Barbaro: A Nation's Love Story

Tom Philbin · Pamela K. Brodowsky

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

This up-to-minute book follows the story of Barbaro, the Triple Crown contender whose unlikely fight back from almost certain death from a shattered leg and ensuing complications captured the hearts of a nation who responded with a stunning display of love.

In 132 years of derby races, only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, the last in 1978. Barbaro was a favorite to be the twelfth until May 20, 2006, at the Preakness Stakes, when his jockey, Edgar Prado pulled him up a couple of hundred yards from the starting gate. Subsequent examination revealed that he had virtually exploded bones in his right rear leg so badly that under normal conditions he would have been euthanized right on the track. But his owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, chose another path, one filled with anxiety and tears—but also courageous determination to save his life.

This touching, soaring book—filled with insights from Barbaro's trainers, breeders, caretakers, and owners—follows Barbaro from foal to colt to champion to perfect patient. But In the end it is not just a story of a down-but-not-out champion, but of human beings at their very best.

Ratings and reviews

awesome but sad... a joy to read about!

About the author

Tom Philbin is a writer of numerous books and has also written articles for a variety of magazines, including Parade, Woman's Day, and Reader's Digest. He lives in Centerport, New York. Pamela K. Brodowsky grew up on a horse ranch and has more than 30 years of experience with race horses, often showing Thoroughbreds in competitions. She is also the founder of International Literary Arts, and is a popular speaker at many writers' conferences. She lives in Moscow, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two children.