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2006 PREAKNESS STAKES |
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© 2006 HORSEPHOTOS/NTRA Bernardini wins the 131st Running of The Preakness Stakes. BERNARDINI WINS PREAKNESS WHILE BARBARO IS PULLED UP THE PREAKNESS STAKES OFFICIAL RESULTS MAY 20, 2006 PREAKNESS STAKES (131ST RUNNING) $1,000,000 GRADE I PIMLICO RACECOURSE, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND FOR THREE YEAR OLDS ONE AND THREE-SIXTEENTHS MILES MAIN TRACK: FAST
BERNARDINI Winner 131st Preakness Stakes Jockey: Javier Castellano Trainer: Thomas Albertrani Owners: Darley Stable Three Year Old Bay Colt - March 23, 2003 Bred by Darley Stud (KY) A.P. Indy - Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American
OFFICIAL ORDER OF FINISH
Scratched Horses: None
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THE HIGH OF THE HIGHS AND THE LOW OF THE LOWS IN ONE RACE
May 20, 2006 Preakness Stakes Pimlico Racecourse: Baltimore, Maryland Article Posted: 5/22/06 It was scheduled as race 12 on this past Saturday’s (5/20) card at Pimlico, The 131st Running of The Preakness Stakes. After his dominating race at Churchill Downs, Derby winner Barbaro, looked nearly invincible running away and hiding from a fairly accomplished crop of three-year-olds with what looked to be plenty left in the tank. 118,402 fans would cram into “Old Hill Top” for Maryland’s yearly springtime ritual to see what they hoped would be the second feather in the triple crown cap of Barbaro. What they would see would be anything but that thrill of victory. To the dismay of every spectator on the grounds, the millions watching on TV, The Maryland Jockey Club, Manga Entertainment, the NTRA, NBC Sports and just about everybody else on the planet, the unthinkable happened. Eight runners would enter the gate against the Derby winner to run the second leg in the annual three-year-old test of endurance. Shortly before 6:19 pm, est., Barbaro would make the first of what would be two moments that would turn the day on its collective head. With the field loaded Barbaro went into the green monster and then broke through the starting gate to the moan of the crowd and astonishment of the television announcers. After being collected by the outrider and reloaded the field would be sent on its way. Like Now, one of the speed merchants in the field, would make the lead as the field went under the wire for the first time. However, what happened next would take the crowds breath away. Without any notice jockey Edgar Prado would start pulling up Derby winner Barbaro in mid pack as the colt apparently had something wrong. Prado’s quick reaction to whatever the problem was would later be a key in saving the animals life. The television feed would stay with the race but after that moment it was hard to remember what even happened during the rest of the race as the crowd was transfixed on Barbaro and his apparent critical situation. The field would complete the race and Bernardini would win the mile and three-sixteenths competition, but they didn’t even know what happened to Barbaro until they had run under the finish line for the second time. Any jubilation that would have taken place was now tempered by the serious situation as Barbaro was standing in the middle of the track slowly shaking his hind leg in discomfort, reins being held by Prado now dismounted and standing on the ground. The horse ambulance was seen next and the crowd was now in shock. This is not the way one of the sports classic races is supposed to end. NBC was on track being able to talk to Dr. Larry Bramlage, of the American Veterinarian On Call Program, and while it was way to soon to know the specifics of the injury he was quick to locate and describe where the problem was and the general possibilities of what could be wrong. Later that night it would be disclosed that Barbaro had fractured his right hind leg above and below the ankle and would be vanned to the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for surgery. The whole scene was more like pandemonium rather than the usual euphoria, with the race now just an afterthought. The injury to the Derby winner would be talked about in the media throughout the evening. Not since Smarty Jones has a horse captured the thoughts of the sporting public in such a way that his every move would chronicled for the next forty eight to seventy-two hours on local news casts and radio shows. This drama would eclipse the weekend sports news of Barry Bonds’ tying the home run record of Babe Ruth, Bernardini winning the Preakness, the Indy time trials and the NBA playoffs. The next day it was even hard to find a picture of Bernardini winning the Preakness on any websites. Shortly after the dramatic accident we then began to hear the comparisons of this scene to those of Go For Wand, Ruffian, Charismatic and alike. We would hear how if the race were run on the Polytrack it would have been safer for the animals and all that stuff as well. In the end, after reviewing the race again it just looked as though maybe Barbaro had taken a bad step. We are just lucky that veterinarian advances have made it possible to save an animal, all animals for that matter, that give us so much for our pleasure. Let’s take nothing away from Bernardini, part of the process of winning a race is finishing it, survival of the fittest. And he went out and proved that he was better than all the horses that finished the race. Congratulations go out to his connections and we should hope that he goes on to have a great 2006 campaign. As for the sport of horseracing itself, well it has some PR problems. The major one is the image of Barbaro standing in distress on the racetrack as a large portion of casual fans looked on in horror. How do we get that group back to the track and inspire them enough to see that this is a great game? With articles like the ones written by Pat Forde on ESPN.com, just hours and days after the event bashing the industry, it makes it hard to sway any public opinion even considering the industry advances in trauma care, track maintenance, wagering facilities, and I could go on and on, in the last ten years or so. The only thing the industry has not got a handle on is public relations. It was strange to read Forde’s scathing article about his answers and reasons to racing’s problems and then on the bottom of the webpage I read an advertisement that said. “Get Into The Action; Own A Racehorse”. While the add was for the American Quarter Horse Association, nonetheless it was a depressing end to a depressing weekend. On to New York and a wide open Belmont Stakes on June 10th. Make a note ABC will have the telecast.
For the recap of the race see below.
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131st Preakness Stakes Race Recap:
Before the race post time favorite Barbaro broke through the gate and was collected by the outrider and eventually reloaded for the start of the 131st Preakness Stakes. After a good start Like Now assumed his position as the front-runner as the field went under the wire for the first time. Passing under the wire Barbaro was pulled up in traffic by rider Edgar Prado and was out of the race appearing to have broken down. Sweenorthernsaint would stalk Like Now a half-length back as Bernardini would run on the outside behind those two another length and a half back in third. The quarter went in 23.21 as Like Now would go on to get the half-mile in 46.69 and three-quarters in 1:10.24 while Brother Derek and Sweetnorthernsaint would trade positions in second and third with Bernardini now running in fourth position waiting for his move as the field moved into the stretch. In the lane Bernardini, after following Brother Derek, had moved four wide and took the lead at the head of the lane, lugged in nearing the eighth pole and then straightened out in deep stretch while opening up to win The 2006 Preakness Stakes by five and one-quarter widening lengths. Sweetnorthernsaint, after briefly having the lead at the quarter pole, drifted out mid-stretch but was still second best while Hemingway’s Key closed willingly for third. Bernardini is a three-year-old bay colt owned by Darley Stud, trained by Thomas Albertrani and was ridden by Javier Castellano. |
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23.21, 46.69, 1:10.24, 1:35.73, 1:54.65