Horse Sense

How do you mend a broken-down horse? Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer shows us with "The Man Whose Job Is Saving Barbaro." Jensen profiles Dean Richardson, a renowned veterinarian who got the call to perform life-saving surgery on Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner who broke three bones during the Preakness Stakes. Jensen mixes high drama with intriguing information about what it takes to save a horse. My favorite part of the story is how Jensen portrays Richardson's humility and humor, as shown by this quote about the early-morning flight he took back to Philadelphia to perform the surgery:
"I got the back-row seat, next to the toilet," Richardson said. "If you want a real news story, [the flight] was on time."