Triple Crown hopeful Barbaro loses... Seriously injured during race

http://www.preakness.com/ ^

[HairOfTheDog]

Post Position	Silks	Horse Name	Trainer	Jockey	Morning Line
1	(NA)	LIKE NOW (Picture NA)	Kiaran McLaughlin	Garrett Gomez	19-1
2		PLATINUM COUPLE	Joseph Lostritto	Jose Espinoza	28-1
3		HEMINGWAY'S KEY	Nick Zito	Jeremy Rose	30-1
4		GREELEY'S LEGACY	George Weaver	Richard Migliore	38-1
5		BROTHER DEREK	Dan Hendricks	Alex Solis	7-2
6		BARBARO	Michael Matz	Edgar Prado	1-2
7		SWEETNORTHERNSAINT	Michael Trombetta	Kent Desormeaux	6-1
8		BERNARDINI	Thomas Albertrani	Javier Castellano	17-1
9		DIABOLICAL	Steve Klesaris	Ramon Dominguez	24-1

[Rhiannon]

Some horses run until they are 10 years old.Start to slow down at that time. My TB is 27 and can still go at racing speed. Just not long. Great horses are generally retired by 5 yrs so they can have a sucessfull career at stud. No need to take a chance by that time and they have won all that is out there.
Geldings are raced longer since no chance of breeding. Mares also get retired for breeding purposes

[prisoner6]

I think if it happened to an "ordinary" horse...an even temepred saddle horse...even serious braeks like this have been healed to the point where the horse can live out it's life fairly comfortably.

IIRC they drug 'em up..hang 'em in a sling and eventually set them up with some kind of splint that takes the pressure off the fetlock area while the mending takes place.

But it's one thing to do that to a "common" horse, quite another to do it on a high strung horse that just wants to run.

So Sad.

prisoner6

[the invisib1e hand]

has PETA weighed in on this yet?

[onyx]

The day I won the lottery, I'll buy Kentucky. :)

[onyx]

WIN -- not won, or I'd already own KY. :)

[connectthedots]

What exactly do you mean, "just a horse"??!! What's wrong with you?

I meant exactly what I said. There is nothing wrong with me.

You don't think someone saying they are so physically sickened that they won't be eating tonight is going overboard?

If it wasn't for gambling, there wouldn't be horse racing and horses wouldn't be injured in this manner. I have no personal problem with horse racing, and i could understand the owners, trainer, rider and those close to the horse being phyically sickened, but not many beyond that. It's part of the risks of the sport.

[connectthedots]

Post 346 was meant for you

[marajade]

I actually feel bad for the horse and was really upset about it. But to cancel dinner plans?

[AnAmericanMother]

Actually, I did pretty well with a QH (7/8th T'bred) that had a VERY long racing record - and he was 85th percentile and no slowpoke. He had his first start at 2, gelded at 4, raced until he was 6. I don't remember the exact number of starts now, but it was pretty scary.

He was sound as a dollar from the time my trainer picked him up until he was eventually turned out to pasture at age 22, and cossetted by two teenage twin girls until the day of his death. I showed him and he did very well. A tall, skinny chestnut T'bred with a Roman nose and an attitude. He tended to loaf around, but if you lifted the reins on him he still had a breathtaking turn of speed for 100 yards or so. And he could do his everies, so he was one hundred percent sound.

[HairOfTheDog]

Pin firing worked for years when there wasn't anything better. Because the lower leg is more bone and ligament than flesh it does not have a good blood supply, creating a soft tissue injury increases blood flow to the area and allowed them to heal.

[Lemondropkid31]

Somebody on one of my horse racing forums is watching TVG, and she said that Frank Lyons, who is a trainer and VERY good at noticing talent, at least on TV, said that Sweetnorthernsaint did bump Barbaro a bit just before he broke down, but didn't think that was the cause. He thinks, from watching it in slow motion (and they break things down on TVG to the point of nauseum) that he took a bad step. I tend to think he may have slipped a bit because of the sudden move to the right he took, but I could be mistaken.

[Wolfstar]

I know, you seem to think you know everything there is to know immediately and without being there...

Not at all. I only know what I saw. Period. No need to get huffy just because my opinion is harsher than yours about what happened and about the safety record of the sport.

Ruffian, Go For Wand, Barbaro and so many, many others. Somewhere along the line I stopped seeing it as a sport and started seeing it as something cruel. If you find objection in that, just chalk it up to my shattered illusions and let it go.

[Lemondropkid31]

Why are you here. Why can't you leave us alone. You are being as bad as the nuts who hate Bush going into the Daily Dose. You are here just to rile us up. Why don't you go home and go to bed.

[HairOfTheDog]

The trick is if the foot doesn't work, it doesn't get enough circulation. As soon as can be possible, the horse needs to move.

[Diddle E. Squat]

It's sad that Barbaro is injured, but it is just a horse.

Somehow I bet that statement doesn't go over well on this thread. Would you happen to be a New Mexico priest?

Family Suing Over Hell Prediction at Funeral

[OldFriend]

I understand the shock of seeing this accident. However, I also thank g-d, that no jockey was injured today. No jockey was thrown and broke his neck or back. No jockey was paralyzed.

This is a dangerous sport at times and it's good to keep in perspective that accidents happen at tracks every day at every track.

[Lemondropkid31]

Ok, I can see that. But wouldn't letting them rest for a few months help too?

[PerConPat]

Riva lived to breed and have kids, but I think he was plagued with stomach problems that eventually killed him, if I remember right.

<Riva lived until 1985 when he was felled by a heart problem.

[carton253]

I just came to the thread, but I guess the issue is blood supply to the foot. If the blood supply is compromised, they will have to put him down. Such a beautiful animal... it's a shame.