Adding my thanks to you, too- I appreciate it greatly!
VirginiaBred:
You don’t know how much it means to us to have their wonderful updates from you. This is the first board I check each day, then The Blood Horse, to see how Barbaro is doing. Continue to send prayers and jingles for his continued progress.
Thank you so much for the time you take to share this information. Hugs.
Thank you for the great updates, I check this thread often.
VirginiaBred-- Thank you so much for the updates! I am so glad Barbaro is doing well. I think about him often!:sadsmile:
Update 71: Spoke to Peter Brette this afternoon, and while he was unable to visit, the reports seem to remain the same (very positive at this early stage). He plans to visit tomorrow, as does Pennsylvania Gov. Ed. Rendell. Received a cool ‘slide show to music’ file (not sure how best to describe it) of Barbaro. Will attempt to post it online in the next day or so.
Update 70: I caught up with Dr. Kathy Anderson (Barbaro’s Fair Hill vet) this morning and quizzed her on the cast situation. I was curious to know the ‘risks’ to the cast replacement and when it was likely to happen, as well as the rationale for leaving it on for this length of time. This is what I learned from our conversation:
a. its great the cast has been on so long, it enables the healing process, so the longer he can remain in this cast the better, but its likely that after about 3 weeks it may need changing.
b. the risks to the change in cast include the need for the second cast to be an exact fit, thus allowing the current healing process to continue, and avoiding the potential for rub marks appearing (if the fit is not good) which may in turn cause infection.
Kathy also mentioned that Fox News will be doing a story on Barbaro this friday, 5:45 eastern. Kathy will be interviewed for that story.
The following Mercury News story: Barbaro’s injuries are deja vu for one Kentucky veterinarian notes Nureyev’s paddock accident which was similarly catastrophic. Dr. J.D. Howard, the surgeon for Nureyev, discusses many of the issues they needed to overcome as he discussed the recovery of Nureyev, the following is an excerpt:
But as Howard knows all too well, Barbaro’s journey will be a long and trying one. He just hopes the colt’s connections can witness the same miraculous comeback he was a part of some 19 years ago.
“It’s going to be a long deal and hopefully there won’t be any setbacks,” Howard said of Barbaro. "One day you think you’ve got it beat and the day after, you want to vomit. You just never know what the next day will bring.
“Hopefully, this horse won’t have to experience that.”
Update 69: Another good night for ‘Bobby’ last night (tuesday night). I called over to Michael Matz’s barn this morning as I was leaving our barn and Annie gave the thumbs up. Barbaro continues to do well.
update: wednesday, 8:35 am
Update 68: Spoke to Peter Brette, after he had just finished evening feed. He was unable to visit Barbaro today but spoke to Michael earlier and things seem to remain positive. Its been a week since they stopped the antibiotics, which seems to be very positive. I saw Kim (Brette, Peter’s wife) in the local shop this morning (Prizzios) and while we discussed how positive things are to this point, we also concluded that there really is still a very long way to go. Lets hope things continue as they have progressed thus far!
Barbaro to be Featured in Belmont Telecast
by Esther Marr
Date Posted: 6/7/2006 3:42:19 PM
Last Updated: 6/7/2006 5:53:52 PM
Coverage of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) on ESPN networks and ABC Sports June 8-10 will include more footage than ever before of the details surrounding a horse that will not be present for the third leg of the Triple Crown. Barbaro, winner of the May 6 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), who was seriously injured during the running of the May 20 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), has been a top news subject ever since.
“Barbaro is still the biggest story right now–the public is hungry to hear about that,” said Dave Miller, coordinating producer of ESPN/ABC during a Belmont related conference call June 7.
The Belmont returns to ABC for the first time since 2000, and its two-hour coverage is longer than any previous Triple Crown race featured on a major network.
Details of the Barbaro’s surgery, recovery updates, and medical advancements from which he has benefited will be discussed during segments of ESPN’s eight-hour coverage over the three-day period. ABC will focus on the colt at the beginning of its segment, which will air from 5 to 7 p.m. on Belmont Day June 10.
In addition, the networks will offer stories on John Velazquez’s quick recovery and return to racing, as well as the Todd Pletcher-trained duo of Bluegrass Cat and Sunriver, currently the respective top two morning line favorites in the classic race.
“What we’ve seen over the last few weeks with the interest in Barbaro shows true commitment to the sport of horse racing,” said retired Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who will serve as an analyst during the networks’ coverage.
Bailey’s commentary will include a step-by-step demonstration from the starting gate to engage fans in the inner-workings of how the race is set up and how the jockeys prepare.
“I prepare for a telecast very similarly to how I prepared for races,” Bailey said. “I try and analyze from the standpoint of what a horse may do. The key is to educate the public to understand the sport more so they tune in to it more.”
AP Blog: Zito Happy With Barbaro Progress
By The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 7, 2006; 7:49 PM
– With the race for the Triple Crown underway, AP writers will be filing periodic, behind-the-scenes reports from all the important tracks across the country.
WEDNESDAY, June 7:
Trainer Nick Zito smiles as he looks out of the Preakness Stakes barn during workouts at Pimlico Race Course in this May 18, 2006, file photo in Baltimore. Zito is pleased with the progress that injured Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is making.
[URL=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/images/triangle2.gif”]While Zito is getting ready to send out Hemingway’s Key in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, the Hall of Famer has been keeping tabs on Barbaro’s health through media reports.
“That’s what I wanted … as a racing fan, that’s what you had to do … you had to show them,” Zito said. “There are a lot of horse lovers out there besides racetrackers, and they want to see the well being of the horse.”
And now that Barbaro seems to be recuperating well from three shattered bones in his right hind leg, Zito thinks interest is growing for the Belmont. It’s been nearly three weeks since Barbaro broke down at the start of the Preakness.
“Once the well-being of the horse was shown to the world, racing healed,” Zito said. “And now I think you got a little buzz for this race.”
AP Racing Writer Richard Rosenblatt
I can just see it now…I’ll be in labor, both at home at hospital, watching this stuff, and telling people to be sure to stay out of the way so I can watch! LOL
Great to see, VB, Thanks for the continued updates!!!
Fox news is an oxymoron. But I will definitely try to catch the ESPN coverage!
Fox News
Yeah, like they’re going to politicize a story on Barbaro…right. Neurotic about says it all.
Update 73: Another good night for Barbaro (wednesday night). Spoke to Michael Matz this morning, who then had to check his messages to see if Dean (Dr. Richardson) had called. With the visit of Ed Rendell today, Fox News coverage tomorrow and the Belmont on saturday, I am sure there will be plenty of (mainstream) media updates, which we will aggregate and post here (as well as reports from Peter etc.) Just a quick ‘reminder’ about our new Barbaro Multimedia page. Debra Lopez’s work has already solicited five comments, including this:
OMG, that was so beautiful. I had to watch it twice, since the first time I had so many tears I couldn’t see it.I was wondering who sings that song, it’s so touching and says everything we are feeling.
update thursday, 8:38 am
Update 72: We have added a Barbaro ‘multi media’ page. We hope to include a variety of media about Barbaro on this page, created by his fans. Thanks Debra Lopez (Wisconsin) for the first solicitation.
Wow. That was a tearjerker for sure, and so beautiful!
I think the song is a duet with a female (?) and Andre Bocelli (probably misspelled!) called Let This Be Our Prayer.
Update 75: Some new pictures of Barbaro from the Governor Ed. Rendell visit. A nice article from The Kennett Paper: Barbaro has brought worldwide attention to New Bolton Center notes the impact Barbaro has had at New Bolton and the overwhelming response he is receiving worldwide:
"I don’t think we’ve ever seen or imagined having a patient that the whole world cared about in such a unique way, and I don’t think we’ll ever see it again,’ said Corinne R. Sweeney, associate dean for the New Bolton Center and the hospital’s executive director.
The article notes the types of gifts Barbaro has received, and also the openness to sharing his recovery updates, that has been the approach adopted by his owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson. (We certainly appreciate that!)
Update 74: I know many of us have been waiting for the official word from New Bolton, here is their latest release, June 8, confirming what we heard this morning. The following is an excerpt:
Barbaro’s medical team reported that the colt is doing extremely well, and has been especially frisky today, displaying interest in nearby mares that are also at the Hospital.
The release also includes information about his special visitor (Ed Rendell) and a gift:
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell stopped by this morning to give Barbaro his good wishes and to personally present Jim Riepe, president of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, with a check for $13.5 million for the New Bolton Center. The funds will be used toward the completion of new medical facilities at the Center, including a new isolation building, a colic barn and a chemical digestion facility.
W
The 1.5 per 1,000 rate is not definitive, but is accepted by many in racing as a working figure on fatalities during races.
Since thoroughbred racing does not keep national statistics on fatalities, Nunamaker’s figures are based on studies of annual reports from state racing agencies, such as the New York Racing Association (NYRA), the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) and the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority (KHRA).
Figures provided by several state racing groups show a variety of rates. The numbers fluctuate because of different methods used to collect and interpret data.
According to NYRA, which operates Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct, there were 25 fatalities from 17,973 starts in 2005 for a rate of 1.4 per 1,000.
The CHRB reported that its major thoroughbred tracks, including Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar, had 104 fatalities from 29,257 starts in 2005. That’s about 3.5 per 1,000.
The Maryland Racing Commission said there were 20 fatalities from 14,560 starts last year at its major tracks, including Laurel and Pimlico. That’s a rate of about 1.37 per 1,000.
The KHRA said there were 39 fatalities last year, and Equibase — the industry’s official database for racing information — lists 22,140 starters. That’s about 1.76 per 1,000.
“There’s no way you can sugarcoat it and put a happy face on the statistics of the horses we lose,” Dr. Rick Arthur, a veterinarian who treats horses at Santa Anita and acts as a spokesman for the American Association of Equine Practitioners. “It’s too many and we need to remedy the situation.”
Racing is no different from any other sport, though. Injuries are part of the game, and when it comes to thoroughbreds and their legs, there’s always a danger because of physics.
“It’s nearly impossible to eliminate injuries to horses because the animal itself is a fairly frail structure,” says Bob Elliston, president of Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. “You’ve got 1,300-pound horses on ankles that aren’t that much bigger than a human’s, running 40 mph with 10 other horses in close quarters. Things can happen — they can bump into other horses, whatever.”
Horses are always going to have less chance to survive when compared to human injuries for a simple reason: Horses need to stand while recovering; humans can heal with bed rest or by using crutches.
Medical and technological advancements over the years now give horses a better chance to survive if they are injured and also helps in the early detection of injuries.
The case of Barbaro focused attention on the improvements in equine care, from specially designed ambulances that can lift a horse into the vehicle and prevent jostling, to improved diagnostic methods and medication and to better equipped hospitals able to handle the most serious injuries.
“Barbaro was a tragedy, but if it comes out well it can actually turn out to be a positive,” Arthur said. “It shows if you have everything in place you can actually save and recover horses. I tried unsuccessfully to operate on a fracture like that years ago, but today we have knowledge about implants and the recovery process. Twenty-five years ago, this was unfeasible.”
Of course, there are economic issues faced by owners, who must weigh the cost of trying to save their racehorse. In the case of Barbaro, that was not a problem for wealthy owners Gretchen and Roy Jackson, who will spend tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, on Barbaro’s recovery.
“It’s important to find out what you can do to save animals when people have the desire to save their lives,” says Dean Richardson, the surgeon who repaired Barbaro’s broken bones with a titanium plate and 27 screws. “Again, it’s not always about money, but sometimes it is. Every case we do, we learn something from and when you start to tackle cases that are particularly difficult you’re going to learn even more.”
With research being funded by several racing organizations, including the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, perhaps the biggest safety improvement in years may have arrived in the form of Polytrack.
The synthetic mixture of wax-coated polypropylene fibers, recycled rubber and fine sand was installed at Turfway Park with dramatic results. From September 2004 through April 2005, there were 24 catastrophic breakdowns on the harder dirt track. With Polytrack, there were only three this past season, a drop of nearly 90 percent.
Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., already has a new Polytrack training oval, and is switching its main track to the artificial surface as well. Tapeta, another synthetic surface, developed by trainer Michael Dickinson, is being installed at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., Barbaro’s home base.
“I’d say Polytrack has been the biggest advance in safety in several decades because of the decreased number we’re seeing in breakdowns,” says Nancy Davis, a state vet in Kentucky. “It looks like it’s going to be the answer for the future.”
California tracks are turning to synthetic surfaces, too. After addressing the fatality rate at its tracks, the CHRB recently required Santa Anita, Del Mar and Hollywood Park to install synthetic tracks by Jan. 1, 2008.
“We have a serious problem hitting us over the head and it’s getting worse,” Arthur said. “That’s why California is taking a pro-active step by insisting on Polytrack.”
Racing historian Ed Bowen, president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, says five private foundations have provided more than $23 million in the past 10 years to fund about 350 equine research projects and workshops, including health, safety and track surface issues.
“We haven’t been able to eliminate injuries, so we put a high priority on research that will enable vets to better cope with problems that do come up,” says Bowen. “We look for projects that will enable the industry to reduce (fatal injuries) as dramatically as possible.”
The bottom line, says D.G. Van Clief Jr., commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and president of the Breeders’ Cup, is to keep finding new ways to make racing safer.
“The sport is well aware that danger is always there,” he said. “As an industry, we are always taking steps to be prepared and in the worst case scenario responding appropriately.”
Update 76: Just spoke to Peter Brette who visited Barbaro after work today (and thus after Ed Rendell). He reports Barbaro is in great shape, Dr. Richardson is very happy with him, and apparently he performed very well for the cameras earlier in the day. Another good day in a long journey.
What’s the Attraction? It’s Still Barbaro
By JOE DRAPE
Published: June 9, 2006
Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby champion, is healing in a 12-by-12-foot stall at a state-of-the-art hospital in Pennsylvania. The Preakness champion, Bernardini, is resting until late summer. So how does one promote the 138th running of New York’s signature race, the Belmont Stakes?
The New York Racing Association and ABC/ESPN Sports are counting on affection for Barbaro, the world’s most famous equine patient, and some momentum from soccer’s World Cup.
Barbaro, the colt who is recovering from surgery in which 27 screws were used to repair a right hind leg that was shattered in the opening yards of the Preakness, will never race again. But he will hardly be forgotten tomorrow when the mile-and-a-half Belmont, the finale of horse racing’s Triple Crown, will be contested among a likely field of 12 and broadcast on ABC.
One of the race’s major attractions will be the 62-foot-wide and 7-foot-high “Get Well Soon” card, which will feature four life-size images of Barbaro. Fans will be able to sign the card beginning at 10 a.m. after Barbaro’s jockey, Edgar Prado, does so.
ABC/ESPN Sports, which is kicking off a seven-year contract to broadcast the Belmont, will deal with Barbaro’s absence early and often on its networks. ABC/ESPN hopes that his absence will be offset by what it calls a marquee day of sports broadcasting.
The networks’ advertising has focused on the wide-open nature of the race, which may not have star power for the casual fan but does offer the Derby’s second-, third- and fourth-place finishers — Bluegrass Cat, Steppenwolfer and Jazil.
But Tag Garson, the senior director for programming and acquisitions for ABC/ESPN Sports, said the network would be able to drive viewers to the Belmont with frequent promotions during its other programming tomorrow.
ABC will televise the World Cup match between England and Paraguay at 9 a.m. Eastern time, followed by Trinidad and Tobago against Sweden at noon. At 2 p.m., ABC will switch to its third-round coverage of the PGA Tour’s Barclays Classic at Westchester Country Club.
On ESPN, from noon to 5 p.m., the Belmont Stakes will be analyzed and its story lines given feature treatment. It will also broadcast three of the stakes races on the undercard.
“In six of the last nine years, the Belmont has had the Triple Crown on the line,” Garson said. “We knew going into this that was rarely going to be the case. But Saturday is a big day in sports, and we believe we are uniquely positioned to drive viewers into watching what is an important Triple Crown race.”
At 5 p.m., ABC will kick off its two-hour Belmont Stakes show with a feature on the recovery of Barbaro, including a live update with Jeremy Schaap at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa., where Barbaro is being treated.
While veterinarians at the hospital say that Barbaro is doing well, they add that it will take months for them to know if he will be able to return to a pain-free life.
Barbaro’s convalescence has not only meant publicity for the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinarian school, it has paid financial dividends. On Thursday, the state’s governor, Edward G. Rendell, visited the center and delivered a check for $13.5 million to expand the facility. According to the center’s Web site, Rendell said that “our Derby champion is in the best place he can be for the road to recovery.”
New York racing officials have tried to put a positive spin on their efforts to position the Belmont as a big event for New York City. But they are not expecting a crowd comparable to the more than 120,000 people who came to Belmont in 2004 to see Smarty Jones’s bid to become the 12th Triple Crown champion.
Still, more than 60,000 people turned out last year for a race that had no Triple Crown implications. It did have Afleet Alex, who captured the nation’s imagination by recovering from a stumble at the top of the stretch to win the Preakness.
Bill Nader, the senior vice president of NYRA, points to the 2000 Belmont, which drew more than 60,000 people despite the fact that neither Fusaichi Pegasus, the Derby winner, nor Red Bullet, the Preakness victor, were part of the field.
“You can’t point to one horse in this field that has box-office appeal, but we’ve built this day into a big event in a city that embraces big events,” Nader said. “We are not a weak sister to anything else in sports here anymore. The day and the event has grown to the point where there are a lot of people who come out on Belmont Stakes day who usually do not go to the races.”
For the horsemen who are trying to capture the Belmont, the absences of Barbaro and Bernardini are an unfortunate part of an unpredictable game.
“Ten years from now, nobody is going to remember who is not here,” said Dan Peitz, who trains Steppenwolfer. “It’s still a big race, worth a million dollars, and has a place in history: It’s the third leg of the Triple Crown. I do think people are interested in it.”
Okay, what time is the FoxNews special tonight? I’ve checked my listings on DTV, but I can’t seem to find anything other than their regular programming. I’d really like to watch, if I can…but I need to know when!
TIA!!
Update 79: New Bolton’s press release today confirms Barbaro’s continuing good progress (its good to know no news this AM did mean good news). It begins:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro continues to please veterinarians at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals with his progress on this day before the running of the finale of horse racing’s triple crown.
The release also notes that TV coverage of the Belmont tomorrow will include footage of Barbaro recuperating in his stall at New Bolton.
On another note, I was talking to a friend this afternoon who noted that Barclay Tagg (Funny Cide fame, also trainer for the Jackson’s, past exercise rider of Ruffian in her very early career) mentioned, shortly after seeing Barbaro win his first stakes race in Maryland, that he considered it the best performance he had seen since Secretariat!
Update 78: Just spoke to Kathy Anderson (Barbaro’s Fair Hill vet.) She had not heard anything yet today (Dean Richardson is away) but she is visiting this afternoon, so I will call her again later (Kathy assumes all is well). She did mention a few things of interest:
a. Barbaro was actually rearing up during the Pennsylvania Governor’s visit yesterday (the cast must really work!)
b. The gift yesterday was a gift that was in the works, but certainly Barbaro’s presence helped ‘close’ the transaction
c. There is whisper of another gift, thanks to Barbaro (need to explore this)
The Fox News piece is still planned for later today (5:45 pm east coast) but Kathy is no longer being interviewed for the piece.
Update 77: No official update yet this morning. I spoke to Michael and others, and we suspect Dean (Richardson) may actually be away for a couple of days, hence the reason he did not call. As Anne Kelly said, we are assuming no news is good news. (Obviously cannot confirm that). Will update once I hear something more definitive. On another note, more than a few people at fair Hill were excited to see the Barbaro piece by Debra Lopez : Our Prayer for Barbaro. Anne and I were discussing it as we were walking to the track (she loved it); Penny (Tim Woolley’s wife) asked me if I could imagine what it was like watching four women cry (she was viewing it from her office I think). Tim was very impressed (should this not be on TV ?) and Kim (Brette) left a comment after watching it with her family. Thanks Debra, your work has touched many people.
Update 80: Just saw the Fox News piece, which turned out to be an interview with Michael Matz. The most important aspect of the interview (I think) was the first question … how is Barbaro doing ? The answer: looks good, appropriate weight on the injured leg, vital signs good etc. (so that is our most recent update). I think Michael did a great job, especially the answer to the question of whether a horse other than Barbaro would have received the same treatment. It was a short interview, but glad to get the update!
Other quick things: the Bloodhorse has an article: Dr. Bramlage Looks Back on Barbaro’s Preakness that notes the importance of keeping people up to date with the news as it unfolds, which has been an ongoing aspect to this entire story:
“I think our ontrack vet program worked great that day,” Bramlage noted. "The worse thing for viewers is not to have any information. I think we were accurate, gave the best information we had, and made people as comfortable as possible. It was a bad injury and we had to tell people that.
Finally TimesUnion.com has a story: [URL=“http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=489914&category=SPORTS&newsdate=6/9/2006”]
Barbaro still on Prado’s mind that highlight’s Edgar Prado’s ‘state of mind’ as he rides the Belmont:
“When I am in the jockeys’ room before the Belmont, my thoughts will be with Barbaro,” Prado said. “But when I go out and do my business, he will stay here, in the jocks’ room. After the race I will think about him again.”
Thanks, Virginiabred…I missed it 
Ah, well, sometimes they reair a few hours later
