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

[Jemian]

I don't gamble, but I watch horse racing. Horses, IMO, are the most majestic and noble of all of God's creatures. Gambling is NOT the only reason for horse racing.

[carton253]

Well that's part of it of the races. You theorized that you could have only one horse in the Belmont under my scenario. I'm saying... no...history of the race doesn't show that to be true... and... the most exciting TC races are the ones where the rivalry extends through all three races.

[Lemondropkid31]

My mom is watching TVG and they are saying there that they are going to put a plate and multiple screws in his leg. The surgery is tomorrow.

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't watch a lot of horse racing, some years, just the TC races. But I have had horses most of my life, and know when one is hurt.

I got hostile not because I disagreed on the injury, but rather because I disagreed on the blame game.

[ecurbh]

IF the schedule is part of the test... then why should some horse get to skip that part?

The schedule ~is~ part of "the test", but the "the test" is not required! Only those horses/trainers that choose to try for the Triple Crown need to run all three races. If you skip a race, you aren't taking "the test".

[Lemondropkid31]

Ok, so you have two horses in the Belmont. So what? Anyone winning the Triple Crown like that is going to have question marks by his name.

[Rte66]

An AP story I just read that can't be copied here said that Steve Wolfson saw Barbaro break at the gate the first time and knew there would be no Triple Crown winner this year.

He called it the "kiss of death." His father owned Affirmed, the last Triple Crown winner, 1978.

[Admin Moderator]

Lose the tagline.

[carton253]

I doubt if you implement my scenario, you would only have one horse enter the Belmont. If that were true, the Affirmed would have raced by himself...and so would have Smarty Jones, et al... but guess what... horses that raced in the other two races showed up to race one more time.

But you are still missing my point. So, I will bow to your superior knowledge about what trainers and owners would do under my scenario.

[OldFriend]

I think it was an Arkansas horse. I can't think of the name of the horse. It's driving me crazy too.

[HairOfTheDog]

We get your point.... We just don't agree it makes for a better race.

[carton253]

That's the best argument I've heard on why all they should be entered into the races individually... But please address my point about the severeness of the schedule being part of the Triple Crown as well. That's all I'm talking about. There's a huge difference in a horse going three times in five weeks than a horse maybe going once in the same five weeks. That's all I'm saying.

[Lemondropkid31]

I remember that. I am trying to remember. I believe Julie Krone was riding him. Prarie Biou? Spelling is way off there

[Rte66]

I had *accidentally* fallen asleep for a short nap, although I wanted to watch all the coverage from the start. I woke up at the very moment the leg snapped, but was too groggy to get the gist of what happened for a few minutes.

Thought I was watching a replay and had missed the whole race, but it was still going on. I think I even sleep-posted. (Take that, Patrick Kennedy!)

At any rate, that was the break heard round the world, even in my sleep.

[carton253]

Uh-oh! Reinforcements from the Hobbit Threads. I better yield the field before more of you show up! Retreat here may be the better part of valor! :)

[marajade]

Will the horse live? Is that what its about now? Saving the horse? How sad.

[carton253]

Really? Just two horses? Well... we really don't know the answer to that, do we?

[grellis]

IF the schedule is part of the test... then why should some horse get to skip that part?

But the schedule is NOT, which is why you never see the same field of horses in all three races. It's like tennis, only with a tighter scedule. Some players do well at Wimbledon but consistently fail at the US Open. IIRC, Ivan Lendl even skipped Wimbledon one year because he always performed so poorly there. Should that have DQ'd him from the French, where he always kicked ass? What about golfers?

Three distinct races. Not one.

[Rte66]

"The blame game" - I was the first one who posted about possible sabotage. But then, I was sleep-posting, so I have an excuse.

[marajade]

You could tell the horse didn't want to run before the race. And the gate thing. Why did they insist on bringing him back to the gate? I would've pulled him right there.