The Triumph and Tragedy of Barbaro

 

The Triumph and Tragedy of Barbaro

Joseph Di Rienzi

Barbaro winning the 2006 Kentucky Derby
(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

It’s been almost 20 years since I stood in the infield at Churchill Downs among the tee-shirted fans and inebriated college students on Derby Day 2006. My whole Kentucky Derby experience was surreal. It started boarding the plane in Baltimore where I noted the number of hat boxes ladies were storing in the overhead compartments. Met at the Louisville airport by my friend Peter, who with his wife Margaret, live about 25 miles away in Mt. Washington, we drove to Churchill Downs on Derby Eve to see the Kentucky Oaks. There Peter placed a wager on behalf of Margaret, her first ever, on Lemons Forever who won at odds 47-1, the longest priced heroine in Oaks history.

On Derby Day, Margaret dropped Peter and I off outside the gates of Churchill Downs where we bought infield tickets. I have been to major thoroughbred races throughout the United States and other countries, but I have never experienced the excitement I encountered attending the Derby in person. The sensation of standing in the middle of the racetrack when the horses competing in the Run for the Roses came on to the track as the band played, Stephen Foster’s “My Old Kentucky Home” was very emotional. I had a strong preference in the Derby for Barbaro. Little did I know his triumph in the race would be a prelude to tragedy just two weeks later. Here are my recollections.

Home bred by Gretchen and Roy Jackson’s Lael Stables, Barbaro was a powerfully built dark bay or brown son of Dynaformer who under trainer Michael Matz’s care debuted in a one mile maiden grass race at Delaware Park in early October 2005 and won easily by 8½ lengths. Running next in November in the Laurel Futurity, he burst free down the stretch with enormous strides to win by 8 lengths in fast final time for the 8½ furlong contest.

Michael Matz was already contemplating trying his colt on dirt when he said after the Laurel Futurity, “This horse makes me shiver when I see him work on the dirt.” (The Blood Horse, November 26, 2005, pg. 6861.) Notwithstanding that last statement, Barbaro did run once more on turf winning on January 1, 2006 the 9 furlong Tropical Park Derby by 3¾ lengths at Calder Racecourse. In all his races the son of Dynaformer showed good positional speed and then, when called upon, produced an electrifying turn of foot. 

Barbaro had his much anticipated dirt debut in the Holy Bull Stakes run in 2005 at 9 furlongs at Gulfstream Park’s reconfigured track. Racing on a sloppy surface, Edgar Prado sat Barbaro just off the early pace, took the lead in the stretch and held off longshot Great Point’s rally for a measured ¾ of a length victory. With Michael Matz wanting more time between races for his colt, Barbaro skipped the Fountain of Youth Stakes to await the Florida Derby.

Barbaro was the favorite in the 11 horse Florida Derby field with Flashy Bull the second choice. Considering this was his first race on a dry dirt surface, and Barbaro was breaking from the no. 10 post position, there were doubts about his ability to win. Sharp Humor set the pace with Barbaro holding second place just a length behind. Moving to the leader around the final turn, Barbaro needed the whole stretch to prevail, besting a very game Sharp Humor by a ½ length. Some observers were not impressed with Barbaro’s performance citing the narrow margin over a horse considered a sprinter, and the fact he did not exhibit the powerful acceleration previously displayed on grass. However, the final time for the 9 furlong Florida Derby was faster than older stakes-class horses ran the same distance in the co-featured Skip Away Handicap earlier in the day.

In the aftermath, Michael Matz announced he would train Barbaro up to the Derby, foregoing any other prep race, attempting to be the first horse since Needles in 1956 to win the Kentucky Derby off a five week layoff.

The 132^nd Kentucky Derby seemed to have everything. There were two undefeated horses - Barbaro and Showing Up, both owned by Lael Stables, although separately trained by Michael Matz and Barclay Tagg, respectively. (Showing Up was a late addition having won the Lexington Stakes in only his third lifetime start.) Brother Derek, Point Determined, and A. P. Warrior represented the Santa Anita Derby form with Bob and John, Jazil, and Keyed Entry the first three across the finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes. Lawyer Ron brought a six race win streak to the Derby, and he was joined by his three time Oaklawn Park pursuer in Lawana and Robert Low’s Steppenwolfer. Pre-race analysis seemed to favor Brother Derek and Lawyer Ron, but there was growing support for Barbaro, particularly after people observed his powerful ½ mile breeze a week before the Derby. (That the Kentucky Derby winner would announce himself through his final blowout would become a pattern in future years.)

Despite the achievements of the aforementioned, the surprising favorite for the Kentucky Derby was Sweetnorthernsaint, a gelded son of Sweetsouthernsaint, who had won the Illinois Derby by 9¼ lengths. Trained in Maryland by Michael Trombetta Jr., he previously had won a minor stakes race at Laurel Racetrack and had finished a closing third in the Gotham Stakes. My belief at the time was the Derby was Barbaro’s to lose. If he broke well and secured a good stalking position in the clear, no one would outrun him in the last ¼ mile.

With several of the 20 contestants in the year’s Kentucky Derby possessing early speed, there was a rapid rush to the clubhouse turn. Keyed Entry and Sinister Minister fought for the lead, but right behind the leading pair were the Lael Stables’ duo, Showing Up on the inside and Barbaro to his outside. Edgar Prado had Barbaro in the perfect stalking position, and, though it may be presumptuous to say this, I believed as an eye witness that the race was effectively over as soon as the field straightened out down the backstretch. Barbaro, without any encouragement from Prado, loomed up on the outside around the far turn and gained the lead at the top of the straight. Once in the stretch, the son of Dynaformer bounded clear with his ground devouring strides and coasted to an emphatic 6½ length victory, one of the most impressive Kentucky Derby performances in my lifetime. Finishing second was Bluegrass Cat who finished 2 lengths clear of rallying Steppenwolfer. Finishing in a dead heat for fourth place was Brother Derek and Jazil, with the latter closing from 20^th place. Sweetnorthernsaint made a run on the inside down the backstretch, but faltered down the stretch finishing seventh, and Lawyer Ron was 12^th. The final time was strong, and Barbaro’s final ¼ mile was run in an outstanding 24 2/5 seconds.

Barbaro’s owners, Gretchen and Roy Jackson, had a day of days. Not only did they win the Kentucky Derby with their homebred, but earlier they watched on a monitor George Washington, a horse they also bred and then sold to the Coolmore partnership, win the English 2000 Guineas Stakes. Barbaro was bred in Kentucky, but he was raised at the Jackson’s Lael Farm in Pennsylvania, continuing the classic success enjoyed previously by Pennsylvania based Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex. Trainer Michael Matz, a Silver Medalist on the U. S. Olympic Equestrian Team in 1996, was also carrying a tradition of transferring show jumping expertise into thoroughbred racing. For Edgar Prado, this was his first Derby win after six previous attempts. The big winner of the day appeared to be the U. S. thoroughbred racing public who embraced wholeheartedly the new superstar they saw in Barbaro.

With his spectacular Kentucky Derby win behind him, the only question concerning Barbaro’s chances in the Preakness Stakes appeared to be the short two week turn around, something that trainer Michael Matz had been avoiding in spacing his colt’s campaign. As a testimony to Barbaro’s dominating Derby victory only Brother Derek and Sweetnorthernsaint returned to face him. Of the other six opponents, only one seemed with a chance. He was Darley Stable’s Bernardini, a beautifully sculpted bay son of A. P. Indy from the top class race mare Cara Rafaela. Unraced at two, he finished fourth in his first start at Gulfstream Park in January. Bernardini then won two races at a mile: a maiden race at Gulfstream in May and the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct in late April. In both these races, he showed good early pace and the ability to finish strongly, drawing away both times. Still, Barbaro was the overwhelming favorite to move one step closer to the Triple Crown.

The 2006 Preakness is remembered for what happened just after the start. Instead of witnessing a day of glory, all viewers saw a catastrophe of the same magnitude as when Ruffian broke down in her match race with Foolish Pleasure in 1975. Barbaro, when first loaded in the starting gate broke through, causing a false start which is never a good sign. Horse and jockey were retrieved by the outrider, examined and allowed to re-load. When the field broke from the starting gate, Edgar Prado heard a loud cracking noise soon after and tried to pull Barbaro up. By the time the horse came to a stop it was clear he had severely broke his right hind ankle. The horrific injury was right in front of the Pimlico Racetrack clubhouse stands for all to see. Almost all interest in the race was moot as the perils of this magnificent horse became the focus. (For the record, Bernardini was a dominant winner.)

Barbaro was placed in a van and transported to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, PA where emergency surgery was performed. He was saved from his injury, but during his long convalescence followed by millions of people across the world Barbaro developed laminitis which eventually caused him to be euthanized on January 29, 2007.

Such are the vicissitudes of thoroughbred racing. Here we had a horse in Barbaro, undefeated and seemingly on the doorstep of winning the Triple Crown, only to be struck down by a freak accident. However, his magnificent Derby victory and courageous fight against the odds have afforded Barbaro a permanent place in horse racing history. I know I will always cherish the memory of seeing him draw clear from his Derby rivals as he raced majestically down the Churchill Downs homestretch.