Three weeks after telling the world about the condition of Barbaro directly after the horse’s breakdown at the Preakness Stakes, Larry Bramlage, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., was relaxing on the Belmont apron, enjoying the morning workouts the day before the Belmont Stakes. He had done a superb job on NBC’s live broadcast of the Preakness informing the television audience about Barbaro’s injury and prognosis.

“I think our ontrack vet program worked great that day,” Bramlage noted. “The worst thing for viewers is not to have any information. I think we were accurate, gave the best information we had, and made people as comfortable as possible. It was a bad injury and we had to tell people that.

“Someone told me recently that that was my first big interview on TV, and that was a compliment, because they’d already forgotten about Charismatic and Exogenous.”

The outpouring of concern and attention for Barbaro’s subsequent surgery and condition has been a pleasant surprise for Thoroughbred racing, which is more often maligned than complimented by the national media. Regardless of Barbaro’s outcome, the care shown for him has shown the sport in a favorable light. “I think when they display the talent Barbaro did in the Kentucky Derby, the horse gets adopted by the general public,” said Bramlage. “They’re anointed as a favorite son and it becomes a national event–people feel like they have a piece of the horse