Barbaro

[JimG.]

Are there any horse racing fans in here? I love watching horse races; used to love to go to the track and bet on them until I realized I was better off just driving by the track and throwing my money out the window, but I still love watching horses run.

But there have been a few accidents over the years that really get to me. Ruffian back in the 70's had to be put down with a leg injury and that accident still bothers me today. Then, on Saturday, Barbaro broke several bones in a hind leg. I felt he would have been the first triple crown winner in 25 years, but now all I want is for him to survive.

Since the accident, I have been amazed at the tremendous treatment that Barbaro has been given. From the moment of the fractures when his jockey came just short of killing himself jumping off and stopping the horse before more damage was done to the surgeons who put the leg back together (I feel a connection with the horse because x-rays of my lower left leg look just like his) to Barbaro himself who acts like he knows what happened and what he has to do to survive, I am in awe.

On top of that, the outpouring of emotion and goodwill from people everywhere restores my sometimes tattered faith in humanity. Barbaro isn't out of the woods yet, but he's on the right path. And it's nice to see alot of people really care about him.

 

[noski]

Are there any horse racing fans in here? I love watching horse races; used to love to go to the track and bet on them until I realized I was better off just driving by the track and throwing my money out the window, but I still love watching horses run.

But there have been a few accidents over the years that really get to me. Ruffian back in the 70's had to be put down with a leg injury and that accident still bothers me today. Then, on Saturday, Barbaro broke several bones in a hind leg. I felt he would have been the first triple crown winner in 25 years, but now all I want is for him to survive.

Since the accident, I have been amazed at the tremendous treatment that Barbaro has been given. From the moment of the fractures when his jockey came just short of killing himself jumping off and stopping the horse before more damage was done to the surgeons who put the leg back together (I feel a connection with the horse because x-rays of my lower left leg look just like his) to Barbaro himself who acts like he knows what happened and what he has to do to survive, I am in awe.

On top of that, the outpouring of emotion and goodwill from people everywhere restores my sometimes tattered faith in humanity. Barbaro isn't out of the woods yet, but he's on the right path. And it's nice to see alot of people really care about him.

(This story give me hope they won't have to shoot David Wells. Maybe they can fix his knee again afterall.....) It is quite a story, seriously.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Are there any horse racing fans in here? I love watching horse races; used to love to go to the track and bet on them until I realized I was better off just driving by the track and throwing my money out the window, but I still love watching horses run.

But there have been a few accidents over the years that really get to me. Ruffian back in the 70's had to be put down with a leg injury and that accident still bothers me today. Then, on Saturday, Barbaro broke several bones in a hind leg. I felt he would have been the first triple crown winner in 25 years, but now all I want is for him to survive.

Since the accident, I have been amazed at the tremendous treatment that Barbaro has been given. From the moment of the fractures when his jockey came just short of killing himself jumping off and stopping the horse before more damage was done to the surgeons who put the leg back together (I feel a connection with the horse because x-rays of my lower left leg look just like his) to Barbaro himself who acts like he knows what happened and what he has to do to survive, I am in awe.

On top of that, the outpouring of emotion and goodwill from people everywhere restores my sometimes tattered faith in humanity. Barbaro isn't out of the woods yet, but he's on the right path. And it's nice to see alot of people really care about him.

I am. I’ve lived in either Albany or Saratoga counties my whole life, so I’ve always been close to Saratoga Race Track. When I was young and single I use to go there a lot. Nowadays I’ll go about 8 days of the meet. I use to go to the Belmont Stakes every year too. I saw Secretariat win when I was 19, also Settle Slew and Affirmed.

I think the injuries bother everybody who loves hourses. I remember being at the track when they had to put a horse down right on the spot. They put up tarps or something so the people in the stands couldn't actually see it, but it's still tough on everyone there.

 

[ChileMass]

Another Saratoga-area native here. I have always liked horse racing and I love to go to the Saratoga thoroughbred track. As a matter of fact, my family and I will be there the first weekend in August - can't wait. Saratoga is so great during the race meet.

What happened to Barbaro is a shame. He won the KY Derby so convincingly it was hard to imagine him losing the Preakness. I still can't believe he was 5:1 odds and paid $14.00 to win at the Derby. If you had $100 on him that day (a pretty resaonable bet considering the horse) you would have won over $700. Hopefully he will have a long life out in the pasture.

Note that Bernardini (Preakness winner) is not running in the Belmont next week, so it will be a wide-open field with good odds. His owner says he has run too many big races in too short a time period and he needs rest. Wish my boss would say that about me.....