Barbaro's Injury Should Advance Cause of Track Safety

May 22, 2006 — -- On the morning after the disaster at Pimlico, thoroughbred racing did what thoroughbred racing does best.

"It's human nature after something like this to try to point the finger somewhere, at someone, and say, 'That's the cause. That's the reason,'" said Joe DeFrancis, chief executive officer of the Maryland Jockey Club. "As sad as it is, accidents like this are part of the game."

The accident he was referring to, of course, was heavy favorite Barbaro's horrific breakdown shortly after the start of the 131st Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The colt underwent seven hours of surgery on his broken right hind leg Sunday and was standing in an intensive care unit. Dean Richardson, who performed the surgery, said Barbaro had a "50-50" chance of survival because of the risk of infection.

DeFrancis is right about one thing: The stress huge and powerful racehorses place on their thin lower legs is, in and of itself, a threat to their safety. Here's the problem with shrugging off tragedy and trotting out the "It's part of the game" line: It doesn't do anything to help fix the problem.

If there is one thing horse racing has proved completely inept at, it's fixing its own problems. This is the ultimate can't-do sport: bereft of a national governing body and generally lacking in leadership, cohesiveness, vision, adaptability, or a sound plan for connecting to the masses.

While racing execs are shrugging off Barbaro's breakdown, horrified casual fans are tuning out. Those who follow the sport three Saturdays a year are quite likely to follow it zero Saturdays from now on after watching Barbaro's grisly injury. If it's simply part of the game, hey, the viewing public can simply find another game to watch -- one in which potential death and dismemberment are not common side effects.

"I'm afraid you do [lose fans after an accident like Barbaro's]," DeFrancis said. "It's something I've shaken my head at and search[ed] for a solution to for 20 years. I wish there was a magic pill to give to all those people who felt so bad and make them feel better, but there isn't."