Catt
01-29-2007, 03:00 PM
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro put down
AFP
January 29, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, United States (AFP) - Barbaro lost his eight month battle for life when the Kentucky Derby winner was put down after a major setback in his recovery from a broken leg.
Roy Jackson, co-owner of the colt who was injured last May 20 at the Preakness Stakes, said Barbaro was put down this morning after his front legs began to show signs of stress following treatment on both hind legs.
"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," Jackson said. "It was the right decision."
Combined with the right hind leg he broke in three places during the race and the left hind leg that developed laminitis during treatment, the pain to the horse was too great to continue the extraordinary life-saving effort.
"He started to have changes in the front feet," Jackson told the Philadelphia Daily News. "Now we were dealing with all four feet. We were all concurrent on everything that we just don't want the horse to suffer."
"It's a sad situation because we had some bright periods. It looked like we might make it through the thing - too much weight on the legs like that. It was going to be a long, long road. It was better not to go further and let him suffer."
University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center surgical chief Dean Richardson was to speak about the horse later Monday.
Barbaro won the Derby last May by the largest margin in 60 years but broke down barely 200 meters into the second jewel of US horse racing's Triple Crown.
Richardson made a risky move Saturday by inserting weight-bearing steel pins into Barbaro's right hind leg, calling the procedure "another significant setback" after a brace failed to provide enough support.
"It's essentially like a house of cards. When one starts to go significantly awry, then more can happen," Richardson warned.
Barbaro, who never lost a race in which he reached the finish line, won his first six races and overwhelmed rivals at the Kentucky Derby only to suffer tragedy at the Preakness.
Jackson and his wife Gretchen decided to make an extraordinary effort to keep the colt alive, capturing the imagination of US sports fans beyond the typical racing crowd.
Another major setback came last July when the colt developed laminitis in his left hind foot. Richardson cut away 80 percent of Barbaro's left hind hoof. When the hoof did not grow back properly, Barbaro's chances to recover dropped.
A cast was placed upon the hoof earlier this month but removed after it caused the horse severe pain. A difficult night Sunday prompted the most difficult decision of all.
AFP
January 29, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, United States (AFP) - Barbaro lost his eight month battle for life when the Kentucky Derby winner was put down after a major setback in his recovery from a broken leg.
Roy Jackson, co-owner of the colt who was injured last May 20 at the Preakness Stakes, said Barbaro was put down this morning after his front legs began to show signs of stress following treatment on both hind legs.
"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," Jackson said. "It was the right decision."
Combined with the right hind leg he broke in three places during the race and the left hind leg that developed laminitis during treatment, the pain to the horse was too great to continue the extraordinary life-saving effort.
"He started to have changes in the front feet," Jackson told the Philadelphia Daily News. "Now we were dealing with all four feet. We were all concurrent on everything that we just don't want the horse to suffer."
"It's a sad situation because we had some bright periods. It looked like we might make it through the thing - too much weight on the legs like that. It was going to be a long, long road. It was better not to go further and let him suffer."
University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center surgical chief Dean Richardson was to speak about the horse later Monday.
Barbaro won the Derby last May by the largest margin in 60 years but broke down barely 200 meters into the second jewel of US horse racing's Triple Crown.
Richardson made a risky move Saturday by inserting weight-bearing steel pins into Barbaro's right hind leg, calling the procedure "another significant setback" after a brace failed to provide enough support.
"It's essentially like a house of cards. When one starts to go significantly awry, then more can happen," Richardson warned.
Barbaro, who never lost a race in which he reached the finish line, won his first six races and overwhelmed rivals at the Kentucky Derby only to suffer tragedy at the Preakness.
Jackson and his wife Gretchen decided to make an extraordinary effort to keep the colt alive, capturing the imagination of US sports fans beyond the typical racing crowd.
Another major setback came last July when the colt developed laminitis in his left hind foot. Richardson cut away 80 percent of Barbaro's left hind hoof. When the hoof did not grow back properly, Barbaro's chances to recover dropped.
A cast was placed upon the hoof earlier this month but removed after it caused the horse severe pain. A difficult night Sunday prompted the most difficult decision of all.