse
goes better when in company with another horse with a jockey on board!
Update 1388: Barbaro was a little less comfortable last night. I spoke to
Peter Brette briefly this morning. Again, we are reminded this is a long
road. As I know more I will update of course. Hawty Creek just broke out
in hives (I think) so I am off to find a vet.
Update 1387: Horse racing returns to network television for the first time
this year with a two hour show on NBC (4 - 6 pm), the Sunshine Millions.
This is an eight race series held at two race tracks show casing
California- and Florida-bred horses: 7 - 10 races at
Gulfrstream and 2 - 5 races at Santa
Anita. Key runners include Lava Man, Bordonaro and
Sweetnorthernsaint.
The documentary I saw last night as a preview "The First Saturday in May"
was really cool. I will write more about it later (when I am more awake)
but a few initial impressions: the camera work was incredible; the access
these guys had (two brothers who put this together) to six trainers was
incredible; many of the moments they captured were terrific; and we know
the story, Barbaro wins!
Update 1386: I just spoke to Tom who visited Barbaro this afternoon. He
gave him a good grooming and said he was comfortable.
I am still in Philadelphia and now off to watch the preview of the
documentary First Saturday in May.
Update 1385: I just spoke to Peter Brette who let me know that Barbaro had
a comfortable night last night (Thursday night).
updated 2:25pm Friday
Update 1384: It was cold this morning, but we have certainly had colder
days. Tell-tale signs of the cold, frozen water buckets. Anyway, while I
heard a few did go out to the Tapeta track, none of our barn ventured out,
we made good use of our shedrow. Parlo 1 (our barn) is one of the few
barns with a shedrow independent of where the stalls face, so if we
organize ourselves (across multiple trainers) we can actually jog around
the shedrow and get pretty good exercise into the horses. I ended up
shedrowing six horses, two of Tim's (Nonpariel and Chesapeake City Slew),
Hawty Creek, Flash and a couple more. Not a bad morning's work, and since
we did not have the loooong treck to the Tapeta track, we were done in
relative good time (just after 10 am). Anyway, not as cold as I had
anticipated, but maybe that was also because I had about ten layers of
clothes on!
Barbaro updates today may be late, I have to be in Philadelphia for a
retreat and then later I am getting the opportunity to preview "First
Saturday in May" (I think it is called) ... nevertheless, I will try to
get access to the internet when I have updates and post, but if I don't,
you know the reason.
Update 1383: A sign of the times for Maryland racing which is having
trouble competing with other racing jurisdictions without the advantage of
slot money: Pimlico Special
Will Not be Carded in 2007. The Pimlico Special was one of Invasor's
grade 1 wins last year (under Ramon Dominguez). No doubt Philadelphia
Park's recently launch of slot machines, and consequent increase in purses
had an effect, and its likely their purses will increase again in the next
couple of months.
The Jockey Club has announced its 2006 Experimental Free Handicap: Street Sense Tops
Experimental at 127 Pounds. This basically tells us who the Jockey
Club perceives are the best of last year's crop and by how much. Street
Sense 127, Scat Daddy 123, with Circular Quay, Great Hunter, and Nobiz
Like Shobiz at 122. NoBiz worked three quarters yesterday in 1:11 4/5ths!
Racing's focus this weekend is on the Sunshine Millions, an eight race
series run in Florida (Gulfstream Park) and California (Santa Anita) for
Florida and California bred horses. The feature race is the classic: Sweetnorthernsaint will have
to hustle.
Update 1382: Tom visited Barbaro this afternoon. Barbaro was resting, and
looked comfortable. When Barbaro is resting Tom does not disturb him, but
said he looked good. I also spoke to Peter Brette to get his sense of
yesterday's planned procedure and abscess that was drained. He did not
appear concerned about the abscess confirming the tempo of the New Bolton
update overall.
Update 1381: I guess cold weather is coming in, Penn National has
already canceled tonight's card and Aqueduct has canceled
their racing for tomorrow.
For those thinking of Valentine's gifts, how about some special
chocolates ?
Now off to Fair Hill to see if the weather allows me to graze Hawty Creek.
Update 1380: Here is New Bolton's update:
Barbaro doing well after planned procedure:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is doing well after a planned procedure
yesterday. "Barbaro was placed under anesthesia yesterday to have his left
hind foot cast replaced," said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery.
"We also removed the cast on his right hind leg and replaced it with a
custom-fabricated plastic and steel orthotic brace to give his foot
additional support." An abscess near the lateral heel of his right hind
foot was drained, and the brace that was applied will allow more regular
treatment of that foot.
"Barbaro had another smooth pool-recovery and has been comfortable with an
excellent attitude and appetite since then," said Dr. Richardson. "We will
probably replace his left hind foot cast under anesthesia again at least
two or three times at roughly two-week intervals if his comfort is
maintained. We were very pleased with the progress of his left hind foot
since the last cast was applied." In addition, new shoes were placed on
both front feet for additional support.
Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Penn's George D. Widener
Hospital at New Bolton Center.
The next update will be posted on Wednesday, January 31, unless there is a
significant change in Barbaro's condition.
Update 1379: I just spoke to Mrs. Jackson, who visited Barbaro today (one
of her two usual daily visits). Mrs. Jackson reported that Barbaro
remains comfortable with a strong appetite. We had a nice long chat about
the Eclipse awards and Mrs. Jackson was also happy to hear about Hawty
Creek's race over the weekend. We joked that Hawty Creek needs Barbaro's
appetite!
Update 1378: This morning at Fair Hill was pretty quiet. Hawty Creek did
the same as she did yesterday. Jogging in the shedrow for five minutes,
then outside for a walk around. As we were coming back three deer were
grazing just by Steve Klesaris' barn (my route home). I anticipated Hawty
Creek moving into a mad dash ... but she stayed pretty relaxed. The guys
I rode for Tim were the same two (which is nice, switching horses all the
time can be a pain), Nonpariel and Chesapeake City Slew. They both
galloped well. It was pretty chilly this morning, but when the sun did
appear it did feel considerably warmer, although I am not entirely sure
the temperature changed. There is much talk of bad weather coming in for
the next couple of days, which means training may be limited to the
shedrow. We shall see.
The New Bolton update won't be until sometime this afternoon.
Update 1377: Barbaro was the third most popular sports-related search term
for 2006: MySpace
No. 1 Internet search term. I know when I first started following
Barbaro after the Kentucky Derby I ran some google ads and could tell how
popular the search term was even before the Preakness. The day after the
Preakness, at one point google sent 3,000 visits to this site in one hour
... the site then crashed.
The Daily Racing Form includes the following two articles today: Court upholds Texas
anti-slaughter law and California board acts on
drug rules.
Ocean's Apart was fifth on his US debut for Graham Motion and Elite
Racing (Gulfstream 7th
race). This was Elite Racing's first runner in the US, and Tim's mum
is a member.
Update 1376: New Bolton's planned update today on Barbaro is being
postponed until tomorrow. This has happened before, so there is no
worries re: the postponment.
Update 1375: Mrs. Jackson just left a voice-mail, she visited Barbaro last
night and about noon time today. She reported Barbaro remains comfortable
and still himself. A positive message.
update 2:35 pm, wednesday, january 24
Update 1374: It felt quite balmy this morning, although it was really only
in the low 30 degrees. I decided to put the tack on Hawty Creek and jog
her in the shed for a few minutes. We then went outside for a walk
around. She appears well in herself after her race. She is enjoying the
Papaya juice, but I am not sure it is having the necessary effect of
picking up her appetite.
Tim and I took Chesapeake City Slew and Quick Quest to the gate to gallop
them out together. They both galloped out alertly. I am really enjoying
getting on CCS, as I did before he went home for a little break. I also
rode Nonpariel for Tim. Tim is thinking she is ready for a little work on
saturday, so we shall see how she goes. The Tepeta track continues to
serve us well this winter, although it does remain very crowded. All told
there were three spills yesterday ... I had not heard of any today by the
time I had left.
As some of you noted in the comments, Michael Matz was third in terms of
number 1 votes for the best trainer. Apparently the overall ranking has
something to do with second and third place votes too which is why Michael
was not considered a finalist. It was also nice to see Ramon Dominguez
get a few first place votes and the best distance turf horse in North
America also got a first place vote (as did Collier Hill)!
The New Bolton update will most likely be late today. I will also try to
catch up with Tom later today for his update.
Update 1373: Here are the final tally of first place votes for the Eclipse
awards in each category ... notice anything interesting ?
Two-Year-Old Male (Name, First-Place Votes)
Street Sense, 229; Circular Quay, 13; Tiz Wonderful, 11; Nobiz Like
Shobiz, 9; Scat Daddy, 5; Great Hunter, 2; Day Pass, 1; Stormello, 1. No
Abstentions.
Two-Year-Old Filly
Dreaming of Anna, 265; Octave, 3; Boca Grande 1; Point Ashley, 1. Voter
abstentions, 1.
Three-Year-Old Male
Bernardini, 210; Barbaro, 56; Discreet Cat, 4; Jazil, 1. No Abstentions.
Three-Year-Old Filly
Wait a While, 138; Pine Island, 108; Bushfire, 18; Ermine, 3; Lemons
Forever, 1. Voter abstentions, 3.
Older Male
Invasor (ARG), 262; Lava Man, 8; Voter Abstentions, 1.
Older Female
Fleet Indian, 213; Round Pond, 48; Asi Siempre, 4; Gorella (FR) 2; Ouija
Board (GB), 2; Pool Land, 1; Spun Sugar, 1. No Abstentions.
Sprinter
Thor's Echo, 213; Discreet Cat, 39; Henny Hughes, 15; Bishop Court Hill,
1. Bordonaro, 1; Proud Tower Too, 1. Voter Abstentions, 1.
Male Turf Horse
Miesque's Approval, 74; The Tin Man, 69; English Channel, 63; Red Rocks
(IRE), 21; Aragorn (IRE) 19; Showing Up, 12; Lava Man, 7; Ashkal Way
(IRE), 1; Better Talk Now, 1; Collier Hill (GB) ,1. Voter Abstentions, 3.
Female Turf Horse
Ouija Board (GB), 217; Gorella (FR) 35; Wait a While 15. Voter
Abstentions, 4.
Steeplechase Horse
McDynamo, 239; Sur La Tete, 6; Hirapour (IRE) 2; Mixed Up 1; Voter
Abstentions, 23.
Horse of the Year
Invasor (ARG), 228; Barbaro, 21; Bernardini, 16; Lava Man, 3; Ouija Board
(GB) 3. No Abstentions.
Outstanding Owner
Darley Stable, 110 and Lael Stables, 110; Shadwell Stable, 17; Live Oak
Plantation, 13; Maggi Moss, 9; Louis O'Brien, 2; Frank Calabrese, 1;
Robert Cole, Jr., 1; Melnyk Racing Stable, 1; J. Paul Reddam, 1; STD
Racing and Jason Wood, 1; Stronach Stables, 1. Voter Abstentions, 4.
Outstanding Breeder
Adena Springs, 119; Mr. & Mrs. Roy Jackson, 47; Darley, 44; Live Oak
Stud, 24; William S. Farish, 11; Thomas/Lakin, 7; Farnsworth Farms, 3;
WinStar Farm, LLC, 2; Haras Clausan, 1; E. Paul Robsham, 1; Stanley Estate
and Stud Co., 1. Voter Abstentions, 11.
Outstanding Trainer
Todd Pletcher, 194; Kiaran McLaughlin, 29; Michael Matz, 18; Doug O’Neill,
11; Scott Lake, 7; Tom Albertrani, 3; Bill Mott, 3; Scott Blasi, 1; George
Yetsook, 1. Voter Abstentions, 4.
Outstanding Jockey
Edgar Prado, 152; Garrett Gomez, 90; Russell Baze, 14; Julien Leparoux, 7
; Ramon Dominguez, 3; John Velazquez, 3; Fernando Jara, 1. Voter
Abstention, 1.
Apprentice Jockey
Julien Leparoux, 254; Rosie Napravnik, 7; Martin Garcia, 6; Voter
Abstentions, 4.
Voter participation rate: 271/315 = 86%
Update 1372: New Beginnings: The late St. Liam's first foal has been born:
First
foal for deceased champion Saint Liam and Afleet Alex also now has a
foal on the ground: Afleet
Alex's first foal born in Pennsylvania (a PA bred).
University of Delaware wrote a nice short piece on this site: Prof's
'Barbaro watch' web page draws media attention ... which is great
timing as I gear up to teach a couple of classes in the spring semester!
Update 1371: Just spoke to Tom, who visited Barbaro today (tuesday) and
gave him a good grooming. Barbaro remains comfortable, same as yesterday.
Update 1370: Who's Happy was third in her second start this afternoon at
Philadelphia Park. A nice run. She broke a little slowly (she was in the
gate for a while), and was mid pack down the backside. She ran up behind
the leaders at about the 3/8ths pole. She then battled with the second
horse down the lane, beaten a neck for second. She is now cooling out
well.
Update 1369: A couple of great interviews from yesterday's proceedings: Dr. Dean
Richardson and short interview
with the Jacksons ... and a cool article in the LA Times: They
gave Barbaro the chance that also notes the support Barbaro has
received from everywhere!
Update 1368: As I slowly go through the media coverage of last night's
Eclipse awards I wanted to first highlight these two perspectives: Barbaro
eclipses all others and Eclipse
impressions. The latter being my favourite thus far.
Update 1367: Another light morning this morning for me (which was nice, I
am full of cold). Hawty Creek had another day off. Its typical to give a
horse three days off after they race. I may put the tack on her tomorrow
and shedrow her, may not. I had the blacksmith look at her, she hit a
little behind (some small cuts on the pastern). He rasped back the inside
of the hind shoes a little. That should help. I also got her some Papaya
juice ... apparently it helps with a horse's appetite. We will see.
I rode Tim's Chesapeake City Slew and Nonpariel. Both went well, the
former in the company of Quick Quest, the latter with Medi Man, Tim on
both. They all galloped well. The final horse I rode (for someone else)
we call "Flash". Well Flash was a bit fired up coming onto the track. A
couple of horses galloped by us as we jogged forward. He lunged to the
right ... a few horses were walking back on the outside rail ... he
spooked one of them ... and Emily got another taste of the Tapeta surface!
Oh well, all was well, but the track is a little narrow, and we have
plenty of horses training on it, this kind of stuff is inevitable.
Not much Eclipse chatter this morning. A few people asked me what Barbaro
won. Mostly the awards are on too late in the evening for us to pay much
notice.
Tim is on his way to Philadelphia Park to saddle Who's Happy, who runs in the
sixth race this afternoon.
Update 1366: I will have more links and reports from last night's Eclipse
awards later today. Here is my quick assessment of what occured. I
feared Barbaro would not get 3yo or HOTY given the feedback I had heard
from a few who I knew were voting, or knew people who were voting. I am
still convinced he ran the single best race of the year, he prooved
himself on different surfaces and he was only going to improve.
Nevertheless, last year's crop of 3yos was simply outstanding and there
appears a bias towards horses that compete for the entire year. I was a
little more encouraged however before the awards began, both Gary Stevens
and Frank Lyons (?) made solid cases for Barbaro, that was good enough for
me! They also made good cases as to why they should vote, which they
don't.
Also before the awards got started they did a short interview with the
Jackson's ... very cool. After the interview the presenters followed up
with a mention of an article which highlighted Mrs. Jackson's love for
Barbaro, and quoted the end of the article. This led them to essentially
admit that racing is all wrong when if it does not take a stand on anti
horse slaughter. I thought that was good, and pretty bold. It would be
good if TVG would follow up on this.
It was great to see team Barbaro get their award, Edgar get his award and
the Jackson's a joint winner as owner of the year. I thought the
Jackson's would win at least one of the owner / breeder awards. As owners
they campaigned two of the top five three year olds and as breeders they
bred Barbaro and George Washington, pretty amazing.
Anyway, Bloodhorse has a full run
down of all the awards. Later today I will compile some of the more
interesting links. Congratulations to Invasor ...
Update 1365: Tom visited Barbaro this afternoon and gave him a good
grooming. He reported that Barbaro was comfortable "and his normal self".
As we await the Eclipse awards tonight (Bloodhorse.com
will broadcast the results on the internet as they are known) here are
the Japanese equivalent: Deep Impact
Repeats as Japan's Horse of Year ... no surprises there. To continue
on an international theme nominations have been made for the Dubai World
Cup card: World Cup Abuzz
Over Invasor-Discreet Cat Clash. This could shape up to be a great
day's racing, not only with the potential clash of the proven (Invasor)
and potential (Discreet Cat) but with the reappearance of a global star we
have followed: Collier Hill in the Sheema Classic. Also nominated for
that race is the 2006 English Derby winner, the 2006 Melbourne Cup winner
and the 2006 Breeders' Cup Turf winner! Wow!
Dave Bentley was the fourth ex-champion jump jockey who is galloping
around the Tapeta track this winter!
Update 1364: Saturday was adoption day for rescued horses from the MO
accident: Rescued
horses available for adoption.
Three of the ex champion jump jockeys, currently working at Fair Hill,
have been identified: Ricky Hendricks, Chuck Lawrence (both trainers) and
Gus Brown (Graham Motion exercise rider) ... one more to go!
As a quick reminder, the Barbaro update will be late today, after Tom's
visit most likely. Here is an article on tonight's Eclipse awards: Barbaro's
story still drawing wide audience... and Barbaro's broad appeal. The
two stories below the main story are also of interest.
Update 1363: A white morning this morning at Fair Hill. A thin layer of
snow supported by pretty thick fog! The Tapeta track seemed to handle the
snow well. One concern with snow is whether it balls up in the horse's
feet ... this did not seem to happen today on the Tapeta track.
I took three horses to the gate, two of which were Tim's (Chesapeake City
Slew and Nonpariel). They each galloped out of the gate, and did so
nicely. Our gate crew come down from Philadelphia Park so I could ask
them how Hawty Creek was in the gate. Basically she was great. She
seemed a little anxious when being loaded, but once in the gate stood very
well. A good thing considering she had to wait about 4 - 5 minutes! The
trouble behind the gate was caused by the #2 horse, which reared up
causing the saddle to slip. The gate crew had to help readjust the tack.
All in all Hawty Creek could not have been better around the gate under
the circumstances. She appeared in pretty good order this morning. She
ate 4 quarts last night, I was anticipating her hardly eating at all ...
she looks good, and does not appear to have dropped off too much weight.
I just took her out for a pick of grass, and will go back this afternoon
and do the same thing.
Tim's Who's Happy is in the entries for tomorrow, at Philadelphia Park.
Its nice to see some of you trying to answer the question I posed in this
morning's update. Two of the ex-champion jump jockeys have been
identified. I won't reveal which two just yet!
Update 1362: Tonight are the Eclipse Awards, held in Los Angeles,
televised by TVG. We know the Barbaro team will get one award, lets hope
for a couple more. Another Dynaformer is a certainty for the
Steeplechase award: McDynamo set
to eclipse field. This will be his third Eclipse award. Fair Hill
has a few connections to the Steeplechase community. Currently four
ex-champion jump jockeys ply their trade at Fair Hill, two as trainers,
two as exercise riders. I wonder if anyone can name the four ?
Turfway Park canceled its racing on sunday: Turfway Park
Cancels Sunday Racing. They use the Polytrack, but cite the reason
for the cancelation as thus:
Sherry Pinson, Turfway's director of communications, said the cancellation
was due to the condition of area roads that would impact horses shipping
to the track for the afternoon live racing program.
I am assuming the Barbaro update will be late today, after Tom's visit
this afternoon. Off to Fair Hill. Hawty Creek will now have a few days
off after her race, so it will be a nice light few days for me too!
Update 1361: Hawty Creek was third today in her first race for a few
months. She did run well after breaking a little flat-footed (she was the
first loaded in the gate, and they seemed to have some trouble with others
in the gate so she was stood there (well behaved) for a long time). She
sat about 7 - 8 lengths off the pace down the backside, but once she got
into her stride I really thought she had the potential to win the whole
thing. Anyway, she made a nice move and then was swung wide down the lane
... and ultimately finished third beaten about 4 - 5 lengths (I have not
seen the chart yet). If she had come up the rail down the lane instead of
coming wide I think she would likely have been a close second ... but it
was a decision by the jockey which I don't think you can fault at the
time.
The day started by leaving Fair Hill about 7:30 am. We arrived at
Philadelphia Park at about 9 am, twenty minutes to spare (we needed to be
on the grounds by 9:20 am so she could be "pre raced" with lasix). Once
she was in the receiving barn (barn 16) Dave (her owner) and I went to the
cafeteria and hung out. Dave had also hired a guy to run her (lead her
over and cool her out). Since it was cold (25 degrees) I stayed in the
cafeteria reading my book (finished it) for most of the morning. Hawty
Creek gets a little nervous while she waits for her race. With about 30
minutes to go before we need to lead her over Dave and I get her ready
(run down bandages, a quick grooming etc). The guy Dave hired then
arrived and led her over. She acted very professionally from here
onwards. Great in the paddock (and pick of the paddock of course), great
in the post parade and great in the gate.
She seems to have cooled out well and she is now back at Fair Hill. When
we got back I had to muck her stall while Dave walked her a little. We
will see how she is over the next couple of days (make sure her legs are
good and she eats) before making a definitive plan for her next start, but
there are a couple of options in the next condition book.
All in all, a decent return to the races, lets hope she enjoyed the
experience and looks forward to her next venture.
Update 1360: Barbaro remains comfortable. Tom visited for about an hour
this afternoon (sunday afternoon). Hawty Creek exploits update in the
next update.
update, 5:00 pm, sunday, january 21
Update 1359: Hawty Creek is leaving at 7:30 am this morning to head to Philadelphia
Park. Lets hope for some good racing fortune (and possibly a scratch
or two!)
Jazil and Invasor breezed at Belmont on saturday in preparation for races
in Florida: Belmont
breezes for Jazil, Invasor. Declan's Moon, a two year old champion,
is clearly a shadow of his former self: Problems Mount
for Slumping Declan's Moon.
Some very interesting news on the anti horse-slaughter front: Two of three US
horse slaughter plants under threat.
Update 1358: Just spoke to Tom, who visited Barbaro this afternoon and
gave him a good grooming. Barbaro remains comfortable. I had dinner with
Tom and his wife last night. Not only did I get well fed, I listened to
some classic race stories ... and learned that Tom's dad rode Assault to
his Triple Crown triumphs!
Update 1357: Tiz Wonderful is out of Kentucky Derby consideration: Asmussen's
Derby Dreams Shattered by Tiz Wonderful's Injury. According to Steve
Haskin he has rapped a tendon.
Update 1356: Another comfortable night last night for Barbaro (friday
night). Mrs. Jackson just called (noon) after her morning visit.
The weather at Fair Hill was not conducive to training horses this
morning, wind mixed into the colder temperatures. Without the Tapeta
track we likely would have had very limited training. Thanks to the
Tapeta track training was in full swing, with plenty of horses working
(breezing) as is usual for a saturday. I breezed three. All goes well in
the breeze in this type of weather until you hit the head of the stretch
... the wind just about knocks you out of the saddle!
Hawty Creek had her last visit to the track before her race tomorrow (4th
at Philadelphia Park, going off about 1:20 pm). We went round the track
twice, jogging and hacking. It was first set, quite cold, yet peaceful.
One thing you cannot do on this track ... hear your horse's feet hit the
ground. Its cool. I rode Tim's Nonpariel and Chesapeake City Slew. They
both went well.
After I finished galloping we had Hawty Creek shod ... she now has her "go
faster" nike sneakers for her race. I think she is ready ... lets hope!
Update 1355: Ramon Dominguez continues his winning ways at Aqueduct: Dominguez Wins
Five at Aqueduct Friday. Also on friday, NoBiz Like ShoBiz worked
5/8ths in 1:01.4 as he continues to prepare for his first start this year.
I am guessing he will have one more decent work before his 2007 debut,
assuming it is the Holy Bull in early February.
It appears a pretty blustery morning out there this morning, with snow
flurries. Lets hope it is not too cold!
Update 1354: I just spoke to Tom, who visited Barbaro this afternoon and
gave him a good grooming. Tom was upbeat in his assessment of Barbaro.
Update 1353: Here is the NPR story that ran this afternoon on Day to Day:
Loving
Barbaro: A Racehorse and His Fans. Very cool story. This site is
mentioned, Mike Rea was almost
mentioned directly! I also wanted to note that this site has now received
approximately 100,000 comments since May. The discussion
boards have eclipsed 60,000 messages! True testament that Barbaro continues
to be moment of the year. Now off to graze Hawty Creek.
Update 1352: Another comfortable night last night (thursday night) for
Barbaro. Mrs. Jackson just called (1:20 pm) as she was leaving from
visiting Barbaro. She brought his grass which he ate!
update 1:25 pm, friday, january 19
Update 1351: Quite a nice morning weather-wise this morning at Fair Hill.
One signal of less severe weather ... you can see the faces of the riders!
I rode five today, one of my usual mounts was sick. Hawty Creek was early
to the track again, although Barclay Tagg's crew were out there a little
before me. She galloped nicely. I had planned this would be her last
gallop until she runs sunday, but plans are made to change. I am going to
gallop her again tomorrow. I want to make sure she gets some fresh air
into her, sitting in the barn for two days won't do her too much good.
I galloped Tim's Nonpariel. She went well in company with Tim on Medi
Man. I also galloped Chesapeake City Slew, Tim was on Quick Quest an new
horse to his barn. They went well together. Quick Quest was recently
purchased at the Keeneland sale, part of the Dixon dispersal. He is a
decent looking and well bred 3yo. Lets see how he pans out. He was at
Fair Hill before, with Dr. Fisher.
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully, which is a good thing. Aside
from training Hawty Creek tomorrow, she will also have new shoes. It was
touch and go whether she needs to get shod, but given we want all the
advantages we can have for her first start back, new shoes it will be.
Update 1350: The Eclipse awards are monday: Barbaro
in mix for top award. The Barbaro team has already won one award, and
we also know the story has generated two media awards (Mike Jensen and
Dick Jerardi). I predict there will be two more awards for the Barbaro
team on the night. The article does provide the outcome of a poll for
moment of the year:
As further proof of just how much Barbaro has captivated the American
public, the top-three vote-getters for the 2006 NTRA Moment of the Year
were all Barbaro-related.
His recovery received 29% of the voting at ntra.com, the NTRA's website.
Barbaro's Kentucky Derby victory, by the biggest margin in nearly 60
years, was second with 27%, and the Preakness Stakes, in which Bernardini
ran to an impressive victory after Barbaro's injury, was third with 22%.
I am told there will be a story on Barbaro today on NPR on their Day-to-Day
program. At least one Fan of Barbaro was interviewed for this story.
This morning's task re: Hawty Creek, aside from exercising her, is
finalising her jockey. "Scratch time" is 9 am, by which time all rider
assignments need to be complete.
Here is a quick update on Mike Rea: More Good
News.
Update 1349: I just spoke to Tom, who visited Barbaro this afternoon. He
(Tom) groomed him (Barbaro) and was positive in his report. Barbaro
finished up his feed while Tom was grooming him, and Tom also fed him some
carrots and apples.
Update 1348: Update today from New Bolton: Barbaro
continues to gradually improve:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro continues to gradually improve. "Barbaro's
comfort level is improving steadily, and we are gradually tapering off his
pain medication," said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery. "His
vital signs are stable, and his appetite is good."
Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Penn's George D. Widener
Hospital at New Bolton Center.
The next update will be posted on Wednesday, January 24, unless there is a
significant change in Barbaro's condition.
Update 1347: Another chilly morning this morning at Fair Hill, with the
temperatures somewhere in the 20s. The sun came through, but it was not
as bright as it was yesterday. We are expecting some moisture later
today, either snow or rain, but not too much. Hawty Creek was first on
the Tapeta track this morning. As I have stated before, this track is
now handling this little bit of winter we are having very well. It was
like galloping on a good turf track with a thick covering of old turf
under foot. Hawty Creek galloped nicely, likely I will take her out
tomorrow one final time in preparation for her race on sunday.
There is one potential problem with the Tapeta surface ... it hurts when
you fall on it. Emily did today, and she was sore!
Tim's Nonpariel now has hind shoes on. She must be getting close to her
first little work. She galloped around with Medi Man ... at one point she
tried to show off her news shoes, thankfully she missed her target!
Chesapeake City Slew also went to the Tapeta track (as did everything
else) and he also went nicely, just jogging and hacking around twice
slowly. It will be a week or so before he starts some proper galloping.
I ended up riding six, the same six as yesterday.
This afternoon I need to try to sort out a jockey for Hawty Creek on
sunday ... Jesus Bracho may be riding at Laurel (they take entries today
for sunday), and the jockey I thought I could get in Jesus' place may also
be heading to Laurel ... details, details that need to be worked out.
Update 1346: Another comfortable night last night for Barbaro (wednesday
night). Mrs. Jackson just called with the news. She visited briefly this
morning, but Barbaro was sleeping. She will of course be visiting again
later today as is usual.
update 10:55 am, thursday, january 18
Update 1345: This we have been waiting for: Slaughter Bill
Introduced in House, Senate. It includes the following excerpt:
"The time has come to put an end to the practice of slaughtering horses in
America," said Ensign, one of two veterinarians in Congress. "Horses have
an important role in the history of our country, particularly the West,
and they deserve our protection. As a senator and a veterinarian, I am
committed to doing what I can for these magnificent animals."
The Daily Racing Form ran two stories, on two trainers, at very different
stages of their careers: Pete Vestal and Larry Jones. I think
reading both articles allows us to better understand how hard it really is
to compete as a successful racehorse trainer in the modern era of mega
stables, first started by D. Wayne Lucas who himself appears to be on a
pretty major downswing as far as I can tell.
New Bolton is planning a Barbaro update for today.
Update 1344: I just spoke to Tom, the Jackson's farm manager. He visited
Barbaro this afternoon and gave him a good grooming. He was also positive
in his assessment of Barbaro, and fed him a pear.
Rachel, from Kennett Florist, left this comment (timestamp: 8:34 pm):
Things seem well with Big Boss. NBC called this morning to let us know he
needed apples and pears... we love to hear his appitite is strong! So we
loaded him up with crisp apples and pears along with some other of his
favorites and some treats for the staff... Happy staff, Happy horse!
On a side note, while I was at the doctor yesterday, the nurse noticed my
Barbaro wristband and asked how I got involved... it made the time pass
quite nicely; having to sit for 3 hours for an iron infusion... talking
about my favorite subject (next to my 4 year old ofcourse)... Barbaro and
the family he has created.
Thank you all! Our love to our FOB family, the Jackson's, NBC and Alex!
WE BELIEVE!!
Rach at KF
Update 1343: Just returned from Fair Hill and grazing Hawty Creek. She is
in the entries, the fourth race on
sunday at Philadelphia Park. Jesus Bracho is named to ride. He may
not be able to ride, and if that is the case we will try to get K.
Carmouche (I know his agent's wife, and only realised today that I did!)
Tim was at the barn when I was there. He has moved a few horses around.
Real Lace has now gone back to her owner's farm for a break after a nice
and productive fall campaign. In her place (literally in her stall) is
Grandma. Tim also has Lucky in the barn, a horse he is in the process of
breaking, I assume a newly turned 2yo. There is one more newcomer who I
need to get more information on before I post.
A chilly afternoon for grazing a horse, but with a decent bright sky it
was quite pleasant.
Update 1342: Mrs. Jackson just called and confirmed that Barbaro was
comfortable. She visited Barbaro this morning. Barbaro was laying down
when she arrived. Barbaro heard Mrs. Jackson and was straight to his
feet. He "inhaled" the grass Mrs. Jackson brought with her. Mrs. Jackson
also noted he is now bearing more weight on his left hind, clearly
expressing more comfort doing so.
Update 1341: Peter Brette just called. Another comfortable night for
Barbaro last night. He had heard from Michael, who had received a call
from Dr. Richardson.
update 2:20 pm, wednesday, january 17
Update 1340: A chilly, yet lovely morning this morning at Fair Hill. Once
the sun got up it was a nice crisp and dry day. The main dirt track is
now closed so all training is on the Tapeta surface, which again seems to
be handling the traffic and weather well. The surface is excellent. The
track was busy, it was another gate day (I had two to the gate) which
added to the potential for a little chaos.
Hawty Creek galloped about a mile and a half the first set. The only time
I got a little cold, especially my hands. The key with your hands in the
winter is to try to keep them buried in the horse's neck. This works
unless the horse starts pulling. Hawty Creek can pull a little! The two
I rode for Tim, Nonpariel and Chesapeake City Slew, both went well. The
two I took to the gate a little later both popped out of the gate quite
nicely. All in all a good, if not a little chilly, morning's work.
Update 1339: Steve Haskin compiles his first list of leading contenders
for the Kentucky Derby: Kentucky Derby
Trail: Takin' it to the Street. Based on 2yo form the top three picks
seem to be right on. Of course things will start to change as the Derby
prep-preps begin. This is around the beginning of February. I thought I
would look at Steve Haskin's picks last year, closer to the Derby: Steve Haskin's Derby
Dozen. Barbaro was picked number six, with some interesting comments:
If he and Matz pull this off, they deserve every accolade they receive.
On the Breeding front (which is in full swing now for the northern
hemisphere) a couple of pieces of news around the world: Deep Impact
Ready for Stallion Duty in Japan and Ghostzapper's
First Foal Is a Colt.
Off to Fair Hill, it does appear to be cold this morning.
Update 1338: Dr. Kathy Anderson visited Barbaro late this afternoon. She
was visiting during Mrs. Jackson's second visit for the day. Barbaro was
eating his grass during the visit. Kathy said Barbaro was bright-eyed and
appeared comfortable. She was happy. The last time she visited was
saturday after his procedure when he appeared "tired" (update 1324), she
noticed improvement during today's visit.
Update 1337: New Bolton's update for today: Barbaro
stable and comfortable following setback:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is stable and comfortable following the
latest setback. "Barbaro's comfort improved considerably following the
procedure on Saturday morning," said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of
Surgery. "He has been standing and moving around his stall well enough
that sling support has not been added since. His appetite has improved and
his vital signs are stable. Overall, we are pleased with his progress
following the setback to his left hind foot."
Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Penn's George D. Widener
Hospital at New Bolton Center.
The next update will be posted on Thursday, January 18, unless there is a
significant change in Barbaro's condition.