Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

A Note from the Other Side....

Thoroughbred Champion Barbaro Euthanized

Monday, January 29, 2007

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his gruesome breakdown at last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that prompted an outpouring of support across the country.

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Barbaro & jockey Edgar Prado win the 2006 Kentucky Derby

"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time."

A series of ailments, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, proved too much for the gallant colt.

Barbaro battled in his ICU stall for eight months. The 4-year-old colt underwent several procedures and was fitted with fiberglass casts. He spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted and was fitted at the end with an external brace. These were all extraordinary measures for a horse with such injuries. The news that Barbaro had been euthanized first was reported on the Thoroughbred Times Web site.
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Barbaro with jockey Edgar Prado Veterinarians study Barbaro's X-Ray