A List of Good Reasons to Mourn Barbaro
February 7th, 2007 by Michael StephensYes, we know. We got up on our high horse last week and decried the crying over Barbaro. Well, in the late Kentucky Derby winner’s defense, he was a pretty good guy. Er, horse.
He may not have been gallant or brave, or worthy of being treated as if he were a relative. Bu there are many good reasons to mourn him, Jeff Neuman of the New York Times writes. For instance…
Barbaro never talked about himself in the third person.
He didn’t trash-talk, taunt or hang on the rim. Down the stretch of the Kentucky Derby, he didn’t turn and point at Bluegrass Cat, and he didn’t somersault over the finish line. After crossing the line, he didn’t pull out a Sharpie and autograph his saddle for his business manager.
He never referred to his handlers as “my supporting cast.”
He never tried to renegotiate his contract. He never turned down an eight-figure offer by saying, “I’ve got to feed my family, man.”
His only tattoo was discreetly hidden.
He did no commercials for cellphone plans, credit cards, fast food chains or time shares.
He never had his agent issue a statement in which he apologized “if anybody took my actions the wrong way.”
He never appeared before a Congressional committee and lied about his steroids use.
He never dated Paris Hilton.
He was never involved in an altercation with a belligerent fan outside a club at 4 in the morning (cough, Stephen Jackson). He was never arrested for drunken driving. He did not own an unregistered handgun.
He never claimed he’d been disrespected. He never left his competitors in the dust and then said, ”I didn’t have my A game.” He did not attribute his victories to the glory of his personal Savior.
Isiah Thomas never tried to trade for him.
He was never a presenter at the ESPYs.
He never claimed, like Terrell Owens, that he was misquoted in his autobiography.
He never confessed to a double murder in the subjunctive tense.
He trained, ate and slept. He ran his races, gave his best effort, accepted plaudits graciously, went back to his stall and prepared to do it again the next time out.
Last but not least, he never fathered multiple offspring out of wedlock. Alas.
February 8th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Barbaro was a good horse. It is a pity that he had to be euthanized so soon. I read somewhere that they raised the stud fee of his sire Dynaformer from 100 thousand to 150 thousand dollars.
February 8th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I support horse racing. Those animals are bred to race. They are treated like royalty. Humans should have it so good.
Although, horses are not just athletes, my horse Cholla is an artist. A 20 year old Mustang/Quarter horse still full of p & v yet a sweetheart. He is the only horse I have ever owned. I got him when he was 5. http://www.artistisahorse.com
February 8th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Barbaro was an amazing horse. His 8 mounth fight for his life was probably the hardest 8 mounths of his life and he never complained(so i’ve heard)
February 10th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
I feel the reason to mourn Barbaro is beacuase of his high level of intelligence and the complete trust that he had in Dr. Dean.
That is what is missed.
Barbaro knew that everything that Dr.Dean did was to try to help with the recovery. Remember, the bones healed beautifully, it was the laminitis that got him.
January 12th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I do miss Barabro. I wish I could have met such an amazing horse. But Renee I disagree. Racehorses are nto treated liek ryalty. Sure the famous ones that win big, but the ones who gte less attention, the smaller runners, the studs don’t get any owners wanting to breed their mares, and are sent to slaughter. All those small racers who you maybe hear about once, or never, are not treated wonderfull. Thankfully Barbaro was such an amazing horse that he did nto live like this, and was treated as he deserved.