The World Says Good-bye to Barbaro

I was saddened to hear that Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday morning after complications resulting from the injuries he suffered during the Preakness Stakes last May. The horse's right leg was infected with laminitis last July, and doctors have been performing a series of surgeries to save it.

Barbaro had been doing well in December when doctors removed the cast from his foot and the horse's owners were hopeful that Barbaro would be able to return to his home stable in Pennsylvania. But Barbaro suffered a setback over the weekend, and despite two surgeries, vets decided it would be too painful to continue treatments. The folks at Churchill Downs are offering a burial place for him at their site in Kentucky.

Fatality Overshadows Breeder’s Cup

One of the most disturbing sports stories this year has been the number of injuries and fatalities occurring among racehorses. While much of the focus was on the Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Height, IL (a suburb of Chicago), where 22 horses were either injured or euthanized this summer, other racetracks have seen their share of tragedy too.

One of those racetracks is Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Yesterday, Pine Island was euthanized shortly a collision on the track at Churchill Downs during the Breeder’s Cup. The accident left the horse with a dislocated left front ankle which broke the skin and caused an infection in her bloodstream, according to a Fox Sports news story. The jockey, Javier Castellano, was thrown from the horse but was not seriously injured. He later rode Bernadini to a second-place finish in the $5 million Classic.

In related news, Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner who suffered multiple fractures in his leg at the Preakness last May, is expected to have the cast removed from his foot later this week. That is another positive sign that Barbaro is taking another step toward recovery, although vets say he still has a long way to go.