Barbaro and the 9-11 Connection
Frankly, I’m not a horse racing fan. Or wasn’t. Until this congenial bay colt won the Kentucky Derby, I had never heard of him. Born April 29, 2003, Barbaro was sired by Dynaformer and the mare La Ville Rouge. At the time of his injury during the Preakness on May 20, he had seven starts and six wins to his credit. Lifetime earnings: $2,302,200.
Something happened when my husband and I turned on the news after the Preakness and word of Barbaro’s catastrophic injury flashed across the bottom of the television screen. The horse’s plight was riveting. I was already hooked. Would he-could he-possibly make it?
The initial news was a bit misguided. It concentrated on speculating whether Barbaro would ever be able to sire offspring rather than his survival. In the course of just a few days, however, we learned his owners, Gretchen and Roy Jackson, who own Lael Stables in West Grove, PA, intended to spare no expense to save him, as long as he remained reasonably comfortable.
We all began to breathe more easily after the horse’s long surgery. Baskets of flowers, carrots, cards, and monetary donations deluged the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania vet school, where Barbaro remains stabled in intensive care. A fund was started in his honor. We rejoiced when he was briefly reunited with the jockey who undoubtedly saved his life, Edgar Prado, and when he was courted by the Governor of Pennsylvania.
And then there was July 13 and the dreaded laminitis. I first read about it during one of my Internet searches devoted to uncovering any scrap of news about Barbaro. I happened upon Alex Brown’s web site.
Before the Preakness, Brown led a relatively quiet life exercising horses for some of the trainers who used the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, MD. One of them was Tim Woolley, who has kept a stable at Fair Hill for more than 10 years. Barbaro was stabled and trained next to Woolley’s barn at Fair Hill. Brown also maintained the http://www.timwoolleyracing.com web site, which initially contained racing statistics. According to a local publication, prior to the Preakness, the site received fewer than 10 hits per day on average.
Brown came up with the idea of posting Barbaro updates, which he hoped would also increase traffic to the web site. As a result, 12,000 individuals from around the globe check the site each day, hoping for any tidbits about the fallen warrior. It also has a public comments section and publishes photos and videos. Many of the visitors to the site contributed to a birthday celebration for Barbaro’s surgeon, Dr. Dean Richardson, in August. The site recently reported that the Jacksons also visit it.
Like others who check the site regularly, I have come to depend upon it for the latest news on this winsome horse. I have read that despite the fact that 80 percent of his left rear hoof was removed, 1 centimeter of what we relate to as human cuticle has already regrown. I found out hours before it hit the general media that his cast was unexpectedly changed because of a small crack. I have also followed the progress of other equine heroes-in-the making such as Lost in the Fog, recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer. I have a whole new vocabulary.
So what is it with this horse? Why are we transfixed?
I believe it’s more than Americans’ love for mighty horses such as Sea Biscuit and Secretariat. I submit our love affair with and concern for “America’s Horse” might well be keyed to what happened to this nation on September 11, 2001. We mourned the loss of innocent lives, and we cheered those who survived against almost unbelievable odds. We embraced the exhausted heroes who came home after fighting so hard to help others. And we mourned the heroes who did not return. For all of us, the Twin Towers represented indestructible fortresses that were destroyed before our eyes.
We learned to cherish the underdog, such as the severely-injured Pentagon civilian who started life over despite the scars. We admire Barbaro’s owners, who did the right thing in giving him every chance to survive. We loved Barbaro as a champion, and we cherish him as a courageous survivor. That’s what is it is about this horse.
