Barbaro Is Able to Stand After Surgery

Horse's Survival Still a 'Coin Toss'

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa., May 21 -- Veterinarians announced Sunday night they had successfully fused the shattered right leg of Barbaro, offering reason for optimism after a tumultuous 24 hours during which the racehorse went from Triple Crown contender to struggling for his life.

More than five hours of unprecedented surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center left doctors cautiously optimistic that Barbaro, who suffered his injury about 50 strides into Saturday's Preakness Stakes, would survive and move on to a career at stud that would be worth millions of dollars.

The news came as a huge relief to those who had stood vigil outside the hospital and to Barbaro's fan base, which had grown exponentially in number since the colt's dominant victory at the Kentucky Derby on May 6. All joined the gathered throng of news reporters, cameramen and photographers in passing the slow hours awaiting any word of progress.

At last, at 8:50 p.m., Dean Richardson, the center's chief of surgery, announced that Barbaro had come through the surgery and was standing in his stall in the intensive care unit.

In a procedure he described beforehand as life-threatening, Richardson worked with six other doctors to fuse the fractured cannon, sesamoid and long pastern bones in Barbaro's right rear leg as well as a dislocated fetlock. The surgery required a metal rod and 23 screws to help stabilize a long pastern bone that had shattered into more than 20 pieces.

"We hopefully fused the fetlock successfully so he will be able to live and have a career as a stallion," Richardson said in a briefing room packed with more than 100 media representatives. "He's still a coin toss even after things went well."

Owned by former minor league baseball team owner Roy Jackson and his wife, Gretchen, Barbaro entered Saturday undefeated in six races and was the prohibitive favorite to win the Preakness Stakes. Instead, Barbaro broke three bones in his right rear ankle and was pulled up by his jockey, Edgar Prado.

The injury sent a seismic shock throughout the racing world, nearly silencing a record crowd of 118,402 at Pimlico Race Course.

"I think it is a big blow to the thoroughbred industry," Pimlico President Lou Raffetto said. "When we are seeking a champion to carry us on his back, fate strikes us a blow. To have something like this happen is almost demoralizing, certainly to people who put so much into it here and throughout the entire industry."

With his exceptional bloodlines, Barbaro could have gone on to a multimillion-dollar breeding career, with a stud fee potentially in excess of $100,000 per foal. So with the injury threatening to end that future, as well, the operation was attempted.

"A normal horse on any other day in any other race would have been put down already," said Nick Meittinis, a veterinarian who tended to Barbaro in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's breakdown.

Richardson said one of the critical factors in whether the operation would be a success was the blood flow through the arteries in the ankle, and while he found a good supply he said the area was "badly damaged enough that you could see blood oozing through the skin."

After the operation, an anesthetized Barbaro was lowered into a pool of water, buoyed by an inflatable raft, to guard against any agitation that might have occurred when he awoke. Later, he was taken to a 14-by-14-foot stall in the hospital's intensive care unit, standing on his own.

"At the moment, he is extremely comfortable," Richardson said while warning that Barbaro still must avoid infection and other dangers, including lameness from favoring the injured leg.

Barbaro's trainer, Michael Matz, exhaled along with the rest of the racing world.

"From the last time I saw him until today is a big relief," Matz said. "The team did an excellent job. When he walked into his stall, he started eating hay."

Throughout the day the New Bolton Center, one of the world's best equine hospitals, became the grounds of a hopeful vigil. Fans dropped by in the early hours of the day and posted notes on the entrance gates to the hospital that read, "Thank you, Barbaro," and "Good luck, Barbaro." Flower vases with get-well cards filled the waiting room by the front office. A bunch of raw carrots that had been brought in sat on a table.

Some fans drove in and sat in their cars, unsure of what else to do.

"It's very, very sad," said Judy Eill of Media, Pa., sitting in the passenger seat of her idling car as tears streamed down her face while her husband paced the parking lot. "It's a mess. We made a card: 'Thinking of you at this difficult time' for the horse and Michael."

Exactly when and how the injury occurred remains a mystery; however, Corinne Sweeney, director of the New Bolton Center, said it occurred during the race and not before.

An injury to the rear leg of a horse during competition is almost unheard of, said Bill Brasaemle, a race chart-caller at Pimlico, who watches about 2,000 races per year for Equibase, the official racetrack information company.

"Off the top of my head, it's been quite awhile since I've seen one," said Brasaemle, who helped write the official chart of the Preakness. "I was incredulous. Horses just don't break hind legs and break down that early in a race. They break down on the turn or in the stretch. I was completely shocked."

At the end of a long day and evening, Matz looked relieved and exhausted.

"You don't realize how good you had it until you don't have it anymore," he said. "I may never get another horse like this in my life. Hopefully, I will. He gave me six good races, and he was trying to give me number seven."