By Michael Burns and Steve Bailey

Eclipse Award-winning jockey Edgar Prado, who rode Barbaro to Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) glory and then pulled him up and helped save his life after a catastrophic breakdown in the Preakness Stakes (G1), said the colt’s death is a huge blow for the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

Prado, in Peru with his family to recognize the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death and to compete in an international jockey challenge, said that although he knew Barbaro’s situation was grim, the news of his death was hard to take.

“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.”

Prado’s mother, Zenaida, died from cancer in Peru last January, just one day after gaining permission to come to the United States for treatment. Prado dedicated his emotional victory in the Derby to her and was excited by the prospect of riding a potential Triple Crown winner.

Those dreams came to an abrupt end two weeks later when Barbaro shattered his right rear leg in the opening furlong of the Preakness. Many praised Prado for quickly shifting his weight and bringing the horse to a complete stop before further damage could be done to the broken limb.

Photos of a despondent Prado, watching helplessly as the horse was attended to on the track, displayed to the world in heartbreaking detail exactly how much the four-year-old Dynaformer colt meant to the 39-year-old Peru native.

Prado said Thoroughbred racing fans lost just as much as he did when Barbaro was euthanized on Monday at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

“I think it was a big blow, not only for the connections and for myself, but for the whole racing industry—especially the breeders, because horses like that don’t come around too often.”

Michael Burns is a South American correspondent of Thoroughbred Times

Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times