There is no question 2006 was the year of Barbaro. The unbeaten colt was sensational on that first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs, turning in a performance in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) that lifted the hopes of racing fans and signaled the very real possibility a superstar had arrived on the scene.

But it was what happened in the aftermath of the tragic Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico May 20 that brought this magnificent animal closer to the hearts of tens of millions of people than any Thoroughbred has been in my lifetime.

Seemingly all of America tuned in to follow Barbaro’s battle for survival after a freak injury pulverized a portion of his right hind leg shortly after the start of the Preakness. Racing Web sites, including Bloodhorse.com, were flooded with unprecedented traffic. Network television news shows trotted out experts from the racing and equine veterinary worlds to discuss the injury and the cutting-edge surgery performed at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center to try and save his life.

Barbaro’s chances of survival appeared bright until mid-July, when laminitis struck the opposite rear foot, something everyone with experience in equine medicine feared might occur. For the second time in two months, The Blood-Horse began making contingency plans to cover Barbaro’s life and death