From May 23 NYT

Was Barbaro Hurt Before the Start?

Edgar Prado has heard the conspiracy theories about how Barbaro was injured before the 131st running of the Preakness Stakes. He has even watched the replay of the post parade, which could have shown that Barbaro took a bad step before the race.

Minutes before the horses were to load into the gate, Barbaro seemed to startle and appeared agitated. Prado looked behind him and to the left, then repeated the motion to the right.

"I do it with all my horses," Prado said. "I check that the girth is on right and then to see if their shoes are on firmly. I felt him move, and I looked back and there were flies on him. It happens a lot, especially when the infield is crowded and there's beer and food all around."

Prado also reiterated that Barbaro barely touched the gate when it popped open and he broke through it before the race. He said Barbaro barely broke out of a casual gait.

"He's a professional, and when he saw nobody else was running he just went back to the gate," Prado said.

"He warmed up nice and loose. Everything was perfect. If there was something wrong with that horse, I'd have been the first to put a finger on it."