The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Commentary
    • Columns
    • Water Cooler
    • Letters
    • Cartoons
    • Books
  • Sports
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Communities
  • Rebate Shopping
    • Stores
    • Coupons
    • Daily Double
    • Promotion
    • How It Works
  • Photos
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • Business

    Toyota's bumpy ride began with race for growth

  • Security

    Chinese see U.S. debt as weapon in Taiwan dispute

  • World

    Obama ratchets up Iran sanctions threat

  • National

    Mid-Atlantic braces for new wallop of snow

  • Business

    European economies facing grim times

  • Politics

    Obama rejects starting over on health care

  • Politics

    Illegal immigration fell sharply in '08

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Dream, horse quickly ruined

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen

More Stories

  • Obama tells GOP it needs to budge
  • Dems seek quick fix on campaign finance
  • 1 million fewer illegals in U.S., study says
  • First lady takes on childhood obesity

By

BALTIMORE.

This was supposed to be Edgar Prado's dream come true -- a horse of destiny winning the Preakness on a track where the jockey launched his career.

Instead, Pimlico Race Course will for now will only conjure up nightmares for the Peruvian jockey.

Prado, riding Barbaro, the impressive winner of the Kentucky Derby and the overwhelming favorite yesterday at the track that he used to call home, had to change his ride from trying to win the Preakness to saving his horse's life when Barbaro broke his right hind ankle less than an eighth of a mile into the race.

No one realized it at the time, but there was an omen of pending disaster just minutes earlier. As the horses were loaded into the gate and waiting for the start of the race, Barbaro forced his way out of the sixth gate early and trotted around before being brought back into the gate to start the race.

As the field took off, Prado did all he could to pull Barbaro up and stop the horse from doing further damage. The record crowd of more than 118,000 at Pimlico was torn between watching the tragedy unfolding in front of them while at the same time watching a 13-1 long shot named Bernardini thunder down and pull away to win the 131st Preakness, and end another dance with the prospects of the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

They also watched the end of Barbaro's career, and maybe his life as well, as the devastating injury overshadowed the race. Unless you were holding a winning Bernardini ticket, it really didn't matter who won. The excitement that built up as the crowd waited for the horses to leave the starting gate was gone in the first 10 seconds, when Prado began pulling Barbaro up.

Larry Bramlage, an equine orthopedic surgeon from Kentucky who was assigned to yesterday's race, said Barbaro suffered fractures in two places -- above and below the right ankle -- and last night was being transported to the George B. Widener Hospital for Large Animals in Kennett Square, outside of Philadelphia, not far from where the horse was raised, to determine if the Kentucky Derby winner's life could be saved. Television crews in helicopters followed the ambulance as it made its way up Interstate 95 toward Philadelphia with a police motorcycle escort.

"There are at least a couple of aspects that are at least life threatening for him," Bramlage said. "He has some major hurdles. They have to assess what kind of damage was done to the blood supply."

If Barbaro does survive, it will because of Prado's actions to try to keep the horse from running once the jockey determined his ride was in trouble.

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Commenting is disabled for this entry.
If you feel there is still something worth mentioning about this entry please contact the author or the site admin.

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. Stimulus foes see value in seeking cash
  2. Va. Senate OKs ban on sexual orientation bias
  3. Another storm approaches Mid-Atlantic
  4. Obama's bipartisan call hits wall of dissent
  5. Ayatollah: Iran's military will 'punch' West
More Top Stories »
  1. LYNCH: Drug czar should go
  2. Clinton: Islamist terror is No. 1 threat
  3. Md. may fine for piercing minors without parental OK
  4. Army warned about jihadist threat in '08
  5. Inside the Beltway

Most Shared

  1. Stimulus foes see value in seeking cash
  2. BLANKLEY: Palin delivers sparkle, warmth
  3. Army warned about jihadist threat in '08
  4. Drive down debt, or we will be driven down
  5. STEYN: The 'corpseman' cometh
More Top Stories »
  1. EDITORIAL: Fudging jobless statistics
  2. PRUDEN: Hatching the Silly Bowl
  3. Ayatollah: Iran's military will 'punch' West
  4. Chinese see U.S. debt as weapon in Taiwan dispute
  5. Labor nominee blocked in Senate

Most Commented

  1. Obama's bipartisan call hits wall of dissent
  2. Palin: President run may be 'right thing'
  3. New federal office for global warming
  4. Rep. Murtha dies at age 77
  5. BLANKLEY: Palin delivers sparkle, warmth
More Top Stories »
  1. Clinton: Islamist terror is No. 1 threat
  2. Obama rejects starting over on health care
  3. Prop. 8 trial stirs questions, emotions
  4. Ayatollah: Iran's military will 'punch' West
  5. EDITORIAL: Free the Baptist 10 in Haiti

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin

Blogs & Columns

  • Hot Button Blog

    White House communications chief to treat Fox differently than ABC, NBC

  • Belief Blog

    Anglican day of reckoning coming

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Technology

    (Almost) All about Apple's iPad

  • Redskins 360

    This is goodbye ... for now

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.