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 (AP) - Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was
euthanized Monday after complications from his gruesome breakdown
at last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that
prompted an outpouring of support across the country.

      "We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for
him to go on without pain," co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was
the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along
if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for
him then it would be time."

      A series of ailments, including laminitis in the left rear hoof
and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, proved too much for
the gallant colt.

      Barbaro battled in his ICU stall for eight months. The
4-year-old colt underwent several procedures and was fitted with
fiberglass casts. He spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his
legs, had pins inserted and was fitted at the end with an external
brace. These were all extraordinary measures for a horse with such
injuries.

      Roy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning,
with the owners making the decision in consultation with chief
surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson.

      "I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts
and prayers over the last eight months or so," Jackson said to
Barbaro's fans.

      On May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30
miles from Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering
his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes.

The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints,
recovering from an injury most horses never survive. But Barbaro
never regained his natural gait.

      He suffered a significant setback over the weekend, and surgery
was required to insert two steel pins in a bone - one of three
shattered in the Preakness but now healthy - to eliminate all
weight bearing on the ailing right rear foot.

      The procedure Saturday was a risky one, because it transferred
more weight to the leg while the foot rests on the ground bearing
no weight.

      The leg was on the mend until the abscess began causing
discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro's
left rear leg, which developed laminitis in July, and 80 percent of
the hoof was removed.

      Richardson said Monday morning that Barbaro did not have a good
night.

      Brilliant on the race track, Barbaro always will be remembered
for his brave fight for survival.

      The story of the beloved 4-year-old bay colt's fight for life
captured the fancy of millions.

      When Barbaro broke down, his right hind leg flared out awkwardly
as jockey Edgar Prado jumped off and tried to steady the ailing
horse. Race fans at Pimlico wept. Within 24 hours the entire nation
seemed to be caught up in a "Barbaro watch," waiting for any
news.

      Well-wishers young and old showed up at the New Bolton Center
with cards, flowers, gifts, goodies and even religious medals for
the champ, and thousands of e-mails poured into the hospital's Web
site just for him.

      "I just can't explain why everyone is so caught up in this
horse," Roy Jackson, who owned the colt with his wife, Gretchen,
has said time and again. "Everything is so negative now in the
world, people love animals and I think they just happen to latch
onto him."

      Devoted fans even wrote Christmas carols for him, sent a wreath
made of baby organic carrots and gave him a Christmas stocking.

      The biggest gift has been the $1.2 million raised since early
June for the Barbaro Fund. The money is put toward needed equipment
such as an operating room table, and a raft and sling for the same
pool recovery Barbaro used after his surgeries.

      The Jacksons spent tens of thousands of dollars hoping the best
horse they ever owned would recover and be able to live a
comfortable life on the farm - whether he was able to breed or not.

      The couple, who own about 70 racehorses, broodmares and
yearlings, and operate the 190-acre Lael Farm, have been in the
horse business for 30 years, and never had a horse like Barbaro.

      As the days passed, it seemed Barbaro would get his happy
ending. As late as December, with the broken bones in his right
hind leg nearly healed and his laminitis under control, Barbaro was
looking good and relishing daily walks outside his intensive care
unit.

      But after months of upbeat progress reports, including talk that
he might be headed home soon, news came Jan. 10 of a serious
setback because of the laminitis. Richardson had to remove damaged
tissue from Barbaro's left hind hoof, and the colt was placed back
in a protective sling.

      On Jan. 13, another section of his left rear hoof was removed.
After Barbaro developed a deep abscess in his right hind foot,
surgery was performed Saturday to insert two steel pins in a bone.

      This after Richardson warned last December that Barbaro's right
hind leg was getting stronger and that the left hind foot was a
"more formidable long-term challenge."

       In the end, the various complications from the breakdown at the
Preakness were too much.

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Sports

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was
euthanized Monday after complications from his gruesome breakdown
at last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that
prompted an outpouring of support across the country.


Barbaro euthanized; owner calls it 'the right decision'

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