Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

BlueCollar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:36:23 GMT

If this horse was truly great he would have been able to overcome the diversity. Having only 5 prior lifetime starts probably didn't help. However,  I keep asking myself this one question? Does this horse really belong in the same category as Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Citation, Whirlaway,  etc..  NO,  he doesn't, as loved as Big Brown is,  I am sorry B.B. fans,  but he does not belong in the same category as the above mentioned champions.  He just doesn't.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

DANYLSON — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:06:54 GMT

KENT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE RACE TO D'TARA AFTER THE 1/2 MILE POLE,THAT WOULD HAVE MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE BECAUSE D'TARA PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE LASTED AS LONG AS HE DID. STRATEGY IS HUGE IN THE BELMONT, IT COST HIM THE BELMONT.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Ranagulzion — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:28:50 GMT

Kent D may be a bit of an enigma, very good most times but inexplicably bad on the odd occassion.  I thought that his strategy was wrong from the gitgo.  Big Brown should have been sent to the front from the inside post and then allowed to settle on the backstretch.  His awesome Florida Derby performance had me dreaming of a front-running spectacular display in the Belmont (I thought that the inside post set him up perfectly).  If he got beaten that way his failure would be a less bitter pill to swallow but it seems that the horse got upset by bad riding tactics on a very hot day in a testing race and refused to perform.  Also, I have seen horses look completely beaten on the backstretch and rally up the lane to win under a persevering jockey but this was not to be, given the freshness of the Eight Belles tragedy and Big Brown's quarter crack.  Kent D's error on the side of caution is thus forgiveable. At least Big Brown is well enough to run again and restore some lost prestige.  We look forward to his redemption with Kent D in the saddle.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Kelly E. — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:57:18 GMT

It is indeed a phenomical feat those 11 TC winners have accomplished!  And for the many "almost" TC winners - I have a new-found respect for these animals.  Even to win the Derby with tens of thousands of possible winners/foals out there is amazing!  But to come back in 2 weeks and win the Preakness?  Seems like million-to-one odds to me!  The Belmont (TC) "losers" are to be commended, not ridiculed, as amazing racehorses.  I can't imagine a single one of us who wouldn't give our right arm to be able to be involved with one of those "losers"!

I have a hard time forgiving Kent this time.  I can't help it!  He is notorious for this type of riding and I truly would have loved Prado to have been kept on BB.  That being said, I don't think BB would have won the Belmont regardless.  It wasn't his day.  Kent did NOT help the situation any, but I don't consider him solely responsible.  Great horses sometimes lose.  Look at Secretariat.  He was the greatest of them all and still lost.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Justin — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:33:33 GMT

I agree that Kent was all over the place and could have done a better job early in the race but by the time they reached the far turn the horse was done.  What does it matter if he finishes 7th or last?  Maybe Dutrow should have put some work into the horse to have him fit for the race. He kept saying the hoof was not an issue so why didn't he get a couple decent works into him?  Big Brown was short and that's the trainer's fault.  Dutrow was too busy critisizing Servis & Smarty Jones  to realize that he wasn't properly preparing his own horse.  At least Smarty put up a game fight and finished a strong 2nd to Birdstone.  Congrats to Zito and his crew, they did it again!  Now that's a class act that Dutrow might want to learn from.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

MonicaV — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:40:12 GMT

Excellent post Mr. Hammonds.  Yes, the triple crown is never a forgone conclusion and I have not liked Dutrow since March but I have to say that he finally showed some class in the interview with Desormeaux.  He did not sit there and make excuses for the horse.  I have to say that I wish he'd been like that throught the TC instead of bragging so much.  Hats off to him for that.  The horse ran some pretty impressive races making it look super easy but I really don't think that had he gotten the lead at the beginning that he would have been able to get the distance.

Sure, there was some jostling and being taken up but a true champion can over come that.  Maybe because he's raced so little he didn't have the experience necessary to overcome the things that happened.  Who knows?

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Grandefan — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:14:10 GMT

It was a great race - suspenseful and surprising and most of all safely completed for all. I salute Desormeaux. He placed the well-being of his horse as the top priority - not monies, titles, publicity, or fear of reprisal. In a race there is no time to analyze - it is pure instinct - the right instinct that prevailed.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

joe — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:32:54 GMT

I can't argue with the comparisons of Big Brown's final work with those of the triple crown winners. But from my grandstand seat, watching Brown on the bigscreen toss his head-on the rail-into the fist turn-I thought "HERE is his test, like Seattle Slew's sideways out, behind the field Derby break; like Secretariat getting roughed up in his first immature start as a two year old.  Maybe training wise and race history wise, Brown was just too soft mentally for his first real challenge.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Dolores Marotta — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:28:52 GMT

Big Brown just had a bad day--even Roger Clemens and Brett Favre have had them. Kent Desormeaux is a great rider and I'm glad Dutrow is keeping him on the horse--if BB had a heart attack while being whipped to the finish line (even young horses have them) then Peta would be blaming the industry for pushing horses to the limit in sweltering heat. I hope Big Brown makes it to the Breeders Cup and wins the Classic with Kent aboard.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Mary — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:27:53 GMT

The Triple Crown "phenomenon" should be paid "quite a compliment". The Belmont Stakes has always been my favorite of the 3 Triple Crown races. If it isn't an Alydar-Affirmed/Rags to Riches-Curlin nail-biting finish, it is Easy Goer drawing off with authority down a stretch that seems like it will never end. I too will be back (as an observer) next spring.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:56:29 GMT

Horses who stay in the barn and don't work don't win races.  If this were a horse getting ready for the Derby most trainers would have scratched on the lack of work.  As for the race, for pace handicappers once you eliminate BB from the race the lone E sticks out.

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Eileen — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:57:06 GMT

Sorry - I dont' think Kent piloted Big Brown properly through out the race.  Granted he had to pull him up at the start when he ran up behind Da'Tara at the beginning but then he had him all over the track - bumping and swinging - when he should have just let him rate and settle down.  Then to pull him up at the end was totally embarrassing.  How awful for Big Brown and his trainer and owners!  I hope they DO run Brown in the next two planned races so the horse can go out proving himself!

re: Telling Time - by Evan Hammonds

Ofelia — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:21:51 GMT

With all due respect for Desormeaux, I think Brownie should have finished the race. He would have beat several horses and he doesn't know what he would have done in the final stretch. He assumed too much on a horse he has only ridden infrequently. I hope the New York racing stewards fine him. Brown could have or would have kicked in at some point to finish on the board or not far behind-but we will never know.

I hope he races again with Edgar Prado aboard.