Barbaro ~ America's Horse

[VirginiaBred]

Barbaro Wr![](stband Fundraiser

The Barbaro Wristband, authorized by Mrs. Jackson.
by Sharon Clark. All proceeds to the Barbaro Fund.
[IMG]http://www.udel.edu/alex/pics/MVC-626SMALL.jpg)
All proceeds from the Barbaro wristband fundraiser will be donated to the Barbaro Fund for the George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center. “This fund in Barbaro’s name will honor him and provide a lasting resource to help care for animals treated at the Widener Hospital.”
The wristbands are the colors of the Lael Stables’ Jockey silks. Mrs. Jackson, Barbaro’s co-owner, was doing an interview for the Catholic News Service. During her interview she made a comment to “live the moment. It’s the greatest way in the world to live – because you truly live. If you’re always projecting into the future, you’re not enjoying the moment.”
BARBARO IS A WINNER! He has captured the heart of the nation. From the race track to the Intensive Care Unit – he has shown only grace, determination, and the heart of a champion.
The wristbands are to be worn as a reminder of all that Barbaro has represented – his courage, his triumph, his charm, and most of all his heart. When the person wearing the wristband happens to catch a glimpse of it – it will be a reminder say a little prayer for him, and also to send him loving and healing thoughts.
MEDIUM WRISTBAND (7 3/8")
QUANTITY _____ ($5.00 EACH)
LARGE WRISTBAND (8 3/8")
QUANTITY _____ ($5.00 EACH)
TOTAL $ ___. (CASH OR CHECKS PAYABLE SHARON CLARK)
To order wristbands; please print this page and send $5.00 for each wristband to:
Sharon Clark
P.O. Box 78
Silver Spring, PA 17575
You may e-mail Sharon at barbarowristbands@dejazzd.com

[VirginiaBred]

Gretchen Jackson Interview!

Update 776: Just spoke to Peter Brette (6:30 pm), who had heard from Michael, who visited Barbaro later today. Barbaro remains well. Another comfortable day.

Update 775: The following is a brief phone interview Alex just completed with Mrs. Jackson. She was very gracious to agree to the interview, and very apologetic when she was not available when initially called this afternoon. She called Alex back shortly thereafter.
Alex has enjoyed all the interviews he has conducted so far, but has to admit, this was the first one in which he was nervous! That being said, Mrs. Jackson gave Alex no reason to be nervous. Anyway, here it is!

Alex: Yesterday was the anniversary of Barbaro’s first win, what were your impressions?

Mrs. Jackson: We sure did not think much beyond the moment. It was a nice exciting win, but who knows? We were celebrating after the win, but it was for that nice win. We got a little more excited when Michael (Matz) brought up the Laurel Futurity (for his next race). We take each race at a time, first it was his maiden, then a listed stake, and another stake, and each is a step up, and you get more excited with each step. We were amazed when Michael thought about the Kentucky Derby, which was mentioned maybe before the Holy Bull Stakes. We really needed to switch to dirt to see what we had.

Alex: What was the emotional experience like, to win the Kentucky Derby?

Mrs. Jackson: It was unbelievable, and it is hard to explain. It is every bit as exciting as you can imagine it is going to be. We are so lucky, thanks to Barbaro.

Alex: Are you surprised at Barbaro’s continued following?

After his surgery, at New Bolton, when things started arriving, from all parts of the US and around the world, we realized he had touched a lot of peoples’ hearts. People were standing on the overpasses of I 95 when he was in transit from Pimlico, and then they followed up with notes and gifts at New Bolton. It was amazing. The unidentified donor who began the Barbaro Fund in Barbaro’s honor started a momentum all of its own. The momentum has continued, it is just amazing how wide reaching it has become. We are honored.

Alex: And visiting Barbaro?

Mrs. Jackson: Today (9 am) We had a great visit, he was knickering for his grass, which I pick from our farm. I will be returning again this evening. It is no big deal for me to visit, I live so close and usually visit twice a day. Bringing the grass gives Barbaro something to do while I visit, and of course he likes it a lot. I like to visit, he has done so much for us, it is the least I can do.

[captain]

how can one NOT be touched in some way by this whole affair… profound gratitude for the updates, and best of prayers and wishes for Barbaro’s continued recovery. and thanks so much, VB, for the bracelet info, too : )

[VirginiaBred]

Friday Morning~

From Alex:

Update 777: It has rained, rained and rained all night. This will play havoc with training this morning. Typically the dirt track will be closed with this kind of weather. Now that the woodchip track is finished (it is being redone for the Tapeta surface) I am not sure whether they will open the dirt today. If they do it will be sealed and only good for light jogging. But likely it will remain closed and packed down so that it does not take in too much moisture, and will be usable in the coming days once the rain stops. Thus today, it is likely many horses will have the day off, or just shedrow (under a rider, walking and jogging). This will also play havoc with getting an update on Barbaro, as I will likely have to go over to Michael’s barn, after training, so don’t expect anything until later in the morning.

[VirginiaBred]

Update 778: Another comfortable night last night for Barbaro (thursday night). I just wandered over to Michael’s barn to get the update. Michael had heard from Dr. Richardson. Michael also mentioned he visited twice yesterday (quite usual, Michael’s schedule permitting) and Barbaro was in good order.
Michael’s crew still had another set to shedrow. I was done after four horses to shedrow. The weather is wet, and pretty chilly.
update, friday october 6, 10:25 am

Thanks, Tim/Alex.

[VirginiaBred]

Thanks, Alex~

Update 779: I just spoke to Steve Willard (Giacomo’s exercise rider) to get a final update on Giacomo going into the Goodwood tomorrow. Steve said all is well, Giacomo jogged his usual mile and a quarter, and then galloped his mile and a half. It sounds like they could not be happier going into this race. They are looking for a good gallop early so Giacomo can close, and hope he does not get stuck on the inside. Anyway, all seems well. The Goodwood is a seven horse field, and also includes Lava Man (Pacific Classic winner in his last start) and Brother Derek: Streaking Lava Man Tackles Six in Goodwood.

Steve and I also talked about exercise riding in general. It turns out Steve is the other side of 60, and still enjoys galloping horses. He says he has remained pretty healthy, and as long as he can avoid the more crazy horses he will continue to enjoy the business. I asked him at what point does someone lose his nerve (a common problem for exercise riders), Steve said the day it happens to him is the day he would retire.

The Goodwood is one of six races to be televised on ESPN 2, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm tomorrow. The others: Vosburgh (G1) - Bel, Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (G1) - Kee, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Inv. (G1) - Bel, Shadwell Turf Mile (g1) - Kee, The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) - Bel.
Fair Hill’s key runners tomorrow include a trio of fillies / mares, Round Pond (Michael Matz), Film Maker (Graham Motion) and Miraculous Miss (Steve Klesaris: at Philadelphia Park).

The Jackson’s Enticing is also scheduled to run tomorrow at Ascot.

[VirginiaBred]

Update 780: A nice article on synthetic racing surfaces: Sport of kings has its eye on fake dirt, celebrating the opening of Keeneland. The following is an excerpt:

Trainers and jockeys familiar with synthetic surfaces say they provide a better cushion for pounding hooves. They also present a more uniform surface than dirt tracks, which are usually a loamy mix of sand, silt and clay.
“The feeling is like if you were to run across a lawn after running across a sidewalk,” said longtime trainer John Ward, whose horse Monarchos won the 2001 Kentucky Derby. “This is not grass but it has the same feel that a good, rich lawn has.”

I will try to get an interview with a jockey riding at Keeneland. I asked my Breeders’ Cup host, Bob Hatfield, an exercise rider at Churchill Downs, what he knew about the synthetic surfaces. He said he had yet to gallop on one, but each time one of his horses runs at Turfway Park (Polytrack), it seems to come out of its race better than when they would run on a regular dirt track.

[VirginiaBred]

Update 782: Rachel from Kennett Florist posted the following (comment timestamp: 9:50 pm):

All is well at NBC today. We were there early this morning with bagels and fixin’s, juice and coffee and tea. They were so excited to have hot bagels on such a dreary, cold day… we’re smack dab in the middle of a noreaster. There was a line behind us before we finished setting up, and eveyone kept saying “thank you, thank you;” before they even got to the food!
Of course the big guy had his breakfast of green tops that were taken right up to him… and we headed back in the afternoon with a nice basket of goodies. Hope the weather improves so he gets his grazing time. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
WE BELIEVE!!
Rachel at Kennett Florist

Well we know he got some grazing time.
Ashley posted this poem (timestamp: 1:04 am):

BECAUSE OF YOU
Because of You
I have known the highest of highs
As you effortlessly won the Kentucky Derby
In a sublime performance
and remained the Undefeated Champion.
Because of You
I have felt the deepest sorrow
As I watched you take that fateful step in the Preakness
Your Triple Crown dream faded
and you began to fight for your life.
Because of You
I have seen the wonders of medicine
As you were put back together by doctors at NBC
in the most difficult of circumstances
and given the chance to live.
Because of You
I have witnessed the power of prayer
As a nation came together and prayed
to heal your left hind leg when you foundered
as you once again fought for your life.
Because of You
I believe in miracles
As you began to enjoy daily grazing outdoors
you continue to defy the odds against you
and still remain the Undefeated Champion.
Thank you Barbaro

And finally, Stephanie, from Miracle Horse Rescue is now leaving for her trip to Eugene, OR. Thanks to your wonderful support she will have at least $9,835 to spend to rescue horses. Best of luck!
Update 781: Another comfortable day for Barbaro. I spoke to Peter Brette (6:15 pm) who had heard from Michael, who had visited this afternoon. I asked Peter if Barbaro had been out, and despite the weather we have had, Barbaro had been outside for a short while (I guess there was a little break in the weather).
Thanks, Alex.

[msj]

We’ve got a chilly morning here in ‘Rainchester’, NY (34 degrees F) and I’m betting that Barbaro goes for his walk today with more manners than my 14 yr old ottb did this AM! :eek:

We’ve finally got a spell of dry weather so I put my 2 boys out in their smaller front pasture that I have to walk them to but that has no shelter. My kids are big wimps so this pasture doesn’t get used a lot. :rolleyes: Their stalls open to 2 large pastures so if the weather is inclement or it’s too hot or too cold, they get turned out there, but my smaller front pasture is the nicest because it doesn’t get grazed as heavily. I always take my Chocolate horse out first because in the past, he had the worse handwalking manners (he’d throw his head and body around so that I’d put on my helmet before taking him out:eek:), but finally at 19, he’s settled down. The 14 yr old ottb, Tiger Bay, came with excellent manners and 98% of the time remembers them. Usually, if he does get a bit fresh, a “WHOA, you GDMFSOB” stops the silliness. Not this morning! :rolleyes: I almost took him back to the barn and left him in a stall, but we were more than 1/2 way there and the “WHOA etc” and a couple of hard jerks on the lead did settle him down, thank heavens. I don’t need a horse running loose over my leach field, which we go around to get to the smaller pasture. Of course, once turned loose, he proceeded to have a wonderful romp. I think he was doing an upper level dressage test, complete with tempi’s!!! :eek:

Anyway, here’s hoping this morning brings another ‘comfortable night’ report on our star, Barbaro.

[VirginiaBred]

Saturday’s Update will be delayed~

[VirginiaBred]

Thanks, Alex!

Update 784: No update yet this morning, Dr. Richardson has been away for
the last couple of days and I assume that is still the case. Michael did
say Barbaro was good last night when he visited, so last night is now the
current update. Well the rain has not totally eased up. It is pretty
drizzly. Nevertheless most horses will go out and train today, given
tomorrow is sunday a day many like to take off. Thus far I have jogged
two, two miles each. I’ll likely have three - four more to do the same.

Update 783: I am not entirely sure when the Barbaro update will appear
this morning. It seems the rain may have eased off. I imagine the dirt
track will be sealed, so there won’t be a lot of the usual saturday
activity (breezing), but no doubt the track will be busy.

[Iride]

Thanks for the info on the wristbands and fund. I’m ordering several wristbands as gifts for the upcoming holidays! and sharing this info with my friends too.

I was curious, do you know if contributions to the Barbaro Fund are tax-deductable?

[VirginiaBred]

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[VirginiaBred]

Thanks, Tim & Alex~

Update 789: Bernardini was his usual impressive self today. I watched Dylan Thomas galloping by warming up for the race and he clearly did not like the dirt. Bernardini was brilliant. A nice round of applause after the race. We didn’t see Dylan Thomas run today though as he did not handle this racetrack. On to the Breeder’s Cup now for Bernardini. We can’t fault him for the lack of competition. The only question for Bernardini is we don’t know what will happen when another horse stares him in the eye but try to find a horse that’s running now who can do that!
Update 788: Three Grade I races run so far. Round Pond looked to run a good race, was very close to the pace early on but seemed to get a little tired. She came home a respectable third.
What can you say about Film Maker? She was awesome. Beaten on a head bob but to me, the best horse in the race. A massive performance. Honey Rider won. Forr the sprint, heading for home Henny Hughes was absolutely galloping, came past us two lengths ahead at the 1/16th pole. A nice performance. Now loading in the gate for the turf classic.

Update 787: I just spoke to Peter Brette and Barbaro had another comfortable night last night (Friday night). Peter took Bobby out for a graze and then groomed him. I called Peter just as Round Pond was leaving the paddock. I was guessing he’d timed his visit to Barbaro in order to get somewhere afterwards to watch Round Pond run. She looked lovely in the paddock. Five Grade I races coming up and a very disappointing crowd in terms of numbers but the weather is nice.

[VirginiaBred]

Sunday Morning~

Results will be delayed, but Barbaro’s report from last night was good!

[VirginiaBred]

Update 790: Another comfortable night last night for Barbaro (saturday night). I just saw Michael Matz, who had heard from Dr. Richardson. It is a gorgeous morning this morning at Fair Hill.
update 8:20 am, sunday october 8Thank you Tim/Alex.

[VirginiaBred]

Update 793: More on my visit to Belmont yesterday. I had the pleasure of meeting Ernie and Grandma Bea. As Ernie explains, it was very easy to get around and see everything you wanted to see (the advantage I guess of a poor crowd attendance). I also met Teresa from this site. She and her friends we hung out with for the last couple of races. They were cool, and there was an added incentive! Emily, who I went with, was a great host. She seemed to know everybody. We met up with Barbara Livingston, I also saw Lydia Williams.
I took an opportunity to thank Edgar Prado for the interview he provided (I had him sign a picture of him with Barbaro out grazing.) I also saw Tom Albatrani, and thanked him for the interview. He was also very gracious. All in all, a very fun trip.
Another article on the opening of the synthetic track at Keeneland: Barbaro’s Injury Gives Synthetic Surface Urgency. It ends:

“We’ve always been thought of as traditionalists, sometimes for the worse,” Nicholson said. “But we’re glad we’ve honored the tradition of giving anything we can back to the horses and the sport. Horses are what we’re here for, and we believe this surface is going to go a long way in keeping them safe.”

This is a positive sentiment. We are here for the horse, not the business of the horse.

[annikak]

VB-

Thanks again for the updates-
I also am sending thanks from a “lurker” who sought me out today at a show- and asked me to relay my “Thanks!” to you for your updates, and this thread. She reads it everyday, prints the pictures, and gives the daily (Via the COTH BB) updates to her office pals. Even if she does not post, she checks this thread first thing. She wanted to make SURE you knew that you are appreciated. She also asked about the twins…(okay, another thread…)
Yes, indeed, this horse has touched many people in very profound ways.:yes:

[VirginiaBred]

[B]annikak, Thank You for relaying that, and please pass on that the twins are GREAT, weaned and healthy!!! I’ll post an update soon, complete with pictures (another thread).

[/B]

[VirginiaBred]

Cast Change Monday! Keep the Jingles Coming!

Update 794: No later Sunday update for Barbaro, which is not unusual for a Sunday. It was reported on the discussion boards that Michael interviewed on TVG yesterday and noted a cast change for Barbaro tomorrow, Monday.

While I cannot confirm this (I forgot to ask Michael this morning) the timing for a cast change tomorrow appears to make sense. Things may yet still change however. A nice maiden win today at Delaware for Michael, Chelokee, in his second start.