Book Review: "Greatness and Goodness: Barbaro and His Legacy"

Sunday, January 29 marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Barbaro, one of the greatest and most beloved racehorses in the world. His huge heart and courage both inspired and touched the hearts of millions. 

We fell in love and were mesmerized by Barbaro, watching him gallop to glory at the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby, flying effortlessly over the track with lightning speed. But just two weeks later, at the start of the Preakness Stakes (the second jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown), we were crestfallen by that shocking moment the majestic colt clipped heels with another horse, shattering his leg. Barbaro sustained dire, life-threatening injuries.

Today, to both celebrate Barbaro’s life and honor his memory, I felt it appropriate to share my thoughts about “Greatness and Goodness: Barbaro and His Legacy”, an outstanding book written by Alex Brown, a man who knew Barbaro intimately.

When I started reading, I was flooded with the memories of searching daily for updates about the colt’s progress and his struggle to survive. Those of us who joined together in prayer for his recovery experienced the ups and downs, the highs and lows and the joys when hearing good news. And we all felt the interminable grief when we learned that Barbaro, who had never been defeated, lost his most important race to the deadly foot disease, Laminitis. Barbaro’s heroic fight for his life had ended in tragedy.

This superbly written book begins with Barbaro’s carefree-time spent as a young colt. Alex Brown chronicles the young horse’s training and racing career in great detail. We get to meet Barbaro’s owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, his trainer, Michael Matz and his jockey, Edgar Prado. But what I found most compelling was how deeply Alex understood the colt’s desire to race. It comes alive when he describes Barbaro’s seven-length Kentucky Derby victory, writing “He just had a joy for running.”

Since the word “inspiration” is synonymous with Barbaro, I was riveted by the chapter “Why did Barbaro Inspire?”. Brown shares his thought-provoking answers as to why the colt touched people so deeply by ingeniously weaving his own thoughts with those of Dr. Dean Richardson’s, who was Barbaro's veterinarian.

The author brings Barbaro’s legacy to life, highlighting the self-organized group, the Fans of Barbaro, that the great horse’s courage inspired. Through rescue and adoption, the group has saved untold numbers of horses from slaughter, and still continues their work today. The F.O.B. also raises funds for Laminitis research. Lastly, the group inspired by Barbaro remains politically active by contacting their representatives to enlist co-sponsors willing to support legislation aimed at ending horse slaughter

This coffee-table book is indeed a magnificent tribute to the horse who will never be forgotten. It is a treasure I highly recommend as a powerful addition to the library not just for horse people, but anyone who loves animals. It is available at Amazon.com in both a hard-cover and kindle edition.