Now that the hyperbole from the unfortunate death of Barbaro is dying down, some much-needed perspective is beginning to appear in the articles about horse racing.
In this NY Times piece, Gina Rarick compares the European style of horse training and racing, and posits that the injuries that Barbaro suffered are the inevitable result of the more extreme training regimen that thoroughbreds endure in an American racing system focused primarily on speed.
Meanwhile, this Bill Finley/NY Times article introduces us to Barbaro’s kid brother, a yet-unnamed yearling still frolicking in the fields of Kentucky. Will the young colt develop as well as his big brother? As they say in the horse-racing business, “you never know, but that’s part of the charm.”