Archive for the ‘Barbaro’ Category

By Ray Paulick
Nicanor – the 3-year-old full brother to the ill-fated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, beat just two horses in his career debut at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, finishing far behind another first-time starter, Warrior’s Reward, in a one-mile maiden race on a fast main track.

Ridden by Barbaro’s regular rider, Edgar Prado, Nicanor appeared to be squeezed back at the start of the one-turn contest, racing at the back of the field in the early stages. He gained ground quickly after the opening quarter to move into fifth place and in heavy traffic as favorite Dubinsky carved out the early fractions, but Nicanor paid the price for that effort, fading before the field reached the turn for home and winding up a well-beaten 10^th. Prado wrapped up on Nicanor when he was clearly beaten.

“(Nicanor’s) better than that," Prado said afterwards. "I’ve worked him in the mornings and he showed me a lot .  He broke really fast and unfortunately grabbed his left quarter.  We’ll just have to see how long it takes to heal, but I know he’s better than that.”

Said trainer Michael Matz: “He grabbed the quarter (heel) of the left front leg leaving the gate. He wasn’t comfortable, so Edgar just wrapped up on him.”

The winner, a 3-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro out of For All You Do, by Seeking the Gold, is owned by A. Stevens Miles Jr., trained by Ian Wilkes and was ridden to victory by Calvin Borel. He was bred in Kentucky by Jayeff B Stables and sold at the Keeneland September yearling sale for $180,000. Warrior’s Reward  paid $63 for the win. Allrightsreserved was second, Single Malt third and favored Dubinsky faded to fourth.

Final time was 1:39.69 after fractions of :24.33, :48.03, 1:13.49, 1:26,86 and 1:39.69. Click here for the Equibase chart.

Nicanor had a steady string of workouts – none of which were particularly fast — at the Palm Meadows training center going back to early December. The son of Dynaformer out of La Ville Rouge, by Carson City, was bred in Kentucky by his owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who campaign in the royal blue, green and white silks of Lael Stables.

His debut was widely anticipated not only by racing people but by many in the general public who for months followed the ultimately tragic saga of the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner after his catastrophic leg injury shortly after the start of the Preakness Stakes. Barbaro died Jan. 29, 2007, two years and two days before his younger full brother made his first start as a 3-year-old. Nicanor’s coming out was previewed by the national news media, including the CBS Evening News, which focused on the colt and his famous brother, who began his career with six consecutive victories, culminating with a 6 ½-length win in the Kentucky Derby.

A HALF-HOUR BEFORE Nicanor’s debut, a field of 10 3-year-olds contested the $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes, a Grade 3 event over 1 1/8 miles, with 12-1 longshot Saratoga Sinner edging 30-1 Bear’s Rocket for the win.

Under red-hot Julien Leparoux (who had ridden seven winners over the last two days), Saratoga Sinner tracked Bear’s Rocket from the outset as the latter set fractions of :23.62, :47.88, 1:12.73 and 1:38.20 for the opening mile. Leparoux asked Saratoga Sinner at the top of the stretch and the colt wore down Bear’s Rocket in the final eighth of a mile, winning by three-quarters of a length and completing the distance on a fast track in 1:51.45. West Side Bernie, making his first start since finishing second in the Delta Jackpot Dec. 5, made a strong move on the turn for home but could do no better than third. Kentucky Jockey Club winner Beethoven was fourth, getting a wide trip from the outside post position in his first start since November.

Saratoga Sinner was coming off a maiden win Jan. 7 at Gulfstream Park, his fourth start for the Lally Stable and trainer Eddie Kenneally. The son of Harlan’s Holiday out of Naughty Linda, by Slew City Slew, was bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones and sold at the Keeneland September yearling sale for $130,000. Chart.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
If Barbaro had been euthanized immediately following the 2006 Preakness Stakes in which he suffered a catastrophic injury to his right hind leg, there probably would be no books written about the Kentucky Derby winner, no television specials, no statues and memorials, no group known as the FOBs (Fans of Barbaro), and no Nicanor watch, a long-running web diary devoted to his younger full brother. If the injury had occurred 10, 15 or 20 years earlier, it’s very likely that’s what would have happened – a quick decision to inject the horse with a fatal mixture of drugs to take him out of his misery.

That isn’t what transpired with Barbaro. Veterinary science has come a long way from the days of a cursory on-track inspection and the realization that nothing could be done to save a horse suffering from a massive leg fracture. Unlike humans, horses can’t rehabilitate in bed while their leg heals.

So owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, along with Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz, made the decision to do everything possible to save Barbaro’s life. He was vanned – followed by news helicopters — from Pimlico race course in Baltimore to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center near the small town of Kennett Square, southwest of Philadelphia. The colt was put in the care of Dean Richardson, a surgeon who would soon become the closest thing the equine veterinary community has ever had to a rock star.

The news coverage, fueled by public interest from hard-bitten horseplayers to people who had never been to a racetrack, was unprecedented. Richardson’s surgical team miraculously put Barbaro’s shattered leg back together with metal plates, screws and more than a little hope that it would all hold. The big colt chilled out following surgery,hoisted into a recovery pool specially designed for large animals that would prevent him from thrashing about and destroying the repair work. Two previous high-profile surgeries – on Ruffian following her 1975 match race and on Alydar after his mysterious stall accident in 1990 at Calumet Farm – ultimately failed during recovery after the horses had regained consciousness and reinjured themselves.

Richardson dealt patiently with inquiries from members of the media who were trying to quench the thirst for information from the public. Television and radio news and talk shows carried numerous Barbaro stories, and many horse racing Web sites crashed from the surge in traffic, including one operated by the University of Pennsylvania that provided daily updates with photos of racing’s tragic hero.

It was a time for the horse racing industry, and particularly those in the veterinary community, to feel proud for the care given and the advancements made in treating injured horses. The outpouring of concern for Barbaro from the general public was reassuring to an industry that feared a high-profile injury might be its worst nightmare. This much we learned: people still loved horses. Thousands of them made visits to New Bolton, sent get-well cards, flowers, letters and carrots. 

There were critics (aren’t there always?) who said keeping Barbaro alive was cruel to the horse, that he would never have anything close to a normal life. But only a couple of months after the surgery, I was invited by a veterinary associate of Richardson’s to visit New Bolton and see Barbaro. His hind leg was twisted abnormally, but he was bright-eyed and seemed like a happy horse, though on the day of our visit Richardson (pictured, left, with Barbaro and me) had concerns early signs of laminitis were beginning to appear. It’s the No. 1 fear many veterinarians have for their recovering patients; that circulation problems will develop in the foot on an injured leg, causing the horse to distribute his weight unevenly, which can lead to further problems in the other feet. The old axiom “no foot, no horse” really is true.

Barbaro’s laminitis condition improved and the injured leg continued to heal, leading the Jacksons to begin considering a life after New Bolton for their Derby winner. There was even some speculation that he might be able to cover mares some day and pass along whatever special ingredient he had that carried him to six straight victories, including a dominating, 6 ½-length victory in the Kentucky Derby.

Ultimately, and sadly, the laminitis returned. Richardson and his New Bolton team, along with some outside advisers, tried a variety of treatments and special shoes to ensure circulation to the right hind foot. The condition worsened in January 2007, however, leading Richardson to try more radical treatments, including an external brace on the right hind leg to take weight off the foot. After those efforts failed, more than eight months following his injury, the decision was made on the morning of Jan. 29 to euthanize Barbaro. A nation mourned.

I wondered at the time how the saga of Barbaro would affect the popularity of racing. I have no doubt that we have new fans because of him, though many of them have to be considered “light users” when it comes to supporting the game at the mutuel windows. His gallant struggle to survive created enormous interest, and in some ways what almost seems like a cult of followers who have now transferred their interest to Barbaro’s 3-year-old full brother, Nicanor. The latter makes his long-awaited debut in the eighth race on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, a maiden test going a mile on the dirt. Barbaro’s regular rider, Edgar Prado, will be aboard the colt, who will be shouldered with the heaviest burden of expectations that any horse in my lifetime has ever carried.

We learned a great deal from Barbaro. Some outsiders discovered what many in the horse industry already knew: that the level of advancements in veterinary science is enormous. But we also learned that some maladies, including laminitis, remain a mystery despite the ongoing efforts of researchers and those who provide financial assistance to them.

The eyes of the racing world will be on Nicanor tomorrow as he makes his racing debut. Many people will be betting on the colt in hopes that he can rise to the level of his older brother. Others will look at that race as a great wagering opportunity, figuring that Nicanor will be one of the most overbet first-time starters ever, and they’ll look for betting value in his opposition.

Here’s a suggestion for anyone that plans to bet on Nicanor or on someone else in that maiden race. Put aside a few bucks that you were going to bet, and take a few more if you wager successfully on the race, and make a donation to equine research, specifically to help find a cure for laminitis.

Here are two worthy causes:
NTRA Charities – Barbaro Memorial Fund, c/o Bessemer Trust Company N.A., attention Robert Elliott, 630 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, 821 Corporate Drive, Lexington, KY 40503  or click here to donate.

Let’s do more than remember Barbaro and cheer for his brother. Do something to make a difference in the future of other horses that may suffer a similar fate.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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