Bonding in the Midst of Barbaro's Ordeal LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Barbaro's racing life is associated with as much sadness as triumph. But it also produced quite a love story. In 2006, Rob Hyland was at Gulfstream Park as a co-producer for NBC's coverage of the Florida Derby, and Michelle Matz was there as a production assistant. She was also an integral part of Team Barbaro as the daughter of the colt's trainer, Michael Matz. Barbaro ran away with the Florida Derby to stay undefeated. Michelle Matz ran away with Hyland's heart. "We connected immediately and talked throughout the weekend there," Hyland said. I was rude enough to ask for her cellphone number when I left, and I called her about a week later, nervous, and said that I would love to see you again someday. We reconnected a few weeks later, and the rest is history. Not long after, Hyland and Matz attended the Kentucky Derby as "sort of" boyfriend-girlfriend, and Barbaro went on to a 6 1/2-length victory. "To go through that step at the Kentucky Derby - just getting to know her and her family and to experience the win was really unique," Hyland said. That two weeks in between the Derby and the Preakness, for me, was an incredible time. I was getting to know Michael Matz's daughter, but I was also getting to know Michael Matz the trainer, so it was an interesting dynamic. They were all heartbroken when Barbaro broke his leg at the start of the Preakness. Michelle Matz was with her family. Hyland, who was in the control room, was in a tough spot. As he said: "Obviously, what happened with Barbaro there, you kind of go though the feeling of, Oh my gosh I am actually somewhat connected to this horse, but because of my job you've got to remember that you still have to cover the horse race. But I did after that race have dinner with Michelle that night. It was a really sad evening for her and obviously her family. These are happier times for the Matzes. Michael Matz is back at the Derby with a top contender in Union Rags. Hyland, now his son-in-law, is producing his first Derby after working on NBC's horse racing coverage since 2001. Michelle Matz and the couple's first child, Chloe, 4 months old on Saturday, have been a fixture in the Matz barn this week at Churchill Downs. "He's a really impressive man," Hyland said of Michael Matz, a former Olympic equestrian. The guy has been a champion in his Olympic sport, he's been involved with a horrific plane crash, he's gone through this Barbaro incident, and sort of never changes. And a lot has happened between then and now, but he's the same guy he was, just with a different perspective for this Kentucky Derby. Hyland is embracing his new role within the control room and will be ready for the unexpected. After all, he has been there before with Barbaro. "There's so many things in horse racing that are different than every other sport," Hyland said, "because there are so many variables, especially in the Kentucky Derby, where you have 20 horses, 20 jockeys, 20 trainers, multiple owners. You have to be able to react in any direction. And they're horses. You don't know what is going to happen. Hyland was adamant that his ties to Matz do not affect his work. That isn't always a popular stance with Michelle Matz. "I don't talk to him any differently than I talk to Todd Pletcher or Bob Baffert," Hyland said of Michael Matz. To me, this week he is the trainer of the No. 4 horse, Union Rags.