All Sport Report

After almost nine months of fighting the good fight, four year old Philadelphia area horse Barbaro was put down on Monday. Barbaro’s co-owner stated that they had reached a point where it was going to be impossible for him to continue without pain, there was nothing more that could be done.

After trouncing the competition at the ‘06 Kentucky Derby, the big, powerful colt suffered a tragic injury at the start of the Preakness. An injury that many people thought would lead to the Barbaro’s euthanization before he was even able to leave the park. This event went on to become one of the most heroic recovery attempts ever on a horse.

Doctors, trainers and what seemed like the entire country prayed and pulled for Barbaro as he struggled through what at times seemed to be insurmountable odds. Through the shattered bones in his rear leg and the operation to repair them, through developing Laminitis(Laminitis in itself can often lead to the demise of a horse) and surgery to combat it, and finally through a large abcess in the right rear foot and yet another surgery, the big colt continued to fight.

Fans and well wishers across the country sent cards, contributed and helped raise money for a fund that would be used to pay for equipment to treat Barbaro, for whatever reason people from all walks of life rallied around the Derby winner.

Though not normally a huge racing fan myself, I immersed myself in this story as well. Waiting for the evening news to tell me how well Barbaro was making out today, feeling elated when a few weeks ago there were talks of him being close to the point of going home.

Barbaro will be remembered not just as one of the most impressive specimens in racing in recent history, but as an underdog in a battle against life threatening injury and infection who fought as valiently in his attempt to recover as he had on the track, coming ever so close to beating the odds that would have likely lead to the demise of almost any other horse much sooner.

Unfortunately we’re all going to have to accept the fact that, no matter how much we pull for them, the underdog doesn’t always pull through. This Philadelphia area horse will surely be missed.