Knowing his he has family somehow makes his death a little less painful. (yeah...I know, silly but the people who know me know what an animal lover I am!And look at how adorable he is too!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/sports/othersports/01barbaro.html?ex=1327986000&en=bcddf7586a92371f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
LEXINGTON, Ky., Jan. 31 — Just 75 miles from where Barbaro first captured the nation’s attention with a remarkable run in the Kentucky Derby, a young colt, a baby in many ways, spends much of his day frolicking in a large paddock at Mill Ridge Farm. He is just one among thousands of yearlings living on thoroughbred farms throughout Kentucky, and all of them are still months away from their first chance at showing what they might amount to on a racetrack.
Still, there will always be something special about this brown colt. As yet unnamed, he is a son of the sire Dynaformer and the dam La Ville Rouge. That makes him Barbaro’s full brother, the only full brother that he had.
It is an association that will follow this yearling as he grows up, making for high expectations, potential disappointment and a permanent soft spot in the hearts of the many who became drawn to Barbaro’s story.
“There was a time when we thought about selling him,” Gretchen Jackson said of the yearling, which she owns with her husband, Roy, just as they owned Barbaro. “We could never do that now. There are going to be a lot of emotions tied up in him.”
Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, was euthanized Monday after losing a long and dramatic battle for survival that began when he fractured his right hind leg during the Preakness Stakes last May. He was the type of thoroughbred that comes along once in a great while, with a rare combination of speed, stamina, talent and desire. Now comes his kid brother, an unproven and untested 10½-month-old, and with him, the inevitable question: Can he possibly be as good?
When a horse is as young as Barbaro’s brother is, there is little to go on. But the early indications are all positive, said his handlers at Mill Ridge Farm, where he was born and will remain until September, when he will be sent to Florida to begin more serious preparations for a racing career.
Conformation, a horse’s physical alignment, is an early indicator. For instance, a horse born with a crooked knee is unlikely to be successful on the racetrack. Barbaro’s brother has no such problems. He also has the type of attitude that could translate into success on the racetrack.
“He’s easy to handle and has a good personality,” said Donnie Snellings, the manager of yearlings and stallions at Mill Ridge. “He’s tough enough with the other horses in the field, which shows you that he has a competitive drive.”
For two horses to be considered full siblings, they must share the same father and mother, or sire and dam. Horses with the same dam but different sires are considered half-brothers or half-sisters. Horses by the same sire only — and there are many of them — are not even considered to be related.
Meanwhile, La Ville Rouge and Dynaformer have produced another full brother to Barbaro who is set to be born in mid-April. After delivering that foal, La Ville Rouge, who is 11, will again be bred to Dynaformer, who is 22 and does not have too many years left as a stallion.
What this all will ultimately mean for the sport of horse racing is anyone’s guess. Breeding is an inexact science and the results of even the most carefully planned matings can be wildly unpredictable. There are very few examples of sets of full siblings becoming major stars on the racetrack. Seabiscuit had two full brothers, one named Naval Reserve, the other named Sea Base. They combined to earn a meager $10,470 during their racing careers.
“The record books show that lightning can strike twice in the same place, but perhaps not nearly as often as you might expect,” said Andrew Caulfield, a breeding consultant to Juddmonte Farms. “Think of it in human terms: How many brothers or sisters are carbon copies of each other? The odds of hitting the genetic jackpot more than once are certainly loaded against the breeder. Of course, that doesn’t rule out a very bright future for Barbaro’s brother, but will he have inherited the full range of qualities, including the courage and will to win, which made Barbaro so special?”
That is a question that will not be answered until he makes his first start, as a 2-year-old, perhaps in the summer or fall of 2008.
“The expectations are going to be high for him,” said Bayne Welker, Mill Ridge’s director of sales. “Barbaro has set a very high bar.”
Because Barbaro was born and raised at Springmint Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., Welker has no way to compare him and his brother as yearlings. But maybe John Stevens will be able to do so, because Barbaro’s brother will be sent to his farm in Ocala, Fla., this summer or early fall. There the colt will be taught to be ridden with a saddle on.
Stevens was Barbaro’s instructor, too, so he should be able to make some comparisons. By early 2008, Barbaro’s brother will be sent to a trainer. No decision has been made yet as to who that will be, but Gretchen Jackson said it would likely be Michael Matz, the trainer of Barbaro.
By then, the brother will have a name.
Barbaro’s name came from a painting the Jacksons own. In it, six foxhounds are pictured and each one is named, including one named Barbaro. Gretchen Jackson said the brother will most likely be named after one of the other five foxhounds. Those wishing for a derivative of Barbaro’s name will apparently be disappointed.
And those hoping the brother will win the Kentucky Derby should be realistic. The Jockey Club estimates that 34,200 thoroughbreds were born in the United States in 2006, making the odds astronomical that Barbaro’s brother will be the one among that vast group who captures the Derby on the first Saturday in May 2009. Then again, you never know.
“It’s a miracle that we had one horse as good as Barbaro, and he gave us memories that we’re going to hold on to for a lifetime,” Gretchen Jackson said. “It’s hard to believe that it could ever happen again. As far as this foal is concerned, I can only hope that he has a great racing career, too. I just hope he gets his chance and does what he was born to do.”
IN OTHER HORSE NEWS:
Rags to Riches broke a 105 year old drought of a filly winning at the Belmont Stakes.
Some people say she had an advantage being that she had 5 less pounds on her but what about the fact that the male horses she raced against where taller AND longer? Funny how they didn't even MENTION that! (that's her on the outside...YOU GO GIRL!)
