Barbaro Is Out of Danger
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro survived a 7-hour-surgery Sunday fighting for his life after breaking his right rear leg in three places at the Preakness Stakes.
At this moment “he is extremely comfortable in the leg,” said Dr. Dean Richardson. The colt’s surgeon declared he’s never worked on so many catastrophic injuries to one horse.
At the front gate, well-wishers already had tacked up signs: “Thank you, Barbaro,” “Believe in Barbaro” and “We Love you Barbaro.”
Barbaro sustained “life-threatening injuries” after breaking bones above and below his right rear ankle at the start of the Preakness Stakes.
“You do not see this severe injury frequently because the fact is most horses that suffer this typically are put down on the race track,” said Richardson, the chief of surgery for the center. “This is rare.”
Unbeaten and a serious contender for the Triple Crown, Barbaro broke down Saturday only a few hundred yards into the 1 3-16-mile Preakness. The record crowd of 118,402 watched in shock as Barbaro veered sideways, his right leg flaring out grotesquely. Jockey Edgar Prado pulled the powerful colt to a halt, jumped off and awaited medical assistance.
Richardson outlined Barbaro’s medical problems: a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint — the ankle — was dislocated.
Horses are often euthanized after serious leg injuries because circulation problems and deadly disease can occur if they are unable to distribute weight on all fours.
“It’s an injury associated with the rigors of high performance,” she said. “They were designed as athletes and they are elite athletes, thus they incur injuries associated with performance. The frame sometimes plays a role, absolutely.”
Late Sunday afternoon, surgeons announced that Barbaro’s over seven-hour surgery was completed, and the classic winner was kept in the intensive care unit overnight at the New Bolton Center and standing.
“When we unloaded him, he was placed in intensive care and we stabilized him overnight,” Dallap said. “He was very brave and well behaved under the situation and was comfortable overnight.”
Barbaro was fitted for an inflatable cast by the attending veterinarian, Dr. Nicholas Meittinis, and the colt trained so expertly by trainer Michael Matz was taken to the Bolton Center.
"Barbaro Is Out of Danger" was posted on 21 May 2006 8:19 PM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Preakness Stakes
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