This year’s running of the Belmont Stakes did not seem to have the same sizzle. Like every racing fan, I am still reeling from Barbaro’s injury, and amazed by the surgery and remarkable progress he has made since then.

As with all accidents, racing’s do happen. But we all need to make sure that, while they may never be totally eliminated, we are working hard to rid racing of as many as possible and deal successfully with those that cannot be avoided.

As chairman of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, I am proud of the contributions it has made to the health and soundness of the horse. During the past decade, Grayson has contributed $8.8 million to research. Included in our recent list are 59 projects addressing musculoskeletal matters directly related to avoiding or healing injuries to equine athletes.

From a project that verified the use of Xylazine to settle a horse that has been injured in the heat of battle, as Barbaro was, to numerous problems in bones and hooves–particularly addressing laminitis–Grayson has tried to focus on specific problems that arise with the individual horse