in Triple Crown Articles

It seems every time horse racing is ready for prime time, the sport gets kicked in the knee caps. Within seconds of the gate opening at the Preakness last spring, it was more like a swift kick in the groin.

Less than 100 yards into the race, jockey Edgar Prado pulled up Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, and it was obvious right away it was a serious injury. The colt's right hind leg had a fracture in the cannon bone, there was a fracture in the pastern bone below the fetlock, and a fractured and dislocated fetlock.

The following day the colt underwent major surgery and we waited. The x-ray was stunning, showing 27 screws and a plate inserted in his leg. Somehow, Dr. Dean Richardson and his team of surgeons had managed to put Barbaro's leg back together.

Richardson stated after the surgery was completed that the colt had a long road to recovery, and had less than a 50-50 chance of survival. He said the prospects of Barbaro getting laminitis in his left leg was a real concern.

That happened in July, shortly after the colt had the plate and several of the screws replaced. The colt, however, made strides again and there was even talk in the fall that he might be moved from New Bolton.

Barbaro went through more surgery to his right hind leg and Richardson noticed after the surgery that he was in discomfort. The complications from the laminitis in his left hind leg and an abscess that developed on his right hind foot were too much to overcome.

The outpouring from the public was somewhat surprising. Cards, letters, gifts and wishes came to New Bolton by the thousands. Barbaro's fight for his life was the biggest story in horse racing in years, and it did not end as we had hoped.

But Barbaro will not soon be forgotten. There were dozens of columns written eulogizing the Derby winner. Most described the emotional roller coaster of watching this horse fight for his life over the past eight months. Many described how owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson and the staff at New Bolton were relentless in their determination to save his life.

Then I came across a column written by T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times. Let me give you a sampling of some of his thoughts on Barbaro:

He started with, "They shoot horses, don't they?"

He went on to write, "Tell me the difference right now between the furry bump in the road that once was a squirrel, and Barbaro today. Courage? You don't think it takes courage to try and run across eight lanes of the I-5 only to get flattened three lanes shy."

"Just what is the difference between a squirrel and a horse — discounting the fact you might've won money on the horse? How about a bunny and a horse?"

Then he took a shot at women:

"Of the first 50 messages left on the Penn Veterinary Medicine message board when I checked around noon, 48 were from women. What is it about women and dead horses?"

"You pick almost any day of the week and go to the bet on a live one. You go to the track these days, and it's usually just old men hoping the jockey will whip their pick home."

"From what I can tell, most women just want to stand there and look at horses, or draw them. I'm telling you, there's a better chance of the woman in your life drawing a horse than a sketch of you, which makes me wonder if man made a mistake when he chose to walk upright."

Later in his column he wrote, "Like a dead deer on the side of the road, too bad for Barbaro, I guess, but how many people can name two horses other than Barbaro to die in the last year?"

This hack actually writes for The Los Angeles Times? He also wrote: "I think by now it's pretty obvious I just don't get this blubbering fascination with Barbaro."

Yeah, no kidding, genius. But we do get your ignorance. That is coming in loud and clear.

What I don't get it why he is writing for this newspaper. The only job he sounds capable of doing for The Los Angeles Times is delivering it.

In a Letter to the Editor, hall of fame jockey Gary Stevens summed up this scribe pretty good: "It is one thing to be labeled a provocative journalist and quite another to act as a rude, callous, insulting and uneducated sports columnist. Unfortunately, T.J. Simers seems to reside under the latter category."

T.J, you need to spend more time writing about squirrels and bunnies.

I'll remember Barbaro for his heart and his class. Something T.J. Simers knows nothing about.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced that it will lead a national fundraising program, NTRA Charities – Barbaro Memorial Fund, to raise awareness and money for equine health and safety research in the name of 2006 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands winner, Barbaro, whose gallant struggle to overcome a catastrophic injury captivated horse enthusiasts around the world.

One specific target for the direction of monies raised by the Barbaro Memorial Fund will be research projects that focus on laminitis, the painful and often fatal hoof disease that plagued Barbaro for so much of his recuperative period following his injury in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.

The  today.