Barbaro will be buried at the site of his greatest triumph: Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Roy and Gretchen Jackson, owners of the 2006 Derby winner, made the announcement during a special morning news conference at Churchill Downs on Jan. 29, the anniversary of the young Thoroughbred’s death. Barbaro was humanely euthanized on this date in 2007 due to complications from a breakdown he suffered at the 2006 Preakness Stakes.
Barbaro's ashes will be placed outside of an entrance gate at Churchill Downs in a large elevated space enclosed by bricks. The site will also include a memorial bronze statue commissioned by the Jacksons.
Following the news announcement by the Jacksons, Barbaro fans had the opportunity to meet the famous couple during a charity autograph signing in the Churchill Downs Kentucky Derby Museum. The Jacksons encouraged fans to consider making a donation to benefit The Fund for Laminitis Research at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, where Barbaro was cared for after his breakdown and subsequently euthanized.