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Barbaro injury is sickening Tuesday, May 23, 2006 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Being right never felt so wrong. If Bernardini had held off Barbaro for a half-length victory in Saturday's Preakness, there would have been some gloating. At the racetrack, there is a 30-second limit on such obnoxious behavior. There is no joy in Bernardini winning the way he did. A contrarian in the days after the Kentucky Derby, I did not think Barbaro was a lock to be coronated with the Triple Crown. Sweetnorthernsaint and Brother Derek could contend with an uncluttered journey around Pimlico. Bernardini was the X factor, talented and regally bred, but shy on experience. And, there was a question mark about bounce-back. With only two races in 13 weeks, would Barbaro take a step backward in the Preakness, only two weeks after the Kentucky Derby? Instead, the Derby winner took a bad step. Unwilling to stop in Conway and unable to get to Little Rock for the start of the race, Dave Johnson's call subbed for the picture. Somebody on the broadcast described Barbaro's right hind leg as dangling. Bred with an interest in horse racing, a relative called on the cell phone and used the same word. That description helped prepare for the replay Saturday night. Seeing it live is awful and anybody who goes to the racetrack often enough will be exposed to such a horrible happening sooner or later. No matter how calloused about sport and competition, there is always a sick feeling deep in the stomach. There is something emotional about an animal giving his all, hurting himself doing what he was bred to do, that affects anybody with feelings. In 1990, watching the Breeders' Cup races from Belmont Park, hard-bitten horseplayers teared up when Go For Wand broke down in the stretch of the Distaff. The disaster enabled a classless slime to cash an exacta ticket at Oaklawn Park and he let those around him know about it. Sensitive to the mob mentality reaction, the man quickly exited. There have been other injuries to horses on a national stage, including Union City in the 1993 Preakness and Preakness winner Prairie Bayou three weeks later in the Belmont. But, the public is oblivious when such a thing happens on a weekday in the third race at Pimlico. Bred to compete, these animals weigh 1,000 pounds or more and have ankles smaller than ours. Barbaro broke a bone above and below the ankle. If it had happened in the stretch, when the colt was tired, Edgar Prado could have stopped him quicker and maybe the break wouldn't have been as bad. Instead, the injury occurred shortly after the starting gate opened, when Barbaro was full of run. Alongside on Greeley's Legacy, jockey Richard Migliore said it sounded like a tree branch had snapped. Late last week, I was hoping Sweetnorthernsaint, Brother Derek or Bernadini would take the lead turning into the stretch and throw down the gauntlet for Barbaro, who had a dream trip at Churchill Downs. That's what you want to see, the champion challenged to do his best against a worthy foe. With Barbaro out of the race, Bernardini won easily and in a good time, barely more than a second off the stakes record. Understandably, Bernardini is getting the short end of the post-race attention. His speed figure is as good or better than the number assigned to Barbaro for his Derby victory. Bernardini's people are too classy to say so, but they must feel slighted. In the pre-race buildup, Johnson told us that Bernardini trainer Tom Albertrani said the colt was the best he had ever been around. That is stout stuff considering that Albertrani worked years for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and eight years in Dubai for the powerful Godolphin Racing stable. He trains for Darley Stable, one of the stables owned by the ruler of Dubai, and the breeder-owner of Bernardini. John Ferguson, racing manager for Darley Stable, went further than most. He expressed his sorrow for Barbaro and his connections, and he added, "Having said that, Bernadini was spectacular today." The best competitors want to be measured against the best, head to head, and the rewards are secondary to the result. If Tiger Woods had his way at the U.S. Open next month, he and Phil Mickelson would be in the last group on Saturday and Sunday. Bernardini and Barbaro, eyeball to eyeball, might have been memorable. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
