Prado `badly shaken' after visit to Barbaro

Behavior of beloved horse left jockey upset and concerned

Book excerpt

Then, suddenly, like a thunderstorm blowing in, his mood changed again, and he was quite clearly finished with the visit. He left me and turned back to his window. I felt like I was in a business meeting with an executive who was suddenly ready for his next appointment. He had had enough.

Liliana and I left and drove back to New York. I was badly shaken by what I had seen. Barbaro had always been so upbeat and feisty. He had made it easy for you to feel good about him and confident about his recovery.

But this time, he was obviously down - very down. I wondered what was going on in his head. Was he in pain? Was he afraid? Did he want to be training and racing? What was he thinking?

He had offered no clues, which was so unlike him. He was just still and silent. That was hard to watch. He showed no emotion at all. It gave me the chills to think about it. If he had made some noise or rolled around or done anything, at least he would have shown some sign of life. But he was as quiet as the sunrise Liliana and I had seen earlier that day.

I prayed it wasn't the last time I would see him, but I wondered how much he could take before he gave in. Between a shattered leg, laminitis and being stuck inside for weeks, he was going through a lot.

"All we can do now is hope and pray," I told reporters later that day. "We're going to need a miracle."