Racing: American hero Barbaro loses fight for life
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.One of the fairytales of the modern Turf came to a brutal end yesterday when Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner, lost his long battle with injury.
Barbaro's runaway success at Churchill Downs in May itself struck an emotional chord with the American public because his trainer, Michael Matz, had won their hearts as an Olympic medallist who had once saved children from a plane crash.
But the horse himself then wrested their affections with a poignant crisis of his own, breaking down just after leaving the stalls in the Preakness Stakes.
The crippled champion was left hobbling grotesquely in front of the packed grandstand, prompting a national vigil as he underwent surgery and gradually recuperated. The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints.
At the New Jersey veterinary hospital where his shattered ankle was treated, his stall was bedecked with flowers and cards. Sheikh Mohammed even sent him holy water from the River Jordan.
All these heartfelt gestures have now proved fruitless. Barbaro suffered a variety of complications - including the discovery of an abcess last week - and yesterday it was decided that he should be put down.
"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," the horse's co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him, then it would be time."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments