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Frank Federovitch, of Drexel Hill, was one of a few men at the Turf Club on 69th Street who were sipping beers, placing wagers on a race or two and talking about the Chester County horse that defied the odds after shattering his leg in the Preakness eight months ago.
"I'm sorry to see any animal killed," Federovitch said. "I like animals better than people."
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"I think he deserved to live out the rest of his life on a stud farm," said one Turf Club employee who said she couldn't have her name in the paper.
Almost everyone seemed to think Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, and the surgeon who tried to heal his wounds, Dr. Dean Richardson, did everything that could be done. But George Tucker of Upper Darby said the horse could have been saved if someone had been watching last year's race a little closer.
"They shoulda never let him out of the gate," Tucker said. "He was already hurt."
Tucker said Barbaro broke out of the gate before the race started, and believes that the horse's leg was injured then. The stress of the race made things worse, causing the bones to splinter before the race was over.
But not everyone was broken up about the horse's demise.
Federovitch said some perspective was in order.
"With everything going on in the world, in Iraq, 250 people killed yesterday ... I think we need to keep things in perspective," he said.
News that Barbaro was euthanized also came as a shock to Chester County residents, including race horse enthusiasts.
MaryKate Murphy, a West Bradford resident who spent Monday afternoon eating lunch at Ryan's Pub on Gay Street in West Chester, said she heard the news watching ESPN and couldn't believe it.
"I thought he would make it through everything," said Murphy, a Delaware County Community College student. "I think it was best for him. They tried everything."
The news of the horse's death won't be easy for residents to get over, according to Murphy.
"He was a sports hero," she said. "Everyone was heartbroken when he broke his ankle."
Kevin Whipkey, a West Chester University student, reminisced about the horse while drinking a beer at Kildare's Irish Pub on Gay Street in West Chester.
"He was a hometown favorite, and I always rooted for him," he said.
Whipkey said he hoped the horse would recover and return to the race track.
"The last thing I knew is that he would be racing again," he said. "The bartender told me (about Barbaro's death), and I couldn't believe it."
He added that even people who normally don't follow horse racing knew Barbaro.
"Normally, you don't hear a lot about horses," he said. "I'm not into horse racing, but I heard about him everywhere."
Holly Anderson, a store manager at Rick's Heritage Saddlery in West Whiteland, said she could not say if Barbaro should have been put down earlier.
"We don't know all of the details, and we're not vets. We just know he'll be missed," she said.
Barbaro was always a topic of conversation among customers, according to Anderson. "As far as our customers and employees, everyone was concerned with his welfare," she said. "I think it was a surprise and seemed so quick. It seemed like he was doing well."
Nina Marie Bradley, a sales associate at the store, said she was stunned when she saw the footage of Barbaro in May at the Preakness Stakes.
"That was some of the most horrific footage I've ever seen," she said. "His leg was like jello."
Katie Reilly, another sales associate at the store, said the employees had to break the news for some of their customers.
"We had a couple customers who didn't know, and their reaction was very sad," she said. "When a horse has that kind of an impact, it's amazing. It was an underdog story, and you wanted him to pull through."
Brian Fanelli contributed to this article.
