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2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, will be honored by Pimlico Race Course during the Preakness Stakes race day. The original plan six months ago was for the champion horse to return to Baltimore on Saturday for a triumphant walk on the track.
Pimlico officials renamed the Sir Barton stakes to Barbaro Stakes in December, they had hoped Barbaro would recover in time to help launch the inaugural of the race.
“We wanted the horse to parade in front of the fans,” Maryland Jockey Club president and chief operating officer Lou Raffetto said Monday.
But Barbaro never recovered from breaking his leg early in last year’s Preakness, he was euthanized on January 29. His name will live on, however, as the ninth race on the Preakness Day undercard.
“It’s such an honor to have a stake named after your horse. It’s going to be a meaningful day,” said Gretchen Jackson, co-owner of Barbaro with her husband Roy.
“We wanted to honor Barbaro, but we didn’t want to bring back his memory in a bad way,” Raffetto said.
“We didn’t want to dwell on the negatives; we wanted to recognize him in a positive way, then move on.” The Barbaro Stakes, Raffetto said, will make sure the horse’s “legacy will live on.”
Besides naming a race for Barbaro, Pimlico will remember his jockey, Edgar Prado, and surgeon, Dr. Dean Richardson, with the Special Award of Merit during the annual Alibi Breakfast. The award is given annually to someone who has made a positive effect the racing industry.
Before the Barbaro Stakes, the Wings of Blue, the United States Air Force elite parachute jump team, will perform. One jumper will carry a flag designed with the colors of the Jacksons Lael Stable and commemorating Barbaro, which the Air Force will present to the Jacksons in a special winners circle ceremony.
The 132nd Preakness Stakes will run on May 19, eyes are on Street Sense if he will triumph and go all the way to Belmont Stakes in June for a chance to claim the Triple Crown title.
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