Railbird 2004–2019

Horses Archive

Remembering Ruffian

With ABC’s Ruffian movie scheduled to air this Saturday, the magnificent filly is very much on racing fans’ minds. Here’s a reminder of what was so spectacular about Ruffian:

Over on Turf Luck, the Quinella Queen ponders the poetry of Ruffian’s past performances, while John at Not to the Swift shows off a ticket he couldn’t bear to crumple.

Posted in Horses on June 8, 2007

An “on-track equine injury reporting system” will be implemented, as a pilot program, at 30 racetracks starting June 1 (Blood-Horse). To the 30 tracks that have signed on: Thank you. This a wonderful initiative that can mean only safer horses and fewer sad stories.

Posted in Horses on May 30, 2007

Barbaro Writes Back

Barbaro has received a lot of fan mail recently, and now, with a little help from his assistant Doreen Steinmetz, he’s taking the time to write back:

Dear Nancy,

Well, I appreciate your patience as I sift through these bags full of mail from all my supporters. Know that your letter meant a lot to me.

You know, I’m not exactly sure what life has in store for me now. Racing is all I’ve ever known, really. I guess I’ll just have to get used to taking it easy. One day at a time, etc. etc.

From all I’ve heard, though, retirement doesn’t sound so bad. The life of a stud is pretty sweet. And they’re setting me up with a Roth IRA, which should yield a solid annual return.

But don’t expect Barbaro to disappear into the sunset! I can command a pretty hefty speaker’s fee. I’m actually already in discussions to host a Dr. Phil-style talk show, and I’ve been invited to speak at the Women’s Health Forum at the Chicago Convention Center later this summer. But as for everything else, your guess is as good as mine.

I’m looking into some disability insurance, but frankly, I’m confused. Some days I don’t know what to do; I stare blankly at the medical forms. And other days I say, “Forget it. That stuff’s complicated and, I mean, after all: I am a horse.”

All my best, always,
Barbaro

—
More seriously: Over on Slate, Meghan O’Rourke tries to explain why people care so much about Barbaro:

Americans have historically become preoccupied with horseracing in times of national strain. The last time we saw this much interest in the sport, my father recently pointed out to me, was during the Watergate era, when two horses, Ruffian and Secretariat, seized the public imagination. Ruffian was the game front-running 3-year-old filly who broke down in a match race with Foolish Pleasure near the finish line and had to be put down. The year was 1975. Patty Hearst had been kidnapped the previous summer. The fall of Saigon took place in April. Only a few years earlier, the Watergate scandal had begun; America had pulled out of Vietnam; and Palestinian terrorists had attacked and killed 11 Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Munich.

Posted in Horses on June 1, 2006

Barbaro “Officially 51%”

It’s been more than a week since Barbaro had surgery on the hind leg he shattered in the Preakness and the colt couldn’t be doing better, Dr. Dean Richardson said this afternoon:

“He’s actually done far better than we could have ever hoped, so far … He’s perfectly comfortable and all his vital signs are normal. His blood work is good, and basically, at this moment, he could not look any better in terms of his medical condition. His prognosis is much better than it was, but he still has a long way to go.”

Richardson, who said the colt’s chances for recovery were 50-50 last week, felt good enough about Barbaro’s progress to joke today that his chances were “now officially 51%,” and said, “Seriously, every day that goes by is a big day.”
Jockey Edgar Prado paid a visit to Barbaro at the New Bolton Center today. “I’m still heartbroken, and I will be for a long time, but I definitely feel a lot better after seeing him,” Prado said after.
There has been no shortage of theories advanced to explain Barbaro’s injury, most centering on the gate incident, since the Preakness, but Pimlico officials think they know what really happened: After studying video of the race, at times frame-by-frame, track president Lou Raffetto said that he is 80% certain that Brother Derek’s right front foot hit Barbaro’s right hind foot only a few yards into the race, forcing Barbaro’s leg to twist. “It’s a timing thing,” Raffetto said. “It’s incredible that it should happen like that. But that’s what appears to have happened.”
Jockey Alex Solis, aboard Brother Derek, isn’t buying that explanation: “There’s no way he could have struck Barbaro; I would have felt it,” said Solis. “We were close behind him, but not that close. Getting that close to him and going that speed, if I had struck him I would have gone down.”

Posted in Horses on May 30, 2006

Barbaro Naps, Scratches Ear

The news continues to be good about Barbaro: The colt enjoyed a nap, some crunchy treats, and felt comfortable enough standing on his injured right leg that he scratched his left ear with his left foot. “He is stable and happy,” said Dr. Dean Richardson, who offered a “cautiously optimistic prognosis” for the colt on Tuesday. “Every day that goes by, the risk diminishes.”
5/26/06 Update: Barbaro has been fitted out with a special shoe on his left hind foot. “One of the complications that can occur following leg fractures in horses is the risk of developing laminitis in the opposite foot from bearing extra weight,” said New Bolton Center farrier Rob Sigafoos. “To reduce this risk, we applied a supportive shoe to Barbaro’s left hind foot immediately following the surgery for the fracture of his right hind leg.” As of Friday, five days after surgery, Barbaro remains in “excellent” condition.
Related: Barbaro’s Preakness breakdown is prompting calls for improved safety. Rick Bozich writes that,

It’s time for racing to convene its best minds to debate whether the game is doing everything imaginable to protect horses from destroying their legs and their lives.

Everything should be on the debate plate — from the encouraging early results with the Polytrack racing surface endorsed by Keeneland to the growing reliance on medication to the spacing of the Triple Crown races that some believe are too demanding on 3-year-old horses.

And John Clay argues for Polytrack.
Also: Slate explains why broken legs are bad news for horses (thanks to Bill at RacingFigures.com for the link), and Andrew Beyer runs the numbers: “The price of surgery itself is quite reasonable — ‘a pittance compared to surgery on people,’ Bramlage said. A lengthy, complex procedure at a top facility, such as the operation on Barbaro, can cost $7,000 to $10,000. A relatively simple fracture might be repaired for less than $2,000.”

Posted in Horses on May 24, 2006

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