KENNETT SQUARE, PA--Just days after coming up lame in the Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby-winning horse Barbaro is facing questions about his toughness and desire. The heavily-favored colt injured his ankle early in the race and left the track, rather than numb the pain with a Cortisone shot like a real athlete would have done.

Afterward, some pro athletes questioned whether Barbaro had the heart to be a Triple Crown winner.

“You’re a favorite to win the Triple Crown and you sit out the Preakness with an ankle injury?” asked Titans quarterback Steve McNair, who has played through various injuries during his NFL career. “It’s times like that when you have to dig deep and forget about the pain. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hurt myself and just had the trainer give me a Cortisone shot. Yea, you’re going to do more damage to your body, but you can’t think about that. You’ve got too many people counting on you. I guess I’m just cut from a different cloth than some of these horses.”

McNair acknowledged the severity of Barbaro’s injury but chastised the horse for using that as an excuse.

“I’m sure it was painful. I feel for that horse, I really do,” he said. “But injuries are a part of sports. You can’t use that as an excuse. Imagine if he got that Cortisone shot and then galloped to victory? He would’ve been a hero. Instead it ’s just another sad story and another year without a Triple Crown winner. It’s been 38 years since the last one, you know. Carl Yastrzemski. Now there’s a guy who could play through pain.”

Barbaro’s embarrassing showing Saturday came as a surprise to those who knew him as a tough, sturdy competitor. Trainer Michael Martz said he was “saddened” by the turn of events, but refused to lash out at Barbaro.

“It’s sad and more than a little embarrassing the way he went down with such a whimper,” said Martz. “Still, he’s a great horse, a great competitor, and I’m honored to have trained him. That ankle injury was actually really serious. A Cortisone shot probably wouldn’t have done anything. I know, I know, just trying to take the Cortisone shot would have proven what a warrior he is. What can you do? Not everyone can be Seabiscuit.”

Veterinarians worked tirelessly yesterday to repair Barbaro’s ankle and salvage the horse as a breeding animal. The extent of the injury will prevent him from ever racing again, meaning he will never get a chance to redeem himself for bailing out on his fans.

Not everyone is criticizing Barbaro, however. A few athletes have come to his defense, insisting that he had no obligation to continue racing after getting hurt.

“Hey I think he did the right thing,” said Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield. “Why should he put himself on the line for a bunch of people that are just trying to make money off him? If he kept going he would've injured himself even worse and not been able to spend his golden years having sex every day, which, incidentally, is the same reason I’m protecting myself this season.”

Javier Castellano, the jockey who rode Bernadini, the winning horse, bristled at the amount of attention Barbaro received despite losing the race. According to Castellano, his horse also had some injuries, but also had the heart and desire to ignore the pain.

“I think a lot of folks are forgetting that there was a winner to this race and that winner was Bernadini,” he said. “And don’t think he was totally healthy, either. He had a sore front leg. Did he complain? No. Did he whine? No. Did he pull himself out of the race? Hell no, not on my watch. So let’s not get carried away with all the praise for Barbado and the weeping and the praying and everything else. If anyone should be unhappy it should be me. I lost $10,000 on that damn horse.”

  Copyright 2006, The Brushback - Do not reprint without permission. This article is satire and is not intended as actual news.

Copyright 2005, The Brushback - Do not reprint without permission. This article is satire and is not intended as actual news.