(This is an update and my personal take on Holly’s previous post below.)

Barbaro, who captured America’s heart when he won the Kentucky Derby and then broke it when he suffered a catastrophic leg injury at the Preakness Stakes, was put down today after making a recovery that had been nothing short of miraculous.

The colt had undergone successful post-race surgery on his right hind leg to insert a titanium plate and screws into three broken bones and the pastern joint, as well as three more follow-up operations. But he had developed a severe case of laminitis, a painful disease caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs that almost always is life ending.

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