Retrospective

The recent issue of Blood Horse magazine, thoroughbred racing's trade magazine, recounts the top horse stories of the year. What is interesting is that nearly two years ago (2006), Barbaro was thoroughbred racing's top story (the Barbaro team won a special award for this at the Eclipse awards in January 2007. This year, 2007, Barbaro continued to dominate racing's headlines well into February.

As Blood Horse reports: "Though he was euthanized in January, the top story in the industry the following month was still Barbaro. The beloved winner of the Kentucky Derby......had broken down in the 2006 Preakness Stakes and fought valiantly until finally a battle with laminitis would claim his life. He was a national news story for months."

The timing of Barbaro's injury, surgery and ultimate demise transposed two calendar years and made him a national force as one year ended and the next began. Last year at this time, the news was still good--there was talk of moving Barbaro from New Bolton to a Kentucky Horse farm where he presumably would spend his days surrounded by bus tours of fans. The atmosphere was hopeful as all the major players in the story took off for various retreats during the week between Christmas and New Year.

It is hard to believe that I have been involved with this story for almost two years.