Barbaro, by Marion Altiere
May 5, 2007
Barbaro.
His name evokes the full range of emotions, from grief and sorrow, back through exhilaration, admiration and hope. We love him; we prayed for him; we lost him. But the fact that, in the end, the evil laminitis claimed him—does not diminish his accomplishments on the track or his role in history. (Laminitis also killed the mighty Secretariat, and he's not remembered as a victim, either: his position as one of the greatest Thoroughbreds of all time is what comes to mind when we utter the sacred name, Secretariat.)
So, too, must Barbaro be remembered for his spectacular, albeit brief, career and life. If you take away nothing else from your Barbaro studies, remember that he won the Kentucky Derby by the greatest margin in sixty years.
Sixty years.
THIS is the mark of a Hero: Barbaro's own spirit--his will to live--refused to accept the turn of events that took place on May 20, 2006.
He didn’t die on that track--his loving owners wouldn’t allow it.
His jockey, trainer, doctors, fans, admirers--couldn’t even think about it.
Barbaro refused to let these good people down by whimpering into the sunset.
He went into the most complicated surgery a horse can face--and came out of it, jogging. He grew more and more strong with every day that passed, proving that real victory is, indeed, for those of good heart and genuine geist. He grew stronger, but laminitis insinuated itself in and felled him—but not without the single most-heroic battle in racing history. He did not go gently into that good night.
Yes, Barbaro would have proven his athleticism by accomplishing a Triple Crown win. But he didn’t have to--he’d already mopped up Churchill Downs with the very best horses in North America. For that feat alone, he should have been named Horse of the Year. The Eclipse Awards voters really blew it. Horse of the Year should go to the horse who not only accomplishes greatly on the track, but who shows heart beyond measure, reason or doubt.
The proof that this horse was an uber-Champion--a Hero--took place not on a racetrack, but on an operating table, in the ICU at Penn State Veterinary Hospital—and, finally, in the hearts and spirits of millions of fanatics around the world. Remember, in Greek mythology, the Hero does not always live at the end of his story: in fact, he usually dies. What made Barbaro a Hero was not that he lived 'til the end of the tale—but that he gave the world something encouraging and eternal. A legacy of truth, honor and spirit are the marks of a Hero. Barbaro showed us how to fight with every fiber of our being. In so doing, he gave each of us a bit of his own strength and determination.
Rest well in God's Arms, Barbaro. Leap, jump, and celebrate in Elysian Fields. "Run fast and turn left." And race yourself, by the greatest margin, ever, into the annals of Thoroughbred racing history. |
