You are definitely not alone. 
Thanks Alex~
Update 1656: A great article on Michael Matz: Barbaro memories run strong, the following is an excerpt:
“About a month ago, we got a letter from a 10-year-old boy from Namibia,” Matz said. "He drew a picture of Barbaro jumping. He likes to jump and when he found out I also jumped horses (Matz was a world-class equestrian and an Olympic silver medalist in stadium jumping), he got obsessed with it. He’s an orphan and he has AIDS. My wife, Dede, wrote a letter back to him telling him about our six children and that they ride. We heard back that when he got the letter, he was all smiles and he went into another room, under a table, and read it where the other kids couldn’t see it.
“The things that this horse has touched in people is just unbelievable.”
VB-
I am amazed at how much we have all been touched by a horse we have never met, I was doing better until the other day I watched the video of his Ky win and I balled like it was yesterday then I saw the video of Dr. R. I feel for him, the loss and the feeling that Barbaro trusted him to help him and then the let down. I hope he finds some peace in knowing he is the one that gave us Barbaro for all those months. There is more to this then just a great race horse, he has helped change the face of horse racing…and brought a world of people together that otherwise would have never known each other…
Thank you for the continued updates and thank Alex and everyone else too! FOBs are the best!
I still light a candle every day in his memory and I am glad others do too…
Just want to thank Virginia Bred, Alex and all the other FOBs who keep his legacy alive by helping other horses every day.
I was pleasantly stunned to read the article in Smithsonian, which rarely has anything this topical. The discussion about Barbaro’s veterinary condition was cogent and concise. Congrats to all involved, and special congrats for extending the understanding beyond the usual horse related readers.
Keep it up, all of you. What you are doing is a tribute to Barbaro and many other horses, as well as their connections.
Ugh, the letter from the Namibia child made me all teary. How incredibly sweet!!
I missed the interview (I forgot it was today, even though I marked it on my calendar…grrr), but I’ll go to ESPN’s website and watch it.
I still light candles, as well.
Thanks, again, VB!
Thank you Alex~
Update 1657: Jason Shandler wrote a nice article on the Fans of Barbaro: Fans of Barbaro as a result of our conversation yesterday. The article ends:
On April 29, Delaware Park, the site of Barbaro’s first race, will host Barbaro Day. It will be dedicated to the 2006 Kentucky Derby champ and will also feature a race called the Fans of Barbaro. Brown says, Tampa Bay Downs, Hollywood Park and Lone Star Park will also pay tribute to Barbaro on April 29, which happens to be his birthday.
So far, over 500 FOBs have promised to show up at Delaware Park, from as far away as South Africa. It will be the first time that the special group will have met on a large scale.
“People are going to fly in from all over. It is going to be a terrific event,” said Brown. “It just shows what a compassionate group of people can do when they want something. The FOBs goals are to keep a persistent focus on horse welfare issues. It’s a good thing.”
It sure is.
I may have been a little off on the 500 number, but I am hoping it will be close to that number on the day.
I had reported on the article in The Smithsonian. Here is the link:
An excellent article by Steve Twomey in this month’s Smithsonian magazine: Barbaro’s Legacy.
Hey, I’m new on here…I’m assuming you all know that Barbaro got euthanized…
it’s so disappointing. I was so upset when I found out! It’s so frustrating. I know that it was a really bad break, but it still makes me really angry that the people didn’t give him more of a chance! :mad: He was such a great horse! Please correct me if I’m totally misunderstanding the issue. Thanks
[QUOTE=i_luv_horses;2321579]
Hey, I’m new on here…I’m assuming you all know that Barbaro got euthanized… it’s so disappointing. I was so upset when I found out! It’s so frustrating. I know that it was a really bad break, but it still makes me really angry that the people didn’t give him more of a chance! :mad: He was such a great horse! Please correct me if I’m totally misunderstanding the issue. Thanks[/QUOTE]
You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried. Please read through this thread or read some of the countless articles that were written on the subject before making a statement such as the above.
You need to go through this very large thread before you make statements like the one above.
Those statements sound like you are out of the loop…start reading and you may seriously THINK about what you are wrtting about before you do…read more then what is just here, eventhough it is very complete there are TONS of articles and videos…
Thanks Alex~
Update 1667: Jeannine Edwards just sent this e-mail following her early morning visit to Al Quoz, Godolphin’s training center in Dubai:
Hello from Dubai everyone! First, I would like to thank you ALL for the very heartfelt, touching sentiments you expressed on this site after seeing the Dr. Richardson feature on ESPN on Sat. Your comments were so thoughtful. I don’t want to name names for fear of accidently leaving someone out, but all of you touched me with your kindness, and I’m sure Dr. R. was even more moved by all of the genuine expressions of compassion, empathy, and admiration. Thank you all so much!
[QUOTE=VirginiaBred;2322562]
Thanks Alex~
Update 1667: Jeannine Edwards just sent this e-mail following her early morning visit to Al Quoz, Godolphin’s training center in Dubai:
Hello from Dubai everyone! First, I would like to thank you ALL for the very heartfelt, touching sentiments you expressed on this site after seeing the Dr. Richardson feature on ESPN on Sat. Your comments were so thoughtful. I don’t want to name names for fear of accidently leaving someone out, but all of you touched me with your kindness, and I’m sure Dr. R. was even more moved by all of the genuine expressions of compassion, empathy, and admiration. Thank you all so much![/QUOTE]
Is that piece available anywhere on the web. I of course missed it.
Yes it is. I put it on here. Go back a page or two.
Thanks Alex~
Update 1673: Michael Matz is preparing for his second assault on the Florida Derby: Matz in underdog role with Chelokee, excerpt:
“I would love to go back to the Derby and I’m really looking forward to this race, but if he doesn’t make it to the Kentucky Derby there are plenty of other derbies around where we can go with him and do well,” said Matz. “There’s not a whole lot of pressure on us this time, although to tell the truth, even though we had the favorite last year, Barbaro was just so good he never made you feel any pressure when he ran.”
Cheloks can win on Saturday he has shown some good performances, so he has it - he just needs to bring his A game.
Thanks Alex~
Update 1676: I spent this afternoon at Delaware Park taking a quick look at the set up that Sharon has been working on with Christine of Delaware Park. All I can say is I think it is going to be very impressive. Those who have not fully made up their mind whether to attend Barbaro’s Birthday celebration at Delaware, I encourage you to come. They are organizing a terrific event for you. At this point we have just over 300 people signed up. We have room for many more.
Matz Has New Derby Shot, but Barbaro Memories Remain, the article concludes:
Peter Brette, Matz’s assistant, compares horses to Barbaro all the time.
“You’re constantly surrounded by horses, and every time you ride one you just think of him,” said the Englishman who exercised Barbaro and now handles Chelokee in the morning. “Obviously, you are going to compare them forever. When we get babies in, you’re going to compare them straightaway.”
However, he says Barbaro is the horse of a lifetime. “Twenty four years I’ve been riding, and he was the best. I can’t imagine sitting on something as good as him.”
“Right now, I’d love nothing more than for this horse to run well and go back to the Kentucky Derby,” Matz said of Chelokee. “Whether I have the same shot as I did last year nobody will know. But we’re trying.”
Update 1675: Another amazing rescue effort from Fans of Barbaro: 13 at risk foals Topeka Ks. sale barn!!!
Thanks, Alex~
Update 1677: Jeannine just sent this e-mail from Dubai:
Friday morning was gorgeous here… the weather has cleared, there was a light breeze, and it wasn’t too hot. We went out at 6:15am to get some shots of Collier Hill for my report during the ABC telecast (2:30-4:30pm ET on Sat.) Jockey Dean McKeown was kind enough to stop and pose for us on Collier, although Collier’s not too keen on standing still. He looked great galloping on the turf… he’s a 9-year-old with arthritic ankles, but he seemed to travel well. We also saw Invasor, who looks fantastic! I know his trainer, Keiran McLaughlin is extremely happy with his condition right now. He told me the only worry, is not being able to run on Lasix. He said he doesn’t really need it, but you never know until they run a taxing race without it whether or not it will be a factor. Lava Man looks super… it’s so cool to see this Cinderella horse all the way over here in Dubai. He has certainly taken his connections on the ride of their lives. What a story he is. Honey Ryder, who’s taking on the boys in the Sheema Classic, galloped as good as any horse I’ve seen out here. Watch out for her!! She took my breath away this morning.
The party last night was breathtaking!!! It was literally in the middle of the desert, in big tents, with pillows to sit on, elaborate buffet stations set up, lots and lots of interesting food, and about 3000 people milling around. We rode camels, held falcons, and watched a fire dancing display before a fantastic fireworks show culminated the evening. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was there eating, just like the rest of us.
Lo and behold, as I was out walking near the rail just a little while ago (around 8:30am here) I spotted a familiar face, who was looking at me and smiling. It was none other Dr. Richardson! I knew the Jacksons were coming, but didn’t know Dr. R. was coming. We hugged and he teased me about “making him look bad on the TV last week…” (referring to the ESPN interview during which he choked up.) I said “Do you know how overwhelming the response to that piece has been?? Do you know how you have endeared yourself to so many with your sentiments in that piece??” He said I was a bully making him cry. Then he said even his wife liked the feature, so it must have been good. We had a nice chat, I introduced him to one of our producers, and he said he was looking for me at the party last night, but with 3000 people milling around, it was kind of hard to find people. Then he said, “But most importantly, how’s Jessie doing??” He’s more interested in how Jessie’s leg is healing than anything. I gave him a status report, she’s doing well. He said he will be going to visit Sheikh Mohammed’s state of the art Vet Clinic/Hospital here today, and I’m sure we’ll see him tomorrow during the races. He seemed relaxed, happy, and said he was blown away by the party last night. It was really good to see him, and I hope he and the Jacksons have a marvelous time here in Dubai.
Hope all is well back in the states! And if any of you are sending notes to Dr. R, be sure to tell him he did NOT look bad in that ESPN feature, quite the contrary, he showed what a remarkably dedicated and compassionate man he is. ( I told him this, but it might sink in better if it comes from some of you guys.)
Pictures from the Arabian Nights party thursday night.
Pictures from Nad Al Sheba friday morning.
Thanks Alex and VB for these updates. It is so nice of Jeannie to send this updates and pictures to us. She truly is a blessing for all of us. I am so happy to hear that Dr. R. and the Jacksons are there also. They all deserve to have a good time and be happy. That piece that Jeannine did on ESPN with Dr. R. brought tears to my eyes all over again. There are just not enough good things to say about this wonderful man and how much he cares…
Its always nice to see Barbaro’s caregivers honored, it begins:
The New Bolton Center, the veterinary clinic that treated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, is the recipient of this year’s Silver Horseshoe Award, the Kentucky Derby Festival has announced.
The Silver Horseshoe is given annually by the festival to a group or individual for significant contributions or service to the thoroughbred racing industry.
