| Show cB c 2 Barbara's Barbaras B shattered shattered r leg fused in In unprecedented surgery John Special to The Washington Post KENNETT SQUARE Pa Veterinarians announced Sunday night they had successfully successfully successfully suc suc- fused the shattered right leg of Barbaro Barbara offering reason for optimism after a tumultuous 24 hours during which the racehorse went from Triple Crown contender to struggling for its life More than four hours of unprecedented surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center left doctors doctors doctors doc doc- tors cautiously optimistic that Barbaro who suffered his injury about 50 strides into Saturdays Saturday's Preakness Stakes would survive to live 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 Barbaros Barbaro's fan base which had grown exponentially in number since the colts colt's dominant dominant dominant domi domi- nant victory at the Kentucky Derby on May 6 They joined the gathered throng of news reporters cameramen and photographers photographers photographers pho pho- in passing the slow hours awaiting any word of progress At last at pm p.m. Dean Richardson the centers center's chief of surgery announced Barbaro had come through the surgery and was standing in his stall in inthe inthe inthe the intensive care unit In a procedure he described beforehand as threatening life-threatening Richardson worked with six other doctors to fuse the fractured fractured fractured frac frac- cannon bone and long pastern in Barbaras Barbara's right rear leg as well as loc t df The surgery rg ry ryr r required qu ed a a metal r rod d grid arid rid 23 screws to help stabilize a long pastern bone that had shattered into more than 20 pieces We hopefully fused the fetlock fetlock fetlock fet fet- fet fet- lock successfully so he will beable be beable beable able to live and have a career as a stallion Richardson said in a briefing room packed with more than media Hes still a coin toss even aft after r things went well Owned by former minor league baseball team owner Roy Jackson and his wife Gretchen Barbaro entered Saturday as a prohibitive favorite to win not only the Preakness Stakes but also next months month's Belmont Stakes which would have made him the first winner of horse racing's racing's racing's rac rac- ings ing's coveted Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978 Instead less than 50 strides out of the starting gate Barbaro broke three bones' bones in his right rear ankle and was was pulled up in agony by his jockey jock jock- ey Edgar Prado The injury sent a seismic shock throughout the racing world virtually silencing a record crowd of at Pimlico Race Course 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 damaged damaged dam dam- aged enough that you could see blood oozing through the skin After the operation an anesthetized anesthetized anesthetized anes anes- Barbaro was lowered into a pool of water buoyed by byan byan byan an inflatable raft to guard against any agitation that might have occurred when he awoke Later he was taken to toa toa toa a by 14 foot by foot 14 stall in the hospitals hospital's n care t n f. f M 1 y i y ow standing standing-O iiI oWn s-oWn own Aw t ni he I 1 is Barbaro Barbara continued on page 3 I Preakness Stakes Stakes' cut short for one unlucky horse continued from page 5 ext extremely emely comfortable said Richardson who said Barbara Barbaro still must avoid infection and other dangers dangers dan dan- gers during his recovery Barbara's Barbaras 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 bay Throughout the day the New Bolton Center became the grounds of a hopeful vigil as bands of news reporters cameramen and photographers photographers raphers passed the slow hours waiting waiting wait wait- ing for any word Fans dropped by early in the day and posted notes on the entrance gates to the hospital that read Thank you Barbara Barbaro and Good luck Barbara Barbaro Flower vases with well get cards filled the waiting room A bunch of raw carrots carrots car car- rots brought in sat on a table Some fans drove in and sat in their cars unsure what else to do Its very very sad said Judy Bill Eill of Media Pa sitting in the passenger pas pas- seat of her idling car as tears streamed down her face and her husband paced the parking lot Its 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 although 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 arace arace race at Pimlico who watches in the neighborhood of 2000 races a year for the official racetrack information com com- pany Off the top of my head its it's been quite a while since Ive I've seen one said Brasaemle who helped write the official chart of the Preakness I was incredulous Horses just dont don't break hind legs and break breakdown breakdown down that early in a race They break down on the turn or in the stretch I was completely shocked A catastrophic break like that doesn't doesn't does does- nt happen early |
