David G. Zipf, chief veterinarian for the Maryland State Racing Commission, is convinced classic winner Barbaro did not suffer his career-ending injury in the starting gate when he broke through the stalls prior to the start of Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico.

Zipf was stationed behind the gate when Barbaro, the 1-2 favorite, broke through and took several strides before being grabbed by an alert outrider. Zipf said he followed standard operating procedures by giving the colt a visual inspection for any injuries the incident may have caused.

“The stewards always ask me to look at them (when they break through the gate),” said Zipf, a state veterinarian since 1965 and chief veterinarian for the last 20 years.

“I went through the stall he was in and followed him back around. Once he was gathered up (by an outrider) and turned around, the first thing I looked for was head trauma or abrasions or cuts. I then walked behind him as he trotted back to make sure, leg-wise that there was no problem. I could see nothing that would insult his performance; saw no problems with his head or legs. I’m certain there was nothing that would predispose to the injury that occurred in the race