What language do they speak?

 

:lol: I was thinking that as I hit submit.

 

HHSdad nailed it, hilarious.

But casual fans who only watch the Derby and the other TC races are the ones who have gotten caught up in the story and can't get enough of it. Guarantee you'll see a Barbaro feature Saturday on NBC, and you will see one Preakness Saturday and Belmont Saturday. I'm sure ESPN has something lined up for Friday and Saturday. There's probably an AP story on the wire about it. Trust me, it will be overkilled some more.

 

:thumb:

But casual fans who only watch the Derby and the other TC races are the ones who have gotten caught up in the story and can't get enough of it.

This thread alone, has more than proved that not to be the case.

This thread alone, has more than proved that not to be the case.

 

For the most part, I'm correct, and you know it. The overwhelming majority of the people caught up in the Barbaro thing were casual fans.

Biggest lead since 1946. However, Barbaro had only the 14th fastest finish for a win in Derby history. Says more about Barbaro's competition than about Barbaro. He finished almost 2 seconds behind Secretariat. And Secretartiat ran each qtr mile faster than the last. He was still accelerating at the wire.

 

But running very wide, means he ran a much greater distance than say Street Sense.

I almost quit reading after this line; I'm curious to know why you say I have no clue. I'm a very avid follower of horse racing and read up on pretty much everything I can about it and breeding, so you have no call to dismiss me in such a way just because I don't agree with your stance.

 

Whether the Jacksons have more money than they need or not doesn't really matter. Wal-Mart has more money than it needs, but it will still take every possible petty step to try and squeeze as many pennies out of its properties as possible.

 

If it's not stud fees, then what good reason is there to put a horse through a whole year of suffering from an injury that is always fatal? The Jackson family has been around the game long enough to know there was next to zero chance the horse could live any kind of pleasant life after the injury. To keep him alive and suffering like that is simply cruel. Perhaps not cruel in the interest of a buck, but cruel nonetheless.

 

I did quit reading after I read your initial post ..... because it is ill informed and wreaks of inaccuracy (pretty surprising from you actually). The more I thought about it ... the more I felt like there was a need to rebut your claims.

 

1. The Jackson's and WalMart ... that isn't even a good effort at comparison. The Jackson's have been known to be extremely generous with all of their resources throughout their lives. Wal Mart on the other hand .. wouldn't even bump up insurance coverage for their workers. I doubt that the Jackson's were concerned about money ... and especially stud fees. (This point was also already made in regard to insurance and syndication).

 

2. I waffled back and forth on the cruelty and suffering. From there, I will trust the assessment of Dean Richardson over you at this point. When they couldn't control the horses pain--they made a move.

 

On a related note--this whole thing made people think a little bit. Is putting a horse down when you have the resources to give it a chance at a comfortable life cruel? After this .. a lot of people say yes. Hopefully those people dismiss your opinion the same way that you dismiss theirs.

 

3. Barbaro as an athlete (to OR) .... hmmm ... so ... if someone ripped out Chad Johnson's vocal cords--and he couldn't talk from birth on ... would that mean that he wasn't an athlete? I know .. he is a human. The funny thing is .. I doubt that the horse was anywhere near as much of jerk as CJ is.

 

The problem there is that you miss the point. Whether it be Barbaro or some other horse ... they know one thing--run to win. They do it because that is what they know. To me--that is the purest form of being an athlete, or better yet in this case--a professional.

 

4. Something I didn't touch on enough earlier ... Michael Matz ... do some reading on him. Being the scholar that you are .. you probably already know. My point being--a great deal of extraordinary people and a horse end up in this situation. Everyone did everything that they could. If you aren't with that ... again .. your choice.

 

As far as Bloodhorse goes ... and the T-Bred Times ... you must not be reading the same magazines that I read. For everyday that there isn't some kind of article--there are 10-20 mentions of the horse in either magazine.

 

The funny thing is ... Barbaro was what horse racing needed. All the way around. The sport that many of us love--was dangerously close to being pointless. It may not be in much better shape ... but some people would argue that it is.

Which just proves that you really have no clue what you are talking about.

 

If you do a little research .. you will find out that the Jackson's have more money than they will ever be able to spend. They are millionaires 100's of times over. They come from very old money (the exact family name escapes me--but it is a name that is extremely well known). Stud fees would have been great ... but Barbaro was insured for over 40 million ... which means that the pay day will still going to be pretty solid. So--I would say that your theory holds no weight.

 

Barbaro is about something different for people. I do agree that there are extremist--who don't understand that this happens every day in horse racing (or who want racing to end for this reason).

 

I see it as something different. I see it as the first athlete and "team" (or group of people) who did everything possible to win. The horse was nothing but a winner--and his fighting spirit is something that will always stick out to me. His connections did everything possible to give the horse a chance to live (regardless of whether you think it was for stud fees or not--which is pretty funny--because there are only a handful of horses--most of which are NOT derby winners or even classic winners which command huge stud feeds). Even with huge syndication fees--no one could say that it equaled more than the insurance policy).

 

I sit here every day ... and have to listen to stories about losers like Chad Johnson. People defended that idiot forever--until he finally went far enough to get people to turn on him. Well, Barbaro never did any of that. The horse was bred to be a winner. In that time period, we also figured out that he was a not just a winner--but a fighter. And when you see people band together to do everything possible to give any living thing a shot ... it is going to stick with some people. You can put things however you want ... but you can't get around that.

 

My advice to all of you that don't want to hear about Barbaro ... quit listening. There are a lot of things that you probably like .. that I don't (as well as other people). I don't see anyone complaining about that kind of stuff.

 

Barbaro is one of the last "real" athletes that we will ever see, or at least--be fortunate enough to know about. This age of professional sports is too far gone for an actual human to take a Barbaro type "role". If you don't have respect for that ... that is your decision.

 

I am fortunate enough to be in the public eye on occasion. For me--it is, and will continue to be an opportunity to speak about my inspiration for continuing on in the pursuit of athletic excellence. Meaning--I plan to keep Barbaro in the public eye for as long as people ask me why I am in the business that I am in. So you may as well get used to it.

 

Are you serious? What about Kevin Everrett of the Buffalo Bills or David Pollack of the Bengals? Why isn't more made of their overcoming the odds? I agree we talking about a freakin horse and I too tire of hearing it over and over! Oh yeah, and I am more than a casual fan as my family grew up racing horses.

I did quit reading after I read your initial post ..... because it is ill informed and wreaks of inaccuracy (pretty surprising from you actually). The more I thought about it ... the more I felt like there was a need to rebut your claims.

 

1. The Jackson's and WalMart ... that isn't even a good effort at comparison. The Jackson's have been known to be extremely generous with all of their resources throughout their lives. Wal Mart on the other hand .. wouldn't even bump up insurance coverage for their workers. I doubt that the Jackson's were concerned about money ... and especially stud fees. (This point was also already made in regard to insurance and syndication).

 

2. I waffled back and forth on the cruelty and suffering. From there, I will trust the assessment of Dean Richardson over you at this point. When they couldn't control the horses pain--they made a move.

 

On a related note--this whole thing made people think a little bit. Is putting a horse down when you have the resources to give it a chance at a comfortable life cruel? After this .. a lot of people say yes. Hopefully those people dismiss your opinion the same way that you dismiss theirs.

 

3. Barbaro as an athlete (to OR) .... hmmm ... so ... if someone ripped out Chad Johnson's vocal cords--and he couldn't talk from birth on ... would that mean that he wasn't an athlete? I know .. he is a human. The funny thing is .. I doubt that the horse was anywhere near as much of jerk as CJ is.

 

The problem there is that you miss the point. Whether it be Barbaro or some other horse ... they know one thing--run to win. They do it because that is what they know. To me--that is the purest form of being an athlete, or better yet in this case--a professional.

 

4. Something I didn't touch on enough earlier ... Michael Matz ... do some reading on him. Being the scholar that you are .. you probably already know. My point being--a great deal of extraordinary people and a horse end up in this situation. Everyone did everything that they could. If you aren't with that ... again .. your choice.

 

As far as Bloodhorse goes ... and the T-Bred Times ... you must not be reading the same magazines that I read. For everyday that there isn't some kind of article--there are 10-20 mentions of the horse in either magazine.

 

The funny thing is ... Barbaro was what horse racing needed. All the way around. The sport that many of us love--was dangerously close to being pointless. It may not be in much better shape ... but some people would argue that it is.

 

I'm a headline scanner and don't have the time to read every single article that comes down the pipe in those publications; I just know that they seem to have taken a "been there, done that" approach to the Barbaro features, while NBC and ESPN never miss a chance to overkill the story.

 

Again, I'm still not quite sure what's inaccurate about my opinion that the horse should've been put down much sooner — it's an opinion, after all. Granted, I don't know what was in the Jacksons' hearts during the whole saga, and can't 100 percent be sure greed was the motivator. But that doesn't change the fact that horses do not recover from injuries like that, and it doesn't change my opinion that it was cruel to keep him alive and through an ordeal like that.

 

I don't know Dean Richardson, or know much of anything about him. But most people, if given a blank check, will fill in as large an amount as they can.

Are you serious? What about Kevin Everrett of the Buffalo Bills or David Pollack of the Bengals? Why isn't more made of their overcoming the odds? I agree we talking about a freakin horse and I too tire of hearing it over and over! Oh yeah, and I am more than a casual fan as my family grew up racing horses.

 

Kevin Everett and David Pollock .... lets see ..

1. Good point ... I am sure both of their stories are inspiring to people--just not me--and I say that because horses don't have the ability to make "human" decisions. They are trusting us to do the right thing. Both of the aforementioned people athletes understood the risks that they were taking--and they were taking at least part of that risk for money (you could argue the same thing towards the horse--but I doubt that the horse realized that he was running for money--in his mind--he was doing what came as instinct).

2. They are not inspiring to me---because I have lost faith in professional sports outside of NASCAR and horse racing (which I probably should have lost faith in as well). That doesn't mean that it has to be that way for anyone else.

3. In general, we as people have a different kind of fondness for animals. Probably because we are entrusted to their well being.

I'm a headline scanner and don't have the time to read every single article that comes down the pipe in those publications; I just know that they seem to have taken a "been there, done that" approach to the Barbaro features, while NBC and ESPN never miss a chance to overkill the story.

 

Again, I'm still not quite sure what's inaccurate about my opinion that the horse should've been put down much sooner — it's an opinion, after all. Granted, I don't know what was in the Jacksons' hearts during the whole saga, and can't 100 percent be sure greed was the motivator. But that doesn't change the fact that horses do not recover from injuries like that, and it doesn't change my opinion that it was cruel to keep him alive and through an ordeal like that.

 

I don't know Dean Richardson, or know much of anything about him. But most people, if given a blank check, will fill in as large an amount as they can.

 

Jim--the inaccuracy lies in the fact that you assume to know why the Jackson's kept trying to keep Barbaro alive. All we can go on is their word--which was "we love the horse--we will keep trying as long as he is comfortable".

 

But instead ... you keep harping on the fact that they kept him alive for stud. I think that the horse was definitely experiencing pain--but not for the entire time that he was at New Bolton. I think they kept him comfortable.

 

Dean Richardson was the surgeon who was charged with care. He is one of the most accomplished doctors in his field. In his words--he was very clear that he wouldn't allow the horse to suffer outside the realm of his control. I doubt that anyone deserves not to be questioned--but his honesty was pretty obvious to people who have a clue about horses.

 

And last ... if you guys are so tired of hearing about Barbaro--why is there a post about it? And why do you keep responding? The last time I checked .. you didn't have to do either. Yet ... here you are ...

Jim--the inaccuracy lies in the fact that you assume to know why the Jackson's kept trying to keep Barbaro alive. All we can go on is their word--which was "we love the horse--we will keep trying as long as he is comfortable".

 

But instead ... you keep harping on the fact that they kept him alive for stud. I think that the horse was definitely experiencing pain--but not for the entire time that he was at New Bolton. I think they kept him comfortable.

 

Dean Richardson was the surgeon who was charged with care. He is one of the most accomplished doctors in his field. In his words--he was very clear that he wouldn't allow the horse to suffer outside the realm of his control. I doubt that anyone deserves not to be questioned--but his honesty was pretty obvious to people who have a clue about horses.

 

And last ... if you guys are so tired of hearing about Barbaro--why is there a post about it? And why do you keep responding? The last time I checked .. you didn't have to do either. Yet ... here you are ...

 

:thumb:

 

I have heard more about the Barbaro story here on BGP then I have all Derby week so far.

^^ That is the weakest point ever brought up in an argument.

 

I am posting about it because I had to get it off my chest about how much it bothers me.

I'm only a casual horse racing fan. I just clicked on the post because I heard something about cloning Barbaro and wanted to see if anyone else was a little creeped-out by that. I continued reading because of the obvious depth of emotion of everyone on both sides of the debate over whether the story deserves continued mention and whether the Jackson's were right to attempt to save/extend the life of the animal.

 

As to the worth of the story, a story continues to have legs only if people continue to be interested in it. Obviously, many people continue to be interested in this story.

 

The second point seems to be that people should not wish to hear more about it because: (a) the efforts to save/extend the life of the animal were cruel and futile, probably driven by greed; and/or (b) it was a horse, get over it.

 

I do not know the Jacksons and do not feel I have sufficient information to speculate on their motivation. I did feel uncomfortable when the injury occurred because the little I knew about that type of injury suggested that it is always fatal and I believe it cruel to let an animal suffer without chance of recovery of a decent quality of life. However, I was not sufficiently interested to become expert in the current state of veterinary medicine to judge.

 

Therefore, to those who have heard enough, stop listening. To those who desire to hear more, I am sure the story will be often repeated. Unless someone knows the Jacksons and can state that they acted based upon greed, I would urge the benefit of the doubt. Everyone who has been faced with the decision of putting a cherished pet to sleep knows it is not an easy choice when there is any chance of recovery. I do not know that is how the Jacksons viewed Barbaro, but I can not say to the contrary either. I imagine that may have been their motivation early on. Once everything began playing out on a public stage I am certain it was more difficult for them to make that choice there than it is for me in the back office of my local vet.

 

It seems an issue upon which reasonable minds may differ.

Well, after what happened over the weekend, I don't think you're going to hear much about Barbaro again.

Did any of you want to start complaining about Eight Belles yet?