Barbaro To Live On (Upside Down) In Central Park

We had made a vow that we would go at least a month without mentioning Barbaro. And then we learned that they're making an upside down statue of Barbaro to be placed in Central Park. And we realized that resistance was futile.

Seriously: This is downright weird. (And by "weird," we mean, "awesome.")

The press release states that the statue, being installed courtesy of the Kesting Gallery, will depict Barbaro "in the winner's circle, on his back, with his number 8 saddle cloth draping his belly, and hooves in the air, representing his inability to stand on his feet due to the debilitating laminitis which followed the shattered ankle he suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes." The statue is planned for a location in Central Park where a carriage horse ran into a tree and died after "being spooked by a street musician's drum" last September, according to the release. The carriage horse, named Smoothie, will also be memorialized by an Edwards statue that will be displayed at the Kesting gallery.

You know, there's no better way to represent an inability to stand on one's feet than having a sculpture be of Barbaro with his hooves in the air. Sculpt, dude, sculpt!

Barbaro Statue For Central Park [Bloodhorse]