Horse Racing Fans Mourn Barbaro

It's not unusual, upon the death of a public figure, to witness a spike in related items on eBay. Recently, memorabilia sales for Gerald Ford, James Brown and Steve Irwin all skyrocketed in the hours and days following their deaths. Surprisingly, the phenomenon has happened again -- but this time, it's for a horse.

Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who suffered an awful injury during the Preakness, was euthanized on Monday after eight months and two dozen surgeries that ultimately couldn't heal him.

Interestingly, many felt a connection with the horse -- or at least it appeared so, based on Barbaro-item sales on eBay. After daily item sales hardly registered for months, nearly 400 Barbaro items sold on Monday alone. In fact, 110 of those sold during the 1 pm ET hour as news broke that he had been put down. Pictures, pins, t-shirts, magazines and even a "Barbaro" license plate were among the items purchased by fans of the colt.


Tags: Riding-Western, Riding-English, saddles, tack, Triple Crown