The New York Post is reporting that HBO has quietly begun production on a feature-length documentary about Barbaro, the horse that captured the public's imagination after winning the Kentucky Derby in 2006 and suffering a disastrous injury during the running of Preakness two weeks later. Barbaro was euthanized on January 29th of this year. During the eight months that passed between Preakness and Barbaro's eventual death, he became the center of immense media and public attention. Somewhere along the way, Barbaro, like Seabiscuit before him, became more than a horse. He became a symbol - albeit a contested one. To the thousands who sent him "get well" letters and holy objects to speed his recovery, he was the picture of strength and perservance. To some on-lookers, his story was an intolerable mixture of media overkill and misplaced senimentality. To others, he represented the excesses of breeding animals for sport. Regardless of what you think of Barbaro and his fans, a film was inevitable. Expect to see HBO's Barbaro documentary in June, during Triple Crown season.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-05-2007 @ 5:01PM
Curt said...
He was a horse. He ran fast. he won races. He broke his leg. we killed him, only after pumping enough of his seed from him to make millions. No he's in your glue bottle.
There. the documentary of Barbaro.
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3-05-2007 @ 5:31PM
Amy said...
Curt - you forgot a pivotal highlight: When his doctors and owners tortured him for 8 months before finally putting him out of his misery which, I assure you, he was in.
It would be nice if his suffering and death would serve as a "symbol" of how cruelly horses (and greyhounds, for that matter) are treated so a few people can make a buck and other people can waste 2 minutes watching them race, but that's just me. :)
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3-05-2007 @ 10:43PM
InL.A. said...
I agree with 1 and 2. But knowing Hollywood, just add Dakota Fanning, Ben Affleck and director Ron Howard and you have a tear jerker. Or, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Vince Vaughn for a comedy. Or, if you want the real story get it to Michael Moore...Next, political candidates will be using Barbaro's story as their platform for animal rights.
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3-06-2007 @ 10:39AM
Jennifer said...
Curt, Actually his "seed" couldn't be pumped, as you say. Thoroughbreds can only be bred the natural way. That's a good part of the reason the owners tried to keep him alive.
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4-18-2007 @ 2:18PM
Laura said...
The problem with the world today is that there are many people like yourselves who can't even have a bit of compassion for an animal. Barbaro did not choose what happened to him, it was forced upon him. He is not in a glue bottle, he was cremated and will be buried. It's not going to be a movie, it's a DOCUMENTRY. If you hate the animal so much, then don't watch it. I hope you don't have pets!!!!!
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5-10-2007 @ 7:07PM
Sue said...
Gee Curt, why don't you limit your comments to things you know about, it obviously IS NOT horses or the horse racing industry......................stay behind your computer keyboard, it's a whole big scary world out there!!!!!!!!!
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