Barbaro's injury Prado's second tragedy this year

Jockey Edgar Prado has had some tough days in 23 years of race riding, but May 20, he admits, was the toughest.
That was the day his mount in the Preakness Stakes (G1), Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Barbaro, sustained a life-threatening injury less than a furlong into the race. The Dynaformer colt has since undergone surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center to repair his badly damaged right hind leg.
Prado said the positive post-surgery updates on Barbaro's chances of survival have helped him cope and uplifted him a bit.
"Saturday was a nightmare," Prado said on Wednesday after winning the first race at Belmont Park. "I'm trying to bounce back and concentrate on my riding."
Prado won his three of his seven mounts on Wednesday's card.
"I was heartbroken Monday and Tuesday," he said. "I guess the busier I stay, the better it will be for me."
In 23 years of race riding, Prado previously has ridden horses that have broken down in races but none as special as Barbaro, he said.
"He's an intelligent horse," Prado said. "He knew he was hurt and he knew what he wanted—he wanted to survive. I think he'll make it through. He's a very special horse. …All we can do now is pray for him to have a speedy recovery and for him to enjoy the rest of his life."
Prado's quick reaction to Barbaro's injury and his effort to pull him up immediately is credited with saving him from doing further damage to his leg.
"I think anybody could have done the same job," Prado said. "I reacted pretty quickly and I tried to hold him together. The horse did his job by not fighting with me.
"I stopped thinking about he race and the Triple Crown right away," he said. "The only think I could think of was him. I wanted to pull him up and comfort him as soon as I could. Each second felt like an hour."
Barbaro's injury is the second tragedy Prado has been burdened with this year. In January, his mother, Zenaida, died from cancer in Peru only a day after she gained permission to come to the United States for treatment.
"The hardest part of my life was when I lost my mother," Prado said. "Saturday was the toughest day of my career. It was love at first sight with Barbaro. We both got along pretty good and he's a special horse. He could have proven to the whole racing industry that he could have become a great horse.
"It goes to show you that in America, everything is possible," he continued. "The technology here is superior to so many other countries. You have a better chance to survive any kind of injury or illness here than you do anywhere else. I'm glad he's getting what my mother didn't: a chance to survive.
"Of all the tears I have cried, if tears could heal a wound, Barbaro would be healed by now," Prado said. "I've been thinking about him and I've been crying on and off. I can't do any more."Source: tcm.bloodhorse.com