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[RC] Barbaro - Suzanne Boyd

It's all about money. That's the only reason they're trying to save
him now, too.

I hesitate to respond to this statement on this forum, but I really have to.... The outlook
on Barbaro being able to stand at stud. should he even survive his catastrophic injuries is pretty bleak, at best. From a financial standpoint, the Jacksons(Roy and Gretchen, Barbaro's owners/breeders) would probably be further ahead to euthanize Barbaro and collect on the insurance policy, which is reputed to be in the 10's of millions of dollars. True horse lovers come in all shapes and forms, all walks of life, all tax brackets.(I'm in the lower one!) Barbaro is a result of the Jackson's 30 year breeding program. He is their FIRST Derby starter, as well as their first Grade 1 Stakes winner. They were offered $5 million for him *before* the Derby and turned it down,as Gretchen Jackson said, "He's never been for sale". I believe the Jacksons love Barbaro like any of us would love a horse we bred and raised ourselves. And fwiw, Gretchen Jackson is on the board(an unpaid volunteer) of The Thoroughbred Charities of America, whose sole mission is to raise money to fund t-bred rescue, rehabilitation, retraining,research, etc. They have donated more than 12 million to these causes over the last 16 yrs.

I apologize for this post if it is off topic(it is),but just as I hate to hear non-endurance riders say," all endurance riders run their horses into the ground", I also hate to hear that "racehorse owners/trainers don't care about the horses, just the $$$". A few weeks ago I picked up my new filly at Thistledown Racecourse, where she has been racing(not too well, either) the last year. The owner, his wife and their kids were there to see her off, all with tears in their eyes. I've bought quite a few horses over the years, but this was the first time I ever had to deal with a grown man crying, and wanting to be sure he can "come visit her sometime"

Ok, this is my first, last and only post on this subject on this forum.
Suzanne