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05-23-2006, 01:53 PM
BERNARDINI – Trainer Tom Albertrani’s first success in a Triple Crown race was overshadowed by the tragic injury suffered by Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro shortly after the start of Saturday’s 131st running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Yet, the 48-year-old trainer couldn’t help but feel proud of Bernardini, who captured the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown by 5-1/4 lengths under Javier Castellano.
“I was still very excited because of the way Bernardini won the race, but I know how it feels to go through an ordeal like that,” said Albertrani, who reported Bernardini to be doing “very good” on the morning after his stellar triumph. “I feel bad for the connections of Barbaro. That’s something you never want to see.”
The Preakness was only the Darley Stable’s homebred colt’s fourth lifetime start, but he performed like a seasoned veteran Saturday.
Javiar Castellano and Bernardini
(Click on photo for larger image)
Photo Credit:Jim McCue/MJC
“I knew he had it in him. I was confident in him. I didn’t think he’d win so easily. If Barbaro was in the race, I don’t know how close it would have been,” said Albertrani, who loaded Bernardini onto a Belmont Park-bound van at 7 a.m. “He does things in such a professional manner; I didn’t think it was necessary to give him a race or two (before stepping up into classic company). He won the Withers so easily, I had a lot of confidence that he would run well here.”
The tragic circumstances surrounding Bernardini’s triumph due to Barbaro incurring fractures above and below his right hind ankle made it difficult for Albertrani to fully grasp the significance of his colt’s performance until 2 a.m.
“The phone was ringing is our room and woke me up. It was room service. We had ordered an early breakfast, and they called up to make sure they got the order right,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t get back to sleep right away. That’s when it hit me: ‘Hey, we won the Preakness!’”
Albertrani said he had enough difficulty trying to spot his horse during the run up the frontstretch that he never saw Barbaro’s tragic incident from his vantage point
“I couldn’t see the racetrack hardly at all where I was standing. I was half-watching on the TV screen near me and half watching the track,” he said. “I couldn’t see Barbaro being eased up, but I saw Michael run through the aisle. When you see that, you know something terrible happened.”
Albertrani reported that it would likely be a few days before Darley Stable’s principle Sheikh Mohammed would decide whether to run Bernardini in the Belmont Stakes on June 10. The 1-1/2-mile distance of the Belmont certainly won’t be a deterrent in the decision making.
“After the (one-turn) Withers, Javier Castellano said he had just got going, and he galloped out so strong. With the two turns, I knew he’d relish (running longer distances) that much more,” said Albertrani, who confirmed that Joseph LaCombe’s Deputy Glitters, the 8th-place finisher in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby, is scheduled to run in the Belmont.
The uncommon seasoning of such a lightly raced colt is a testament to his trainer’s horsemanship,
“When he came down from the training center in Saratoga, Bob and Dave Scanlon, who work with our 2-year-olds, told me that he was a nice colt. They always told me that he had talent.” Albertrani recalled. “When we first got him he was a little immature and weak, really.”
Bernardini debuted at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 7, when he never got the chance to do much running during a six-furlong debut. The son of A.P. Indy returned to break his maiden by nearly eight lengths on March 4, before scoring by almost four lengths in the Withers last month at Aqueduct.
“In his first race, he ran green, but after that he was more focused on what he’s doing,” Albertrani said.
BARBARO – The Kentucky Derby winner, who suffered tragic injuries to his right hind leg shortly after the start of the 131st Preakness Stakes Saturday, was scheduled to undergo surgery Sunday afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, PA.
Dr. Dean Richardson, Chief of Surgery at New Bolton Center, met with the media at 12.20 p.m. to report that Barbaro had suffered three fractures, one in the cannon bone above the ankle joint, a second in the long pastern bone located below the ankle joint and the third within the ankle joint. It was also determined Barbaro also suffered a dislocation in the affected ankle joint.
“He’ll be placed under general anesthesia and additional radiographs will be taken. He’ll be under anesthesia for several hours, and it’s a very complicated procedure,” Richardson said. “We’ll be attempting to fuse the entire joint. I don’t want to give any prognosis for success until further review during the surgery.”
The one positive note is that none of the injuries had broken through the skin, which would have exposed the injuries to bacterial infection.
Dr. Richardson said he doesn’t usually see injuries so severe, because, typically, the horse would be humanely euthanized at the track.
“It is very unusual to have three catastrophic injuries all together,” Dr. Richardson said. “I’ve never seen this exact fracture and I never tackled one before.”
He praised the racetrack, jockey Edgar Prado and the veterinary staff for their exemplary care of the stricken Kentucky Derby winner.
Richardson said despite a serious prognosis, he hasn’t given up hope.
“I think horses can do a lot of things if given a chance,” he said.
The Michael Matz-trained Barbaro was vanned to the New Bolton Center with a police escort after being vanned off the racetrack. Maryland Jockey Club’s Glen Kozak, Jamie Richardson and Joe Miller accompanied Barbaro in the equine ambulance.
“Michael Matz called me this morning to say ‘thank you’ for our efforts. To take time during this difficult period showed a lot of class,” said Maryland Jockey Club’s President and Chief Operating Officer Lou Raffetto.
Maryland Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Joe De Francis praised everyone involved for their quick response to such a horrific incident.
“I would like to extend special ‘thank you’s’ to Sharon Greenberg, the outrider, who did a phenomenal job with Barbaro and track superintendent Jamie Richardson, who did a fantastic job of getting the horse loaded into the ambulance as quickly as possible,” De Francis said. “Lastly, I want to thank both the Baltimore City and Maryland State Police for escorting Barbaro through the traffic and up to New Bolton as fast as possible.”
De Francis extended his deepest concerns to Barbaro’s owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, Matz and jockey Edgar Prado.
“Accidents like this are part of the game, part of the physics of the sport. When you have a 1,400-pound animal running 40 miles an hour as hard as he or she possibly can on bones as small as they are, whenever they take the slightest misstep there is a potential for tragedy,” De Francis said. “At this time all we can do is let the Jacksons, Mike Matz and Edgar Prado know our thoughts and prayers are with them and our fingers are crossed that Barbaro pulls through.”
Attending staff at the New Bolton Center reported that Barbaro was stabilized throughout the evening and that his caregivers noted his bravery and exceptional behavior throughout a bad situation. Barbaro reportedly ate his hay at 11 p.m. Saturday night
A press briefing is scheduled to be held following the surgery at the New Bolton Center. For further information and updates, media members may contact New Bolton Center spokesperson Gail Luciani (cell-215-284-0728, office-215-898-1475). NTRA officials Jim Gluckson (646-335-6835) and Joan Lawrence (646-335-6833) will be at the New Bolton Center Sunday.
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Source: http://www.preakness.com
“I was still very excited because of the way Bernardini won the race, but I know how it feels to go through an ordeal like that,” said Albertrani, who reported Bernardini to be doing “very good” on the morning after his stellar triumph. “I feel bad for the connections of Barbaro. That’s something you never want to see.”
The Preakness was only the Darley Stable’s homebred colt’s fourth lifetime start, but he performed like a seasoned veteran Saturday.
Javiar Castellano and Bernardini
(Click on photo for larger image)
Photo Credit:Jim McCue/MJC
“I knew he had it in him. I was confident in him. I didn’t think he’d win so easily. If Barbaro was in the race, I don’t know how close it would have been,” said Albertrani, who loaded Bernardini onto a Belmont Park-bound van at 7 a.m. “He does things in such a professional manner; I didn’t think it was necessary to give him a race or two (before stepping up into classic company). He won the Withers so easily, I had a lot of confidence that he would run well here.”
The tragic circumstances surrounding Bernardini’s triumph due to Barbaro incurring fractures above and below his right hind ankle made it difficult for Albertrani to fully grasp the significance of his colt’s performance until 2 a.m.
“The phone was ringing is our room and woke me up. It was room service. We had ordered an early breakfast, and they called up to make sure they got the order right,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t get back to sleep right away. That’s when it hit me: ‘Hey, we won the Preakness!’”
Albertrani said he had enough difficulty trying to spot his horse during the run up the frontstretch that he never saw Barbaro’s tragic incident from his vantage point
“I couldn’t see the racetrack hardly at all where I was standing. I was half-watching on the TV screen near me and half watching the track,” he said. “I couldn’t see Barbaro being eased up, but I saw Michael run through the aisle. When you see that, you know something terrible happened.”
Albertrani reported that it would likely be a few days before Darley Stable’s principle Sheikh Mohammed would decide whether to run Bernardini in the Belmont Stakes on June 10. The 1-1/2-mile distance of the Belmont certainly won’t be a deterrent in the decision making.
“After the (one-turn) Withers, Javier Castellano said he had just got going, and he galloped out so strong. With the two turns, I knew he’d relish (running longer distances) that much more,” said Albertrani, who confirmed that Joseph LaCombe’s Deputy Glitters, the 8th-place finisher in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby, is scheduled to run in the Belmont.
The uncommon seasoning of such a lightly raced colt is a testament to his trainer’s horsemanship,
“When he came down from the training center in Saratoga, Bob and Dave Scanlon, who work with our 2-year-olds, told me that he was a nice colt. They always told me that he had talent.” Albertrani recalled. “When we first got him he was a little immature and weak, really.”
Bernardini debuted at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 7, when he never got the chance to do much running during a six-furlong debut. The son of A.P. Indy returned to break his maiden by nearly eight lengths on March 4, before scoring by almost four lengths in the Withers last month at Aqueduct.
“In his first race, he ran green, but after that he was more focused on what he’s doing,” Albertrani said.
BARBARO – The Kentucky Derby winner, who suffered tragic injuries to his right hind leg shortly after the start of the 131st Preakness Stakes Saturday, was scheduled to undergo surgery Sunday afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, PA.
Dr. Dean Richardson, Chief of Surgery at New Bolton Center, met with the media at 12.20 p.m. to report that Barbaro had suffered three fractures, one in the cannon bone above the ankle joint, a second in the long pastern bone located below the ankle joint and the third within the ankle joint. It was also determined Barbaro also suffered a dislocation in the affected ankle joint.
“He’ll be placed under general anesthesia and additional radiographs will be taken. He’ll be under anesthesia for several hours, and it’s a very complicated procedure,” Richardson said. “We’ll be attempting to fuse the entire joint. I don’t want to give any prognosis for success until further review during the surgery.”
The one positive note is that none of the injuries had broken through the skin, which would have exposed the injuries to bacterial infection.
Dr. Richardson said he doesn’t usually see injuries so severe, because, typically, the horse would be humanely euthanized at the track.
“It is very unusual to have three catastrophic injuries all together,” Dr. Richardson said. “I’ve never seen this exact fracture and I never tackled one before.”
He praised the racetrack, jockey Edgar Prado and the veterinary staff for their exemplary care of the stricken Kentucky Derby winner.
Richardson said despite a serious prognosis, he hasn’t given up hope.
“I think horses can do a lot of things if given a chance,” he said.
The Michael Matz-trained Barbaro was vanned to the New Bolton Center with a police escort after being vanned off the racetrack. Maryland Jockey Club’s Glen Kozak, Jamie Richardson and Joe Miller accompanied Barbaro in the equine ambulance.
“Michael Matz called me this morning to say ‘thank you’ for our efforts. To take time during this difficult period showed a lot of class,” said Maryland Jockey Club’s President and Chief Operating Officer Lou Raffetto.
Maryland Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Joe De Francis praised everyone involved for their quick response to such a horrific incident.
“I would like to extend special ‘thank you’s’ to Sharon Greenberg, the outrider, who did a phenomenal job with Barbaro and track superintendent Jamie Richardson, who did a fantastic job of getting the horse loaded into the ambulance as quickly as possible,” De Francis said. “Lastly, I want to thank both the Baltimore City and Maryland State Police for escorting Barbaro through the traffic and up to New Bolton as fast as possible.”
De Francis extended his deepest concerns to Barbaro’s owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, Matz and jockey Edgar Prado.
“Accidents like this are part of the game, part of the physics of the sport. When you have a 1,400-pound animal running 40 miles an hour as hard as he or she possibly can on bones as small as they are, whenever they take the slightest misstep there is a potential for tragedy,” De Francis said. “At this time all we can do is let the Jacksons, Mike Matz and Edgar Prado know our thoughts and prayers are with them and our fingers are crossed that Barbaro pulls through.”
Attending staff at the New Bolton Center reported that Barbaro was stabilized throughout the evening and that his caregivers noted his bravery and exceptional behavior throughout a bad situation. Barbaro reportedly ate his hay at 11 p.m. Saturday night
A press briefing is scheduled to be held following the surgery at the New Bolton Center. For further information and updates, media members may contact New Bolton Center spokesperson Gail Luciani (cell-215-284-0728, office-215-898-1475). NTRA officials Jim Gluckson (646-335-6835) and Joan Lawrence (646-335-6833) will be at the New Bolton Center Sunday.
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Source: http://www.preakness.com