By Pete Denk and Mike Curry
When Barbaro circled the leaders on the far turn of the 2006 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and galloped to a 6½-length victory, the winning margin was fifth largest in the Derby's 132-year history, and the Dynaformer colt became the sixth undefeated Derby winner, a feat most recently accomplished by 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and 2004 Derby winner Smarty Jones.
His performance captured the hearts and imaginations of racing fans and awed fellow trainers, who joined fans and media in anointing Barbaro a potential Triple Crown winner.
Those hopes were lost in heart-wrenching fashion when Barbaro suffered a series of catastrophic fractures to his right hind leg just after the start of the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course in front of 118,402 shocked fans, the largest Preakness crowd ever.
Vanned to the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Barbaro received state of the art treatment, and against probability survived for more than eight months, for a while fueling hopes that he could one day become a stallion and his progeny give a glimpse of what the racing world lost that day in Baltimore.
However, the development of acute laminitis in his unbroken left hind leg in July ultimately led to the colt’s death, as his right hind foot developed an abscess and his front feet began to succumb to laminitis late Sunday and early Monday morning.
After consulting with Barbaro's doctor, Dean Richardson, D.V.M., chief of surgery at Penn’s veterinary school, breeders/owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson decided to humanely euthanize Barbaro on Monday morning.
“At least he’s out of his damn stall now, and running around with Secretariat I hope,” said Gretchen Jackson, who continued bringing fresh cut grass to Barbaro until his death.
Breeding and connections
Barbaro was born on April 29, 2003, at Bill Sanborn's Sanborn Chase Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky. He was by the top class Kentucky sire Dynaformer, a multiple Grade 2 winning son of Roberto who set track records at Aqueduct for 1 1/8 miles and at Keeneland Race Course for 1½ miles on the turf.
Known for passing on stamina and soundness, Dynaformer also had a reputation as a sire of turf horses. It was a label that would also be placed on Barbaro until his Derby victory.
The Jacksons purchased Barbaro's dam, the Carson City mare La Ville Rouge, from Maycroft Farm during her juvenile season after she finished second in the Tempted Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct on November 3, 1998. Although by a renowned sire of sprinters, La Ville Rouge placed in four graded stakes at distances between eight and 11 furlongs on dirt and turf.
Bloodstock agent Kathee Ringert, based at Fair Hill, tipped the couple off that the La Ville Rouge was available. Lael Farm was becoming less of a full-time operational farm at the time as the Jacksons concentrated more time to racing and building a broodmare band.
“We’ve tried all along to find horses with a good-enough family,” Gretchen said. “[Ringert] just knew of her as a two-year-old that was up for sale.”
Barbaro, who raced for the Jackson’s Lael Stables, was a well-balanced foal and a standout from the start. John and Jill Stephens, who handled the breaking of Barbaro in Florida, called almost weekly with praise for the colt.
“We’d go down to see the two-year-olds down at John’s farm and from the time Barbaro was a yearling in Kentucky to the time we saw him as a two-year-old, he really blossomed,” Gretchen Jackson said. “There were many horses of ours that we really liked, horses that we bred and thought were really nice-looking horses, but I want to think that he might have been a little bit nicer than all of them.”
When trainer Michael Matz received Barbaro, he could tell the colt had talent but he was not sure how much.
Matz, born on January 23, 1951, was a three-time Olympic equestrian and silver medal winner for America at the 1996 Atlanta games.
In July, 1989, ABC News honored Matz as its person of the week after he survived the July 19 crash of United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa, and helped as many as 12 other people to safety. Matz and his wife Dorothy were among the 185 survivors of the crash that killed 111 people.
Matz began training Thoroughbreds in 1996 and won his first graded stake when Lady Dora won the Pebbles Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park. Before Barbaro, Matz’s best horse and only Grade 1 winner was Kicken’ Kris, winner of the 2003 Secretariat Stakes (G1) and 2004 Arlington Million Stakes (G1).
After Barbaro’s Derby victory, Matz described what he thought made him special.
“He had that will to win, and the heart, and the ability to go with it,” Matz said. “Whatever we asked him to do, he did. I couldn’t find anything he couldn’t do. He was just a delight to have and I’ve got so many letters [from fans]. Not to look at what he could have done, but thank God I had him for the time I did have him and what he did accomplish.”
A smashing start
Barbaro made his racetrack debut as a two-year-old at Delaware Park on October 4, 2005. Entered in a maiden special weight at one mile on the turf, Barbaro, at 7.50-to-1 odds, resisted loading into the gate. When the race started, Barbaro and jockey Jose Caraballo broke well from the ninth post position and chased the leader for about five furlongs before taking over on the second turn.
Hitting the six-furlong mark in 1:12.21 with a one-length lead, Barbaro finished in 1:35.87 with an 8½-length lead.
“He was pretty impressive in his first start, and he never looked back after that,” Matz said.
Barbaro jumped into stakes company in his second start on November 19 in the $125,000 Laurel Futurity, a 1 1/16-mile turf race. With Caraballo aboard again, Barbaro virtually replicated his debut race, sitting second before exploding past the leader near the 5/16 pole and drawing off to an eight-length win. Diabolical, an Artax colt who had finished third in the Nashua Stakes (G3) and would join Barbaro in the starting gate in the Preakness six months later, was the distant runner-up.
Barbaro had pressed a six-furlong fraction of 1:10.83 and finished in 1:40.17, impressive time for a turf horse of any age. As he would do in every race until his last, Barbaro toyed with his competition, sitting second early on, cruising up to the leader somewhere on the second turn, and then going by when his jockey asked.
After the Laurel race, the Jacksons turned down a $5-million offer to buy Barbaro. Daily Racing Form columnist Andy Beyer later wrote that, “Some people who watched the Maryland-based youngster win the Laurel Futurity in November wondered if he might be the most talented Thoroughbred on the planet.”
Barbaro made his three-year-old debut on January 1 in Calder Race Course's $100,000 Tropical Park Derby (G3) and received a new jockey in Edgar Prado, who would ride him for the rest of his career. Barbaro was sent off as the wagering favorite for the first time at .40-to-1 in the field of 12 going 1 1/8 miles on the grass.
Barbaro sat second until the eighth pole, where he responded to Prado's urging and pulled away from the field to win by 3 ¾ lengths in 1:46.65.
Turf to dirt
Barbaro had unlimited potential on turf, but his connections wanted to find out if they had a Triple Crown prospect, so Matz pointed him for the $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) on February 4. The nine-furlong dirt race was the first of a trio of nine-furlong Triple Crown prep races held at Gulfstream Park, highlighted by the $1-million Florida Derby (G1).
“We’ve taken our time with him,” Matz said prior to his Holy Bull victory. “Physically, he was ready before, but mentally, he had a lot of growing up to do. He’s a big horse, well-mannered. He’s a kind horse, nice to be around. He’s a lot of horse, though, and you can’t just have anyone ride him.”
Remsen Stakes (G2) runner-up Flashy Bull was making his sophomore debut, but the race did not attract any other top Derby prospects. Rain made the track sloppy, but Barbaro again broke well and chased the pace from second.
Barbaro opened up a 1½-length lead in the stretch and hung on for a ¾-length win over Great Point, an unaccomplished Point Given colt who was closing ground on Barbaro at the wire. Barbaro had passed his initial dirt test easily, but he was not as impressive as he had been in his turf races, fueling the theory that Barbaro was more of a turf horse.
Matz decided to skip the March 4 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and trained Barbaro up to the Florida Derby on April 1. Questions remained as it would be Barbaro's first start over a fast dirt track, and he drew the tenth post position, a terrible gate going 1 1/8 miles on Gulfstream Park's new main track.
Swale Stakes (G2) winner Sharp Humor broke from the fourth post position and sprinted to the early lead. Barbaro bobbled at the start and bumped with Charming Image to his inside, but he recovered quickly and emerged from a pack of horses to take second while three wide around the first turn.
Barbaro chased from second while under a hold from Prado. He moved at Sharp Humor around the second turn, but the Distorted Humor colt fought back and put his head in front. The two colts battled the length of the stretch, with Barbaro wearing Sharp Humor down inside the final sixteenth to win by a comfortable half length.
It was Barbaro's smallest margin of victory, but he had won on a fast dirt track for the first time, and he had done it from a bad post position, overcoming potential trouble at the start, and winning a prolonged stretch battle over a game opponent.
On to Louisville
With those five career races under his belt, Barbaro would train up to the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1). No horse had won the Derby off of a five-week layoff since Needles won the 1956 Florida Derby and then the Kentucky Derby six weeks and one day later.
Matz was asked about the layoff repeatedly during the Derby week buildup, but he rigidly stuck to his plan.
“For the life of me, other than there were no trials five weeks away from the race, I didn’t know what the whole commotion was about,” Matz said.
Barbaro showed up in Louisville even better and stronger than he was in Florida, working four furlongs in :46.00 on the Saturday before the Derby, best of 69 drills at the distance.
The 132nd Derby drew 20 horses, and it was perceived as a tough, deep field. Barbaro was sent off as the 6.10-to-1 second choice, with Illinois Derby (G2) winner Sweetnorthernsaint the 5.50-to-1 favorite.
“I know it was the Kentucky Derby and everything, but if he had gotten beaten I would have been heartbroken,” said Peter Brette, assistant to Matz and Barbaro’s exercise rider every morning.” I just couldn’t see him getting beat, everything up to that day went perfect and he just felt superb.”
Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Brother Derek came to Louisville a winner of five in a row, including a victory over 2005 two-year-old champion male Stevie Wonderboy. The other top contenders included Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) winner Bob and John, Arkansas Derby (G2) winner Lawyer Ron, Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Sinister Minister, and Barbaro's undefeated stablemate, Lexington Stakes (G2) winner Showing Up, among others.
In front of 157,536 roaring fans, the second largest Derby crowd ever, Barbaro stumbled out of his eight post position but quickly righted himself and bumped with Bob and John. Barbaro deftly move up to fourth place and secured a three-wide spot around the first turn.
While Keyed Entry and Sinister Minister dueled through fractions of :46.07 and 1:10.88, Barbaro was running easily in the clear right behind them, just outside of Showing Up. Sinister Minister took the lead briefly midway around the far turn, but Barbaro cruised past him with little or no urging from Prado.
Other horses were moving behind Barbaro, but he immediately burst to a three-length lead at the top of the stretch. With only hand urging from Prado, Barbaro galloped to a 6½-length win.
“That was probably one of the happiest moments of my life; it’s exhilarating, it’s the best,” Gretchen Jackson recalled. “It was almost dangerous. We barely saw the horse cross the finish line before they were whisking us away and telling us to get going. We didn’t get a chance to see him gallop out, no replay, no nothing. We went through boiler rooms and all sorts of things to get out there. We might have been taken in the men’s room for all I know.”
It was Barbaro's best race yet, and his final quarter of :24.34 looked as effortless as his first.
“It was as close to poetry in motion as I’d ever sat on, that probably sums it up better than anything,” Brette said. “I think the Kentucky Derby was just the beginning of it, there was so much more to come. Unfortunately, people see the Kentucky Derby as the end of Barbaro, but it was only the beginning of what he was about to achieve. He was just coming into himself then, you know.
“As time went by he was going to get better; his pedigree suggested that and his conformation always suggested that as well.”
Tragedy at Preakness
Following the Derby, Matz only allowed Barbaro to work once, a two-minute lick followed by a two-furlong breeze two days before the Preakness. Matz said he saw no signs of the impending breakdown.
“He didn’t need anything. He was fit,” Matz said. “I don’t have any regrets. It was just an unfortunate situation that happened at the Preakness.”
The Preakness field numbered nine, and the only Derby also-rans taking another shot at Barbaro were dead-heat fourth-place finisher Brother Derek and seventh-place Sweetnorthernsaint.
Barbaro, the .50-to-1 Preakness favorite, busted through the gate prematurely and ran about 50 yards before being pulled up. He was promptly reloaded.
When the race started, Barbaro broke slowly and bore in on Brother Derek. Barbaro was working his way into the race while between horses when his right hind leg broke, producing a loud pop that several jockeys in the race reported hearing.
Prado pulled Barbaro up in front of the grandstand as Matz, assistant trainer Peter Brette, and the Jacksons rushed down. The field was going around the first turn and onto the backstretch, but most eyes at Pimlico were on Barbaro, who was fighting for his life with a broken sesamoid, condylar fracture to his cannon bone, and a long pastern that had shattered into more than 20 pieces.
Barbaro was in visible pain as his human connections scurried to stabilize the strong-bodied colt and load him onto a horse ambulance. Overshadowed by the incident was a breakthrough 5 ¼-length win by Darley Stable’s Bernardini, who ran the 1 3/16 miles in a fleet 1:54.65.
Barbaro was taken to the barn area, and then driven 80 miles to New Bolton. Richardson operated on Barbaro the next day, inserting 27 screws, a titanium plate, and a bone graft into the broken leg.
"I've been in racing for 24 years and Sunday [after the Preakness] was the first time I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning,” Brette said just days after the tragic breakdown. “It was cruel.”
A national following
There was a flood of public interest in Barbaro's condition, and the Preakness tragedy was a major national story for news agencies that normally only give the sport bare bones coverage. When Richardson conducted a press conference after the first surgery, nearly 100 media members were present.
For six weeks, Barbaro's recovery process went well, but he developed a slight fever and appeared uncomfortable in his hind legs around July 1. After a series of setbacks, Barbaro developed acute Laminitis in his left hind foot on or around July 11.
“It was pretty bad, so bad that we all went into that ICU with the idea that it might be the last time we saw Barbaro standing up in his stall,” Gretchen Jackson said. “As Dean was telling us what his chances were — and it was not a pretty picture, it was under 20% chance of making it or under 10%, it was a really diminished chance for this horse — Barbaro was standing there looking at us as if he was part of the conversation. His ears were up, he’s looking, he’s bright, you’d never think he was sick or anything.”
Richardson resected the hoof wall on the morning of July 12, cutting away 80% of Barbaro's left hind hoof and removing the dead laminae that connects to the coffin bone. Richardson's hope was that Barbaro could regrow the hoof, a process that he originally estimated would take about six months.
It would be essential that Barbaro avoid all further setbacks during his bout with laminitis, and amazingly, the colt made slow but steady progress.
In late 2006, the fracture in Barbaro’s right hind leg was healing well and no longer the major concern. There was even talk of moving the colt out of New Bolton to a less intensive care facility or horse farm, but a major setback ensued.
Scott Morrison, D.V.M., equine podiatry specialist at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, was called in to examine Barbaro’s left hind foot on December 19 and then again on January 3 when he applied a new cast to try to stabilize the laminitic foot.
Morrison observed that Barbaro was yet to show any hoof regrowth on the medial side of his left hind foot. Morrison also noted something Richardson had observed previously – Barbaro was a tough horse with a fighting spirit.
“He’s a tough horse, and a strong, tough horse is what it takes to pull through stuff like this,” Morrison said.
One week later on January 10, New Bolton issued a press release stating that Barbaro became acutely uncomfortable on the laminitic foot the previous night, prompting veterinarians there to remove his cast. After discovering a new separation of the inside portion of the hoof, they removed damaged tissue.
By using pain medication and a weight-bearing sling, the doctors at New Bolton kept Barbaro stable for another two weeks, but he developed a deep subsolar abscess in his right hind foot around January 25.
When his front feet began to deteriorate in the following days, the decision was made to euthanize Barbaro.
Recognition
Barbaro finished second to Bernardini in Eclipse voting for champion three-year-old male and second behind Invasor (Arg) for Horse of the Year, but his connections received several awards, including a Special Eclipse Award for the Jacksons, Richardson, and New Bolton.
“This award I feel is not really for us, but it’s for Barbaro,” Roy Jackson said in his acceptance speech at the Eclipse Awards.
The Jackson shared the award for outstanding owner with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Darley operation, which bred and owned Bernardini. The couple was also a finalist for outstanding breeder. Prado won the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey.
The Turf Publicists of America awarded Richardson with the Big Sport of Turfdom Award in recognition of his media accessibility during the ordeal.
The staff at Thoroughbred Times voted Barbaro newsmaker of the year.
Lasting impact
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Barbaro saga was his impact on fans, the sport, and the Thoroughbred industry since his tragic breakdown. Off the track, Barbaro has become far more unifying and inspirational than he ever could have become by winning races.
The Jacksons were amazed and humbled by the tremendous outpouring of get-well cards and gifts that flooded the New Bolton Center and packed their mailbox.
Barbaro developed a cult-like following of supporters who have flooded the message board at Fair Hill trainer Tim Wooley’s website since he began giving daily Barbaro updates after the Preakness.
The couple was also stunned by the scope and longevity of Barbaro’s impact.
“There have been quite a few people that have cancer, that are terminally ill and expressed a desire to see him before they die,” Gretchen Jackson said. “It’s very touching that he means that much to them.”
Corinne Sweeney, D.V.M, executive director of the New Bolton Center’s George D. Widener Hospital for large animals and the Jacksons hope that Barbaro’s story has helped increase awareness of both casual fans and those in the Thoroughbred industry.
“When a horse gets hurt it’s more than humbling, it hurts very deeply for a long time,” Gretchen Jackson said. “I don’t think Roy and I will ever get over that moment or anything as far as forgetting about it, but as far as taking the energy we would have had from winning that race or winning the Triple Crown and to use it to be supportive of horses and fellow horsemen, that’s what we’re hoping that we can do, and certainly we feel that Barbaro is the leader, he’s the one who has drawn attention to it, so we hope that we can follow him and be supportive.”
“Barbaro probably caused me to care more about horses and love horses more than I did previously, and I thought horses had been my lifetime,” she continued. “I know our awareness has sure been sharpened to the general plight of the horse from the anti-slaughter legislation to the workmen that work with horses to track conditions to retirement farms to the whole gamut of the horse work in America. He’s done that for us, tuned us in to being more supportive of horses.”
Since his breakdown, California has made installation of all-weather surfaces mandatory and other tracks are following suit.
“I guess over time, I’ve become convinced that a great more positive has come even though he got injured than if he had won the Triple Crown,” Roy Jackson said in December. “It’s almost like for some reason, this was supposed to play out this way for the betterment of horses and racing and for what it’s done for people.
I think that’s what’s made it easier for us, seeing that the press has been really positive and educational to the general public, and the public has been so supportive and positive. When I look back on the whole thing, I can’t see much that has been negative,” Roy Jackson continued. “I can’t really think of anything that has come out of it that is negative.”
Pete Denk is a staff writer for Thoroughbred Times
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times daily news editor