The Preakness thread

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Posted By: leon

Since a lot of board members seem to be into the horse racing, and that old darned thread about the focus seems to be popping back up, here is your thread. Have at it. I ain't betting as I spent my whole wad ($5) on Lawyer Ron in the Derby (Tbob- sorry..I am not singling you out for the last post in the last thread)....regards

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Posted By: Sean

Trifecta in this order or box it:
1. Barbaro
2. Sweetnorthernsaint
3. Brother Derek

I will post my address after the race for donations.

No luck need - Sean BH

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Posted By: andy becker

i was at arlington for derby day with a buddy who owns a couple horses.
his trainer and a few others we spoke to loved barbaro.
they were raving about his workout of 46 sec for 4 furlongs....in which he has not going full board.
after the derby, my friend's trainer thought that barbaro was "the next superstar".

i think he will win the preakness. bernardini (sp?) has a big shot to run second.

depending on who enters the belmont, i see that race being babaro's biggest obstacle.

i am surprised that brother derek didn't skip the preakness for the belmont. his connections must believe that he can win both.

good luck fellas.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Looks fast on the rail today...advantage Derek.

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Posted By: Henry Eshelman

Hate to see that happen to Barabaro

Thanks, Henry Eshelman

Website:www.freewebs.com/vintagebaseball

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Posted By: Bob

Absolute tragedy. You had to figure when he burst through the starting gate that there was bad karma for him today. I just hope they save his life. It reminds me of Ruffian, the greatest filly of all time and arguably one of the greatest horses of all time who had to be destroyed. A real shame.
On another note, you have to wonder if the owners of Sinister Minister, Lawyer Ron, Steppenwolfer and others aren't scrambling to get their horses ready for the Belmont now.

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Posted By: Sean

Hope nobody listened to my post?? I didn't.

It's sad to see something like that happen, the last two horse this kind of accident happened to didn't make it. The jockey might have saved his life and hope he makes it through surgery today.

Sean

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Posted By: Bob

This is exactly why you don't bet $500 on a show ticket on the odds-on favorite. People who probably didn't have the money to lose, bet the $500 fully expecting Barbaro to win or at least finish 2nd or 3rd with all the dogs in the field and a small contingent. That way they would walk away with a tidy $250 profit plus their original wager. Instead there was probably some rent money lost. I remember when I was much, much younger doing exactly this and being devastated when my horse was boxed in and ran fourth. I vowed never to play that sucker bet again and I haven't....
Any new word on the horse and whether they will be able to save him?

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Posted By: Frank Evanov

In NY we call them Bridge Jumpers. They bet $50,000 to show on a "can't lose" favorite and hopefully collect $52,500. When they lose, they head for the bridge.

Frank

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Posted By: Anonymous

It's always a black day for racing when a great one breaks down...16 years after Go For Wand that horrible scene is still with me.

we'll never know how good Barbaro would've been at age 4 and 5 on the Turf, which is what his stride and breeding seems to be meant...hope he can be saved and be a great sire.

In the paddock before the Derby, Bob Baffert was quoted as saying that Barbaro looked ''like a man among boys.''

some tough questions for the track vet and starter, not exactly a careful exam after he broke through the gate.
...and at the risk of starting a grassy knoll conspiracy that demonizes Pimlico or NBC ...the protocol seemed very brief...the post-time was already squeezed back, as usual, to keep those windows open.

I also noticed Prado really checking his hind legs out in the post parade after he almost got bucked off, not an uncommon thing to see, yet interesting...obviously He thought the horse was sound and i think he did a phenomenal job pulling him up and dismounting asap.

And you were right Andy....
..what may be lost is that Bernardini ran a huge race
and had plenty when asked. I just heard the Beyer figure was higher than Barbaro's K-derby.

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Posted By: Anonymous

T-bob.

haven't heard anything on Barbaro..it's still pretty early on...hard to be real optomistic..but i am anyways.

Not expecting Lawyer Ron to recover from his surgery in time for the Belmont, as he had a bone chip removed last week and is gonna need at least a month away from training.

Sweetnorthernsaint injured a hoof which could force him out and Brother Derek has had enough of racing outside of California.

sounds like a few Derby runners may return like Bluegrass Cat, Jazil, AP Warrior and your Steppenwolfer.

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Posted By: Paul Stratton

Sickening...They said on ESPN he was having surgery right now...and that he was pretty calm last night. Hope he makes it but it doesn't look good.

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Posted By: Rob NYC

Richardson, the chief of surgery for the center, said the damage was "very, very serious," and he's never worked on so many catastrophic injuries to one horse.

"You do not see this severe injury frequently because the fact is most horses that suffer this typically are put down on the race track," Richardson said. "This is rare."

"It's about as bad as it could be," he added. "The main thing going for the horse is a report that his skin was not broken at the time of injury. It's a testament to the care given to the team of doctors on the track and (jockey) Mr. Prado on the racetrack."

Richardson said Barbaro sustained a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint - the ankle - was dislocated.

"The aspects of the surgery will be dictated slightly by what we find," Richardson said. "But the bottom line is we will attempt to perform a fusion of that joint and to stabilize it and make it comfortable enough for him to walk on."

Unbeaten and a serious contender for the Triple Crown, Barbaro broke down only a few hundred yards into the 1 3-16-mile Preakness. With his right leg flaring out grotesquely, the record crowd of 118,402 watched in shock as Barbaro veered sideways. Jockey Edgar Prado pulled the powerful colt to a halt, jumped off and awaited medical assistance.

Barbaro was fitted for an inflatable cast by the attending veterinarian, Dr. Nicholas Meittinis, and the colt trained so expertly by Michael Matz was taken to the center, known as the University of Pennsylvania's George D. Widener Hospital New Bolton Center. Barbara Dallap, a clinician at the center, was present when Barbaro arrived Saturday night.

"When we unloaded him, he was placed in intensive care and we stabilized him overnight," Dallap said. "He was very brave and well behaved under the situation and was comfortable overnight."

Matz, too, was at the center Saturday night.

"Two weeks ago we were on such a high and this is our worst nightmare," he said. "Hopefully, everything will go well with the operation and we'll be able to save him."



According to Dr. Larry Bramlage, a prominent equine surgeon and On Call veterinarian for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, Barbaro suffered a condylar fracture of the cannon bone in his right hind leg above the ankle. Below the ankle is a comminuted fracture (meaning it is in pieces) of the first phalanx (long pastern bone) and there is a piece off the sesamoid. He described it as a "two-phased" injury.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro came out of a day-long surgery Sunday to repair three broken bones in his right rear leg and "practically jogged back to the stall," the colt's surgeon said.

Richardson gave the horse a "50-50" chance of survival due to the high risk of post-op infection. Barbaro will be given antibiotics as a method to stave off infection. But even if Barbaro does manage to avoid infection, the road to recovery will last months, Richardson said.

.......well let's keep our fingers crossed

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Posted By: andy becker

i'm sure anyone who saw the race feels terrible. bad break for barbaro and his connections. let's hope he can make it.

hi dave,
i did have some foresight into the race....as usual (when i have anything close to pegged) i was nowhere near a track or off track.

bernardini did run a huge race. even bigger than the grade 3 when his jockey lost the whip and he still rambled home for a 7 length win.

he should be the post favorite in the belmont, but i would consider stepenwolfer and the 1 horse form the derby (his name eludes me right now).

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Posted By: Bob

He may not have been a Triple Crown winner but in my book, he has the heart of a champion and I am pulling for him to have a long, long life at stud.

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Posted By: leon

As a big time animal lover I hope he's ok. They have said he's flirting with the mare's so that's a pretty good sign. Yesterday I heard it was 50-50, but I am really pulling for him too. BTW, the reason that horse leg breaks are so bad is that naturally they are a "standing" type of animal and to keep them off of their feet can be impossible sometimes, which causes complications too...that's the reason I heard (and something about internal infections due to this, in their intestines?).....regards

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Posted By: Rob NYC

They say he's doing better than he was yesterday and that yesterday he was doing very well.

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

Has anyone seen the x-rays of the surgically repaired leg. I couldn't imagine the quality of life the horse will have if he can live after the doctor says it's ok to remove the cast. I hate to say this but keeping that horse alive for stud may only be prolonging the inevitable re-break of that leg. You can only hope that the horse lives a decent life after surgery, but after seeing the x-rays I have my doubts. I'm not an expert in this field but common sense tells me something just doesn't seem right.

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Posted By: leon

They said his stud fees will be in the millions if he can pull through. Notwithstanding other medical issues I think he will be "living high on the horse" ......oh, that was bad......

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Posted By: Anonymous

I had a filly (Annabelly) break down with a very similar injury in 2004 (condylar fracture of the cannon, broken pastern and sesamoid bones in the ankle). She was harnessed for several weeks and stall bound for over nine months.

I am pleased to report she gave birth to a fine El Prado colt in April and is back in foal. She is happily prancing around the fields with the other mares as we speak.

Miracles do happen.

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

Leon,

You've got to figure that ungelded Derby winners have a lot of fun when they are retired...

Yo Mass,

I sure hope Annabelly's leg didn't look like this after surgery:

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Posted By: Anonymous

Fred.
It makes me sad that so many are voicing the opinion that the Jackson's sole reason for opting to save this animal's life is for making money off stud fees.

I really doubt that is the case... but heck, it's a free country and many opinions are free..and worth about the same.

If all they cared about is money..why gamble on an iffy stallion career ? as I'm sure they could have cashed out on a large insurance poilcy by choosing to kill him.

I commend them for spending a fraction of their wealth to save the life of an animal they love.

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Posted By: leon

My wife asked me last night how much I would pay to save our little beloved beagle's life, Trixie? I told her whatever it took. (thank goodness nothing is wrong). Maybe I am cynical here but if that was an old paint that was out to pasture I just don't think that much money would be spent on him to save his life, after that kind of break. Again, I assure all that I am an animal lover to no end. I used to work at a vet and volunteered at the Houston Zoo for a while. I have also done work at some SPCA's.....I am sure he should be saved for more than just money but am unsure that is the case here....again, like you said, everyone has an opinion. I am pretty sure the owner wouldn't say they were doing it for the money...and maybe they aren't, who knows?.....glad I started the thread though....regards

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Posted By: Anonymous

faced with the choices like I was 18 months ago and again this past spring...you'd find it really easy to sell some beloved cardboard (ie, spend some of your "wealth") to try to save an animal you loved.

..unfortunately in my case....there is no long term cure for bone cancer in animals.

..and fortunatelty cases like Rich's filly give us all hope that Barbaro gets to live beyonf his young 3years of age.

I believe he is a very lucky colt to have so many do the right thing for him...let alone have the amazing..albeit cut-short racing career.

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Posted By: KJ

I am a veterinarian (small animal that is) and actually know the surgeon Dean Richardson from my time at Penn. He is a cocky SOB, but probably the best there is at what he does.

I wanted to address the person who stated that the quality of life would be poor because of all the hardware in the leg, and that another break is inevitable. The surgery was not only geared towards repairing and stabilizing the fracture, but also and probably more importantly to fuse the joint. That will give that area of the leg stability, and allow Barbaro, if he recovers well and doesn't have any problems with his other back leg, to lead a normal life for a post racing horse. Obviously he won't be racing, but with a fused fetlock, he shouldn't have any problem living out his days as a stud.

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Posted By: Anonymous

thank god for cocky SOB's when you really need one ..Eh?

edited to say: kinda like a good expensive lawyer ..
........but not exactly

edited to add: btw..small animal ,as well as all other DVM's are all heros in my estimation.,,keep up the good work.

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

I hope that horse can have a normal life after that surgery. When I saw all the screws I felt so bad for that horse.

In any case, if that was my horse I'd want to save it. From what I understand most horses with this type of injury don't even make it into an operating room but this horse isn't just any ordinary horse.

I'm just curious, how many times has a surgery so extensive been done on an equine? Are most cases successful?

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Posted By: barrysloate

The family who owns Barbaro is fantastically wealthy so medical costs are not an issue. They love the horse and are doing what is possible to save him. I think they may need to be satisfied with Barbaro leading a relatively normal life. For him to mate, he will have to stand on his two back legs and support his entire weight. That may ultimately prove to be impossible. The family knows that. To keep Barbaro in a 12 x 12 stall for months without encountering complications is the real problem. Let's wish him the best.

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Posted By: Barbaro Fan

oh my lord.......How good is Bernardini ?


even in that nasty muck...he just breezed like a hole in the wind.

...what a gosh darn shame Barbaro isn't still racing.

edited to add:
but hey..at least we got Todd Pletcher bobble heads

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Posted By: Bob

Haven't heard anything lately since Lawyer Ron's uneventful trip at Churchill. If he is now well, it will be interesting to see him hook up with Bernardini this Fall.

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Posted By: Barbaro Fan

Bob.

it's all about the Travers for now.

apparently Jazil is out due to injury..but it looks be a good one anyways.

come on up..drinks and bad tips on me

but keep an eye on Henny Hughes when he returns..
prolly the Kings Bishop...he looks incredible.

I can't remember a spa meet with so many top flight jockeys and horses...

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Im going to the Haskell next weekend.Anyone else going? Went to Monmouth today and lost all 5 races i picked which isnt anything new,ive only had one good day there.I blame my cousin who's a cashier there.The only day i left with any winnings,she wasnt there,every other day ive put in all my bets with her.

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Posted By: Rob NYC

Bernardini's next start is The Travers and then possibly on to the Breeders Cup Classic where he will face quality elders for the first time.

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Posted By: Anonymous

John.

hope you enjoyed the big day down on the shore.

...you got the Joe Bravo day memo right?

Bluegrass Cat looks to be making a bid for 3 year old of the year (not to diminish Barbaro's success)...but he looked awfully good again.
He has been the only one to campaign all spring and summer except the also ran Deputy Glitters.

The Bernardini v. B-grass Cat showdown in the Travers could be a great one if it happens.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

I didnt get the memo otherwise i wouldve came home with money instead of losing for the day.He almost won 6 in a row and he thought he had that 6th race won which wouldve tied a record there.I was standing up against the rail less than 100 feet from the finish line during the Haskell.By the way i had Bluegrass Cat/Deputy Glitters/Praying for Cash in the trifecta.....came close but Deputy Glitters really dropped off late

Just a little tip,a horse to watch for that runs at Monmouth is a 2 year old named Bella Shambrock trained by Todd Pletcher. It won last saturday running away and in its previous race,a 5 furlong one,it won by over 14 lengths and was picking up speed so it should do well at longer distances.

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Posted By: Bob

Where is Lawyer Ron? Anyone heard anything about his recovery?

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Posted By: Anonymous

sounds like surgery was a success on the bone chips.
he's back in training at Churchill and sounds to be doing well...

"Lawyer Ron's expected return next month to Louisiana Downs, where he launched a six-race win streak last December. The Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby Sept. 23 at the Bossier City, La., track is one of three upcoming stakes objectives for the comebacking colt, according to his trainer, Bob Holthus."

"It is on our agenda," he said of the Super Derby. "We're planning on his first start being the St. Louis Derby on Aug. 26, then we're going to come back in the Super Derby, and, hopefully, the Breeders' Cup."


http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=17278

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Posted By: leon

This was cut and pasted from the Associated Press :

AUGUST 1, 2006

: Barbaro's right hind leg healing well - Associated Press


KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Barbaro's right hind bones are healing so well his cast could have been off by now, if not for the laminitis in his other hind leg.

Dr. Dean Richardson said Tuesday that the painful hoof disease the Kentucky Derby winner has is preventing the cast from being removed because the colt could not protect himself by bearing more weight on the left hind.

Barbaro suffered life-threatening injuries when he broke three bones above and below his right rear ankle at the start of the May 20 Preakness.

"If he hadn't had the founder [laminitis] on his left hind, he'd probably be out of the cast and he'd probably be in a splinted bandage on the shoe," Richardson said in a telephone interview. "That's where we'd likely be. I can't do that because his left hind is the more sore of the two legs right now."

Barbaro's left hind hoof, which was stricken with a severe case of laminitis, is improving and started to show slight signs of re-growing after 80 percent of it was removed. Barbaro needs to regrow the hoof if he is to have any shot of walking -- albeit with a hitch in his gait.

Barbaro, still in stable condition, has the bandage on his left hind foot changed daily.

"It's too early to see true hoof wall forming," Richardson said from the New Bolton Center. "But the coronary band, the part of the hoof that's the equivalent of the nail bed where the hoof is going to grow down from, that looks very good. It's too early to see a lot."

Barbaro has been in an intensive care stall at the George D. Widener Hospital since his horrific injuries in the second race of the Triple Crown series. Barbaro sustained a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint -- the ankle -- was dislocated.

Richardson said after performing surgery the pastern bone was shattered in "20-plus pieces."

Now, the right hind may be the least of Barbaro's worries in what remains a tedious, long recovery.

"Everything looks good under the cast," Richardson said. "The X-rays looked as good as they can look."

Richardson was concerned the 3-year-old colt would try to put too much weight on the rear hind if the cast was removed. Richardson said the left rear hoof has to regrow and stay healthy.

Richardson said the colt's prognosis was "poor" after it was stricken with laminitis but eased off that grim outlook Tuesday.

"I don't know. Every day that goes by, it's great," he said. "He has so long to go I don't even think about the prognosis. We just work on the horse and hope he continues to be happy."

Barbaro looks bright and happy with a voracious appetite to those who see him. Owner Gretchen Jackson usually visits twice daily to feed Barbaro fresh-cut grass from her nearby farm.

"It makes me feel better about the poor guy stuck in there," she said. "He likes it."

Jackson and her husband, Roy, said they look at Barbaro's recovery as a day-to-day process and try not to let their emotions ride too high over good news or get discouraged over changes in his condition.

"Just looking at him, he hasn't changed at all from the way he's been all along," she said. "If you had that as all you could go by, you couldn't believe he wasn't going to make it."

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Posted By: Anonymous

Barbaro has been through the wringer and then some..
...the news is good again today from what i heard.

Bernardini and Bluegrass Cat have put up some serious speed figs heading into the Travers, but the Spa has been pretty whacked out so far, so perhaps a longshot?

edited to add:
..but heck, if Pletcher can get The Green Monkey to the starting gate Beyer will have to rewrite the standard

...at least for 16 million dollar colts
(assuming he doesn't go A-rod on them)

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Posted By: Anonymous

wow.

Bernardini is the real deal. Hands down 3YO of 2006....regardless of what hapens at Churchill in October.

we can only wonder what Barbaro and He would have done to the track record today....a hand ride over that deep track ..and he still rips the fastest Travers in 30 years..wow.

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Posted By: Bob

Bernandini ran a great race today albeit it against less than mediocre competition with the exception of Bluegrass Cat. I can't wait to see if Lawyer Ron is healthy again and see them hook it up in the Breeder's Cup.

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Posted By: Anonymous

T-bob.

with all due respect my friend.

where was this "mediorce and better company" supposed to come from?...are there really 3yo's that would challenge these two?