He never spoke.

But he didn't have to say a word to win over the hearts of a nation.

When the breaking news rolled across the bottom of my television on Monday, I didn't really feel any emotion.

Barbaro, last year's Kentucky Derby winner, had been euthanized.

But as the day passed, and I thought about it more, I could understand why so many were drawn to the horse. What's surprising to me is it took him just two races to do it.

I'll admit I don't know the first thing about raising a horse, racing a horse or betting on a horse, but I do know that Americans love a winner.

And that's what Barbaro was.

No horse even came close to beating the undefeated 3-year-old at Churchill Downs. Even though he had completed just one leg, many close to the sport believed Barbaro would be the one to turn a Triple Crown into more than the whisper it's been ever since Affirmed captured it in 1978.

It seemed like it was just a matter of time before Barbaro claimed the crown, but then the worst happened. He suffered a career-ending injury at the Preakness Stakes and shattered three bones in his hind leg.

I didn't feel any sadness or regret at the time, but after watching replays of Barbaro limp along the track, I can't help but wince.

And that's all it took for Barbaro to become a legend - one race and one fall.

Because when Barbaro was rushed to the veterinary hospital and put under the knife, everyone rallied behind the fallen hero.

The doctor warned everyone that the chances of a successful recovery for Barbaro would be a "coin flip." If the leg became infected, it would most likely signal the end for the retired racer. Still, that didn't stop hundreds of kids and fans from drawing pictures or sending "Get Well Soon" cards, which were posted on the stable housing the star.

But why did one horse draw so much love from a nation filled with a me-first attitude?

He hadn't won a Triple Crown or even two of the three events.

Many horse owners wouldn't have even gone through the trouble and cost to save a horse that couldn't race anymore.

But for some reason, Barbaro was an exception.

If there is anything this nation loves more than a hero, it's a hero with an untimely fall from glory.

Just look at the long list of athletes who have been immortalized largely because of their tragic circumstances: Lou Gehrig, Reggie Lewis, Payne Stewart, Len Bias, Drazen Petrovic and countless others.

Gehrig was forced to retire from the New York Yankees when he was diagnosed with ALS, which later became known as Lou Gehrig Disease.

Lewis collapsed unexpectedly from a heart attack during an offseason practice, stunning the country.

Stewart and Petrovic both died tragically in crashes, devastating two nations. (Stewart in a plane and Petrovic in a car crash)

Bias didn't even get a chance to be a professional after a drug overdose took his life.

And now, a number of Americans will add Barbaro to the list.

He came and left the national racing scene in one short half-year, but it was his struggle afterward that cemented his legacy.

He may have been just a horse in a stall to many, including myself, but to a large part of the nation, his plight was truly a memorable event. He was at the top of his sport; horseracing experts had already written him in as the winner of the Preakness.

For all the running he did in his short life, it was the 300 yards of limping that will forever remained etched in fans' minds.

The "Get Well Soon" cards and pictures of Barbaro drawn with crayon will fade away, but the horse that created the stir probably never will.

And all he did was race around a track.

- Wright can be reached at kpwr@umich.edu.