Barbaro rests, preps for race

He's relaxing at home at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.
ELKTON, Md. (AP) -- Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was on his way to the track Tuesday morning, with Peter Brette aboard and trainer Michael Matz alongside on his pony, Messaging.
A dozen or so cameras started clicking and a few local fans showed up too, some even cheering -- "Hey Barbaro, yes!"
At the Fair Hill Training Center, buried in the hills of this rural community, this is pretty exciting stuff. A sprawling facility with more than 2,000 acres of riding trails, training tracks and barns, Fair Hill is Barbaro's peaceful home away from the hustle and bustle of the race track.
After winning the Derby by 61/2 lengths, Barbaro and Co. retreated to Fair Hill to prepare for Saturday's $1 million Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Early morning workout
Barbaro galloped 11/2 miles after jogging three-quarters of a mile over the dirt track at Fair Hill, an exercise Matz called "nothing special."
Barbaro, though, appears to be something very special -- a talented 3-year-old who excels on both the turf and the dirt.
Brette, perhaps, knows better than anyone how good Barbaro really is -- the 40-year-old Englishman is Matz's assistant as well as the colt's exercise rider.
Asked what it feels like to ride Barbaro, Brette didn't hesitate:
"Like a Rolls Royce," he said. "He just floats. Just floats along. He does everything you want to do. He can quicken. He can slow down. He's just an ideal horse."
Brette may not be as well-known as Barbaro or Matz or jockey Edgar Prado, but he's been around some good horses. He spent 10 years as a jockey in Dubai, and four years as a trainer before taking a job at The Vinery working with young horses.
Accepted job offer
Last year, though, he met Matz in Florida and the two hit it off well enough for Brette to accept a job offer. At about the same time, Barbaro's owners, Gretchen and Roy Jackson, were sending their budding star to Matz.
Brette has exercised the colt from the start. When he first saw him a year ago, "I thought he was a 3-year-old," he said. "He was a lovely, big horse with great balance. I liked him pretty much straightaway."
Matz was so enamored with Brette, the trainer asked him if he'd be interested in becoming Barbaro's jockey.
Brette declined, and Jose Caraballo was the lucky rider aboard for an 81/2-length victory at Delaware Park on Oct. 4, and an eight-length romp in the Laurel Futurity on Nov. 19. Both races were on the turf.
Picture-perfect balance
What sets Barbaro apart, Brette said, is his picture-perfect balance when he runs.
"You pick up on right away how they hit the ground perfect," Brette said. "Barbaro is always balanced for whatever you ask him to do, and can do it so effortlessly. Things come naturally and easy. That's a great commodity."
Matz credits Brette for much of Barbaro's success.
"He's a great asset," Matz said. "He'd be a big help whoever he was with. We're lucky enough to have him. He's proven to be a great horseman."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.