Barbaro Gets The Soft Focus Treatment

America, get your hankies ready.

NBC Sports presents "Barbaro: A Nation's Horse," a special one-hour documentary look at the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, who touched the hearts of horse racing fans and animal lovers around the world last year with his fight for life before finally succumbing to injuries suffered at the Preakness Stakes. "Barbaro: A Nation's Horse" looks back at the thoroughbred's impressive six and a half length win at the Derby, his dramatic injury and his amazing will to live that captured the imagination of the public. The film also examines Barbaro's legacy and impact on the future of horse racing. "Barbaro: A Nation's Horse" premieres at 5 p.m. ET Sunday, April 29 on NBC, on what would have been Barbaro's fourth birthday. "It's extremely rare that an athlete stirs the depth of emotion among people that Barbaro did," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and executive producer, "Barbaro: A Nation's Horse." "We were lucky enough to have a front row seat to witness the rise of this remarkable horse to win the most prestigious event in thoroughbred racing, the Kentucky Derby. Sadly, we were also there for his devastating fall at the Preakness Stakes; and we were there to document why his subsequent struggle to live touched so many people."

We find it incredibly touching that the documentary is scheduled for Barbaro's fourth birthday; surely, he would have appreciated that, had he possessed sentient thought. We smell Sports Emmy!

Barbaro Documentary Airs April 29 On NBC [The Horse] (Oh, by the way, T.J. Simers points out today that you can interview Barbaro's saddle. Sign us up!)