Editorial: Farewell to a champion

Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 | 7:02 a.m.

I f it is possible for a horse to capture the admiration of a nation, Barbaro was just such a horse.

The 4-year-old thoroughbred prevailed in the Kentucky Derby by 6 1/2 lengths last May and quickly attracted comparisons to Seattle Slew and Secretariat. By all accounts, Barbaro's owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson had a Triple Crown winner in the making. But just two weeks later, people across the country were horrified as Barbaro pulled up lame just seconds after starting the Preakness Stakes, with a right rear leg fractured and dangling.

For the next eight months, doctors sought to work miracles on this miraculous animal. Barbaro's broken leg was cobbled together with 27 screws. A couple of months later veterinarians removed 80 percent of an infected left rear hoof. By late summer, a recent story by The New York Times says, Barbaro contently grazed outside of the animal hospital, and the Jacksons were making plans to move the horse to Kentucky's bluegrass pastures. Even off the track, Barbaro continued to shine.

But infections brought about by uneven weight distribution on Barbaro's legs then settled into the horse's other hoofs. But Sunday evening, it was evident that even the special sling that took weight off of Barbaro's legs was not enough to ease the animal's pain. On Monday morning, veterinarians euthanized Barbaro.

The letters, cards and flowers that thousands of well-wishers sent during Barbaro's recovery have continued to arrive in the form of condolences. In the eight months that Barbaro fought to survive, fans raised more than $1.2 million for the Pennsylvania animal hospital where the horse was treated and also raised awareness for such issues as anti-slaughterhouse legislation.

Dean Richardson, Barbaro's veterinarian, told the Times that the recipe for the animal's magnetism was simple: "People love greatness." And Barbaro was a great horse.