Barbaro: the horse, the myth the legend

Anyone tuned in to HBO to see the fat guys from "The Sopranos" exterminate each other the last few Sunday's likely also witnessed the aggressive promotion of the newest special from the network's sports department about Chester County's favorite four-legged son.


Simply titled "Barbaro," the documentary debuts Wednesday at 10 p.m. and is 59 minutes of equine adulation that chronicles the 3-year-old thoroughbred's glory at last year's Kentucky Derby; his tragic fall and injury at the Preakness 14 days later; and finally the rollercoaster ride of his recovery at the UPenn's New Bolton Center in East Marlborough.

The Daily Local's resident horse expert, Terry Conway, attended the local premiere Monday evening at Unionville High School. He seemed impressed and wrote:

The film delivers a compelling script, revealing interviews and splendid archival footage. Compared to NBC’s documentary in early May, HBO Sports serves up a more straightforward narrative and doesn’t shy away from the anguish and tear-filled scenes that surrounded Barbaro’s catastrophic leg injury in last year’s Preakness.

...“Barbaro” captures his spectacular victories and promising future. It tells the handsome colt’s story from his earliest days as a spirited foal in Kentucky to his initial grass races (where track announcers call him “bar-BARE-oh”), to his stunning runaway Kentucky Derby victory, to busting through the starting gate and his grisly breakdown at Pimlico Racecourse, to his valiant struggle to survive at New Bolton.

During the months after Barbaro's tripped, I followed the horse's doomed attempt at recovery, but I found myself more captivated by the sideshow -- the children camped outside the hospital holding posterboard's with their well wishes; the elaborate floral arrangements wilting curbside along Street Road; and the cards and other mementos fans sent to Gretchen and Roy Jackson.

And despite the coverage dedicated to Barbaro by this paper and several national media outlets, I still find it hard to believe the outpouring for the horse was representative of the population at large. Perhaps that's just because I'm part of horse racing's second class, the fans more interested in picking the third horse in the trifecta than admiring the beauty and grace of the animals.

Barbaro tributes are not limited to TV networks. There are a few dozen videos on YouTube, like this one: