Barbaro lives on in hearts of enthusiasts

The first thing you have to understand is that Carol McKenzie won’t be driving six hours just to see a horse.

The second thing is that Nicanor is not “just a horse.“

Barbaro’s brother is making his stakes-race debut tomorrow at the Virginia Derby, and it’s set an online community abuzz.

Several dozen members of a group known as FOB—Fans of Barbaro—will head in from across the country to meet and watch Nicanor’s big race. McKenzie is from Chester, S.C., and will travel with a van of five other FOBs, none of whom she’s met.

The gathering is being organized by Linda Walker of Glen Allen, a horse enthusiast who has traveled around the country to Barbaro-themed events.

“It’s the most exciting thing to happen in Virginia racing since they built Colonial Downs,“ she said.

And she’s probably not exaggerating.

. . .

When Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby in 2006, he captured the imagination of people who thought he might be the first triple-crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

When he fractured his leg at the Preakness, he seemed relegated to future Trivial Pursuit cards. But for an online group of fans, it became a “Where were you when . . . “ moment.

The community bonded during Barbaro’s subsequent medical treatment. But instead of dissolving after the horse was euthanized in 2007, FOB grew stronger, beginning to take on issues of horse welfare and slaughter prevention.

“A lot of people came to the story after he was injured, and took away a lot of inspiration and hope,“ Walker said. “Out of that grew the interest in those issues.“

Their online message board now boasts about 5,000 members who have raised more than $1 million for various causes.

“I’ve never seen a group that can come together and get as much done as the Fans of Barbaro,“ McKenzie said. “Most groups talk about it, but this group of people who don’t know each other and have one thing in common has been successful.“

That one thing is what continues to unite them as they eagerly track the success of Barbaro’s siblings. They share stories and updates online and write encouraging notes to the horses. And yes, they know how they’re viewed by people who don’t get the Barbaro phenomenon.

“We know people think we’re a little crazy,“ Walker said. “But that’s OK.“

. . .

Unlike, say, a star football player, Nicanor gets to live removed from all the hype and attention, though his trainer, Michael Matz, is aware of the buzz.

“Barbaro has done so much for racing, and it hasn’t stopped yet,“ he said. “He was a once-in-a-lifetime horse, and I hope the brothers enrich his legacy.“

The oldest of those is Nicanor, though two other younger horses will also carry on the name, Lentenor and another unnamed horse—dubbed “Babynor” by the FOB.

This will be Nicanor’s first time against the top competition of stakes racing, so all eyes are on him to see how it will go. Nobody’s entirely sure what he’s capable of, but that hasn’t stopped the handicappers from riding the wave of sentimentality and installing him as the morning-line favorite.

He’s certainly inherited Barbaro’s popularity. After his first win, at Delaware Park, he enjoyed a standing ovation. But with that comes the pressure to perform.

“It’s nice that the people are attached to him because of Barbaro,“ Matz said. “But I doubt he knows about that. Though maybe he does.“

. . .

The crew of Nicanor supporters, traveling in from as far as Connecticut to the north and Alabama to the south, is trying to keep expectations in check.

“If he won, though, it would be spectacular,“ McKenzie said.

The only other time she’s attended a horse race was at the Fresno County Fair.

So when the fans unite tomorrow at Colonial Downs—look for the group wearing blue and green—it will be about more than just a horse race. It will be a community that has developed around Barbaro and the cause they’ve adopted as their own.

And they’re hopeful that maybe, just maybe, it will turn into a story of a new horse who can capture their imagination the way Barbaro once did.

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546 or .