Barbaro’s owners back at Preakness with Divining Rod (The Associated Press)

Roy and Gretchen Jackson are heading back to the Preakness as owners for the first time since Barbaro’s fateful trip to Pimlico nine years ago. Barbaro captured a nation’s attention after winning the Kentucky Derby when he tragically broke down at the start of the second Triple Crown race and bravely fought to recover from the devastating leg injury. Barbaro was euthanized eight months later and people still remind the couple of how much the fallen champion meant to them. ”It’s hard to explain how much interest is there nine years later,” Roy Jackson said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.