BALTIMORE (AP):
KENTUCKY DERBY winner Barbaro broke down at the start and broke the hearts of horse racing fans as Bernardini went on to win the US$1 million (euro780,000) Preakness Stakes yesterday.
The horrifying scene occurred in the first few hundred metres after the field of nine horses left the starting gate.
Barbaro was in the middle of the pack when he suddenly dropped back under Edgar Prado. The colt was favouring his right rear leg.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, the attending veterinarian for the race, said Barbaro suffered a fracture above and below the ankle.
"It's a serious fracture. This will require pretty major surgery ... Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer," he said.
Trainer Michael Matz bolted from his seat and ran on to the track where he embraced Prado. The jockey went over to owner Gretchen Jackson and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
She put an arm on his shoulder and said, "You did a great job."
CRYING IN GRANDSTAND
Fans were crying in the grandstand as the unbeaten three-year-old was loaded into an equine ambulance and taken away, his injured leg in an inflatable cast.
"You never expect it," Jackson said as she walked back to the barn.
Prado pulled Barbaro to a stop just past the finish line and jumped off.
The devastating development took all the excitement from a crowd expecting a victory by Barbaro which would have set the stage for a US Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.
All the Triple talk is over now.
The Preakness went on, though, with Bernardini taking control from
pace-setter Like Now and pulling
away for a 5 1/4-length victory over Sweetnorthernsaint.
Hemingway's Key was third, followed by Brother Derek, Greeley's Legacy, Platinum Couple and Like Now.
