I think you're right about Big Brown retiring. His owner was stupid saying he was going to retire the colt at the end of his three year old campaign! I never understood the point in retiring a perfectly healthy, fit athlete. ESPECIALLY one that overcame [knock on wood] bad hooves. I applaud Curlin's owners for racing him into his four year old season!

At least one will finish out the year, right?

Sure agree with you that it would be wonderful to see Big Brown race beyond the Belmont. A match up with Curlin in the Breeders' Cup could become legend... Let's just hope that IEAH sees beyond the $$$ and gives something back to Horse Racing and the fans. But what do I know...I'm just one of the latter and my future is not at stake here. Let's not be too hard on them (IEAH). Would we do it if we were lucky enough to be in their place???

I DISAGREE. IF BIG BROWN WERE TO WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN, WHAT BETTER WAY TO GO OUT, UNDEFEATED, A TRIPLE CROWN, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TO GO OUT SOUND. HOW BAD WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR TRIPLE CROWN CHAMP BREAKS DOWN IN TRAVERS OR BREEDERS CUP? I WANT TO SEE A HAPPY ENDING. WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN, RETIRE, THEN I CAN GO VISIT HIM AT THREE CHIMNEYS NEXT YEAR.

I think it all comes down as you said, the love for the sport, or the love for money, up to today the money has clearly won, this will not be solve with money or laws, it is a matter of people putting the sport in front of personal interest, very very difficult in the real world, unfortunately.

A Big Brown fan and one who really wants him to take home the big enchilada (Belmont Stakes), nothing would be more exciting than to see him continue on.  Now, I personally believe that an older, seasoned horse (i.e., Curlin) will prevail over the younger lad - BUT, IF Big Brown should prevail at Santa Anita (providing he races, which I agree - will not happen) - then, he truly would be a "freak" and worthy of super star status.  How many times have we seen a super star 3 year old, defeated by muscular power houses (i.e., matured seasoned colts).

If wishes were horses ...

with a horse like big brown,the sky is the limit.  why not run out the rest of this year and attempt the Dubai World Cup next year?  Because who wouldn't want to go to Dubai given the chance?  big brown is a once-in-a-lifetime horse and the owners may never again experience the high that big brown has given them.  as owners they should remember why they bought that horse ...to win races and to experience the thrill of having such a talented horse.  the breeding shed will always be there....  

I too agree that Big Brown should continue to race, even if he does not win the Triple Crown.  It would be a shame not to keep Brown racing because BOOM, you have a superstar and then BOOM again, and he's gone.  If he is retired at the end of June, then we will always wonder if Big Brown was the freak he seems to be now.

A few more races for Big Brown would be great, and there would be excitement in the air leading up to the BC. But either way, it's too bad we'll only see him on the track for a short period.

Citation was before my time, but we'll never see something comparable again. He wins the Triple Crown, then captures numerous important races later in his 3-year-old year. Injuries keep him off the track the following year, but he returns to race as a 5 and 6-year-old. Citation finally retires after becoming the first horse to surpass one million dollars in earnings.

We have a better chance of growing a third ear than that happening again.

I agree with "Let Them Run" comments above. I know money talks, but so does the interest of the racing fans. loved racing when I was a young woman in her twenties and 30's and have returned to the sport when I retired.

This last year I have followed the "girls' instead of the "boys" as they do not demand a hugh Stallion Fee and race longer and in my opionion just as exciting.

It truely will be exciting if Big Brown runs in any of the big races this fall, however I do not think it will happen.

Of course it's not going to happen.  This is not an industry of sport any longer.  This has become an industry of wealth creation.  And that is why Big Brown will never face Curlin.  And that is why the racing industry fails to connect with the Average Joe.  It is the ultimate elitist sport of exclusion.  

Don't get me wrong, I love racing.  Well, I love/hate racing to be more precise.  I love the horses.  I love the underpriced yearling-turned-Derby-winners and the jockey/trainer-makes-good and the older horse-repeat-winner-of-Grade I Stakes stories.  There is nothing -- and I mean NOTHING -- quite like the sound of the break from a starting gate.  

But the breakdowns and the expeditious careers just make it so difficult for me to connect sometimes.  And this is coming from a fan.  No wonder racing is not recruiting new fans.

We need a story to follow.  We need a reason to obsess over the Travers and the Breeders Cup.  Big Brown can fulfill that need by proving the doubters through future performances.

I hope I'm wrong, but it's probably not going to happen.

It's not rocket science! Big Brown's owners' are all about the money and little regard for the fan. That's why BB will be retired. The owner isn't even an astute business man. BB is worth more than the reported 50 mill for breeding rights,especially if he wins the triple crown.

Sadly, the owners are only interested in their monetary investment. They are novices in the world of racing, and so do not appreciate the history and lore of the sport, and do not understand that fans want to continue to see their special horse and be able to compare him to the greats of the past. They said it themselves--their horses are part of a portfolio--they could be just as well racing pigs or frogs or greyhounds. They got lucky with one horse. They are typical of one-hit wonder owners. They don't know horses, only dollar signs.

Please let the horse says when it's time to stop.  Horses don't know how much they were purchased for and they don't know how rich their owners are - but they do know how much care and attention they get. Big Brown deserves more than the owners cashing out.

You're pleading an owner who's only in the game for money to keep a 50 million dollar horse in training?

I think they are saying all the right things, but then the horse will come down with a mystery ailment and be retired. They'll look like good sportsmen for saying he'll race after the Belmont, but anyone who was born before last night knows his next race is his last.

Horses retiring early and then siring hundreds of foals that then retire early is a never ending circle of money, unsoundness bred back into the breed, and shows a total lack of understanding of how the breed is improved.  The Jockey Club needs to address this problem because we'll continue to have horses that cannot race more than three times a year because they have to "recover". I would like to see the race horse that barnstorms the country and takes on all comers.  THAT would be a true representative of the breed.  Owners and trainers are leery of having their precious winner ever get defeated so they race their horses less and less.  I've had horses for over 30 years and they thrive on work and languish when they stand in a stall.

Horseracing is the same as any other professional sport, as long as the fans keep watching and supporting the sport the way it stands it won't change! If we the fans keep our money in our pockets and don't watch or bet, I think it would still be possible to change the way the sport is ran.

However I think in the next few years the Saudi oil prince's will own all the great horses and America will have a bunch of second tier horses. How is America supposed to compete when they throw money around like crazy! I read the other day one of the Prince's spent 260 million for a dozen camels! I hope I am wrong but I think we are losing horse racing as we know it!!!

I agree with all the comments about how important it is for the sport for the horses to race past their 3 year old year. The owners really need to start thinking about the fans--after all if it wasn't for us there would not be any racing. We all sit here and write our thoughts here but is doesn't do any good.  Why not contact IEAH and tell them how we all feel..? Just google the name and their site comes up-then send an e-mail - I did!

I got this bad feeling a few weeks ago that Curlin will not race again. Might have been when Steve mentioned the Stephen Foster.

You know he wants no part of that synthetic track at Santa Anita.

We'll see.

Let's be realistic, the days of the Vanderbilts and the Belmonts are gone. There are very few owners who can consider placing the good of the sport and the fans before their own financial well being. Big Brown is owned by a business venture, not a horse loving sportsman. Iavarone is responsible to his many investors first, if he blows this golden opportunity, his chance at another triple crown winner, even Derby winner are virtually nil. He learned his craft on Wall Street, he knows he can't build a hedge fund by telling 100 investors that he risked or even lost a $50M investment, that was under-secured no less, because the racing public wanted to see him run. This horse may be the only chance IEAH ever has to hit a real home run. I am as sorry as anyone to see the horse retire, but these are the facts of the age in which we live.

Assuming that he wins the Triple Crown (a very very safe assumption) the racing world would be excited as never before with a Big Brown vs Curlin race on any surface anywhere but preferably on the dirt later this year.  A rematch in Dubai next year would become the race of the century.  However if wishes were horses every genuine thoroughbred lover would be riding.  The odds of these dreams becoming reality are longer than Arcangues odds in the 1994 Breeders Cup but the pay off for the sport would be more than worth it and would certainly place all the connections of both horses in the annals of Racing history.  

Amen. I could not have expressed it better myself, almost makes me not even want to watch the Belmont if thats going to be the end...lets us hope he continues on, we need him.

In spite of my "brutal reality" attitude, I do agree with RacingFan that the best thing to do is go straight to IEAH and politely tell them how much we appreciate their horse and hope he will compete as long as possible. I will even go so far as to encourage them to meet Curlin at sometime before Big Brown retires. Who knows, if they hear from enough people they might be swayed to consider another race. Maybe a big turf race...

Sadly, from what I understand the insurance issues are written in stone, so even a public uprising won't buy us much leeway.

Just something I found on the IEAH website:

"Our goal is to acquire horses that can be successful on the racetrack and can provide continual residual value. Our partnerships are set up with an eye toward the horses post-racing careers, therefore we look for horses that can be desirable stallion and/or broodmare prospects."

As much as I (along with probably every single racing fan out there) would love to see BB stay in training, after reading that it makes me doubt it even more. When they said Rags to Riches would come back her four year old season my attitude was "i will believe it when I see it." Yes she was in training but it just so happened that she re-injured herself just in time to make it to the breeding shed this year...how convenient.

I agree with you about this being horseracing's biggest issue.  I've been watching racing since I was 12, and I absolutely love it, but even I am getting frustrated with having to find a new horse to follow every year because the previous year's players retired.  For all of you haters out there, I am not saying that we should run the horses into the ground.  If there is a legitimate risk to their health, by all means don't race them.  However, if they are healthy and still competitive, give the fans a chance to keep rooting for them.  My first Derby was in 1990, and I have trouble thinking of any 3-year-old star who came back to race his 4- and 5-year-old seasons.  (That's not to say there aren't any; it's just not common enough for names to just spring into my mind.)

For those who don't think the industry is hurting already from lack of fan interest, please come to my closest racetrack.  I live in Missouri.  The closest racetrack is Fairmount Park, an hour drive for me.  This year, FP once again cut back their number of live racing dates.  If things don't change, pretty soon they will shut down, then it's no more live racing for me.  I'm just an average fan.  I can't afford to make constant 3+ hour trips to watch horseracing.  For the sake of the small tracks, I think it is the responsibility of the big-time players, who have the opportunity to draw interest to horseracing with their superstars, to do just that.  This isn't about competition with Dubai; this is about your own backyard.  If horseracing has taught us anything, having the "best breeding" doesn't always mean having the best horse anyway.

LMKas, thank you for posting what you found on the IEAH website. I think we all have our answer.

I'm going to toss this thought out there: What if BB does NOT win the Triple Crown? Would the owners retire him after the Belmont? Or continue to race him to try and prove his worth? I am choosing to be naive and belive Dutrow when he says BB will race toward the Breeder's Cup. I am very intrigued to see just what kind of horse BB really is, and I feel that the only way to prove that is to put him against the best in the Classic. Up to this point, we know he is the best of the 3 yr olds. His move in the Preakness was explosive! But if he wins the Classic, then we know he really is a freak.

Jason, I do know the final deal is not the $50M that is published, I also get why the media keeps tossing that figure, smart move on Iavarone's part to bring the media in on his board. However, those remaining unsecured millions in the double digits are more than the insurance company and the shareholders can bear to gamble. I do wish they could be coerced to meet Curlin somewhere for a big race. How about using your blog to start a plea, maybe in the name of a "popularity contest" for Big Brown, showing IEAH how popular he is and how much good will they could garner for their "brand" if they showed up? Just trying to come up with a good spin...?  

The only one I disagree with above is ralph. It would not really be a great exit from racing because it will leave this fan as well as others wondering whether he was as good as past greats. He has so far faced a weaker crop, not faced older horses. If asked would would you call him Horse of the year if Curlin continues to win his races this year after being Breeders Cup Champ and then going to Dubai this year and destroying the best horses in the world. I would say no. Unfortunatley IEAH Stables is a investment company and they are just doing what they do, make money for their investors. Its sad that the sport of horse racing and the fans have to pay the price. We can only hope that they will here us but it is unlikely I have worked in a company that was held by an investment company and they no more cared about their employee's than about a piece of garbage along the side of the road. They don't really care about the sport or really even the horse for that matter. The only way they care is if he was to get hurt and they couldn't get their money but I'm sure he is still insured for a lot of money. He is a great horse yes but I don't think we can truly rank him with the pantheons of the sport. Lets all hope we all get a chance to see if he belongs with those pantheons and not just a very good horse.

I'd love to see a rule that no horses would be Triple Crown eligible or Breeders' Cup eligible unless their sire was five years old or older.  This would significantly reduce the stud fees for three- and four-year-old sires, which would encourage owners to race champion horses longer.  Unfortunately, since the Breeders' Cup is run by breeders, the greed of individual breeders will always trump what's in the best interest of the sport.

Does anyone remember reading "The Black Stallion" by Walter Farley? Remember the great match race planned between the two national rivals--Cyclone and Sun Raider?  Then, out of "nowhere", the "Mystery Horse" (The Black) appears, is allowed to enter the race, and wins!  Those are the sort of things great fictitious, horse-loving novels are made of.  Match races sound exciting, but, I don't believe they're in the best interest of the horses themselves.  I believe greed takes the upper hand. Curlin and Big Brown are both stars in their own right. Smarty Jones never raced after the Belmont, so it's unfair to call him great in the true racing (not breeding) sense of the word.  If a horse is sound and performing brilliantly, I believe it should be raced into at least its 4th or 5th year (possibly beyond, depending on circumstances) simply for promoting the sport. It can always be retired to stud or broodmare duty later--after all, what's a year or two later?

I'd like to see, in addition to a "Triple Crown" series of 3 measley races for 3 yr olds - a true Championship series...say a series of G1 races that a horse must win as a 3 AND 4 yr old.  They would be more spaced out through the season(s) than the current "Triple Crown" (think KY Derby, Travers, BC Classic for the 3 yr olds, and ? for the 4 yr olds) - but would aim to reward a horse that is a sound and consistent winner through TWO seasons.  (and I'd love to see more 5+ yr olds running; but this would be a start to rewarding breeders for producing more robust horses with true staying power; as well as giving owners a financial reason not to run off to the breeding shed)  Any big corporate sponsors out there willing to pony up a jackpot for a true Championship series?

FYI.  Smarty Jones had to be retired. Not only for monetary reasons, but also due to a degenerative condition pertaining to one of his limbs.  Not to mention, he was lame in this particular limb the morning of the Belmont.  If believe the degenerative statement to be false, then tour Three Chimneys and they will also tell you about it and how it does not allow him to be galloped to this day.

We all know what we would LOVE to see; we all know we won't get what we want. But part of me still harkens back to Seabiscuit, Pollard, Woolfe, Smith, Howard and the love this country had for a little brown horse who "didn't belong". Certainly, Big Brown belongs, even if he doesn't do the deed (I can't SAY it yet; I'm big on jinxes and hexes and I WILL NOT HEX this horse!), but the point I'm taking so long to make is that the idea of retiring Seabiscuit in 1938 was ludicrous to the trainer, the owners and the public. He was an entire horse so he could have gone to the sheds and managed quite nicely, thank you very much! Instead, this whole country, including the Pres, followed his exploits and travels back and forth across the country and were riveted by his strength and ability. Thousands turned out to see him at every whistle stop and race track for a reason.....they LOVED the horse, were inspired by him, were in awe of him, and loved to watch him run. Since the days of resting your horse when he needs a break, or is a bit ouchy, are long gone we won't see that again, and that's sad. Who would have dreamed that the Biscuit would return and win the Big 'Cap? Probably not one person alive at the time. But he DID go home, rest and recuperate, and VOILA!! MAGIC HAPPENED! Either the end of the TC quest or the first sign of a quarter crack sends BB to the breeding sheds, and he's lost to us. We have no more owners like the Howards, the Wrights, the list goes on...... My badly made point is that because the IEAH folks got into racing to make money, and make money alone, the dollars will be their guiding light. That's the focus and the aim of most of BB's many owners. I am NOT saying that it's wrong; I'm just saying it's not that good for the horse or for racing.

Since I don't think IEAH has short of funds, even leaving out the BB deal, why NOT rest him a bit, see how he recovers from the TC chase, let him roll and eat grass for a bit before making the decision to retire him at age 3? BB is such a stunning athlete that it would be a shame to say" OK, he's the best there is, he's the fittest there is, the strongest there is, and has the most amazing turn of foot seen in 35 years, so let's retire him and send him to the breeding shed". While I doubt BB would resist THAT option, is it the most reasonable thing for an athlete in the prime of life and physical condition? The baseball, golf and football analogies are quite fitting.

I really DO NOT want my equine heroes to be shooting stars; I want them to be warm suns to follow through their days and draw pleasure from their presence.

Oh, NUTS! I've gotten all soapy and yucky, and I didn't mean to, but let us have him a LITTLE BIT longer than the traditional 15 minutes, PLEASE!!!

Cheers to all, and safe trips for everyone equine and human!

Having Big Brown continue his 4-year-old campaign will be one of the most influential actions that can help the thoroughbred industry.

Please, Mr. Iavarone, think about all the greatness Big Brown can accomplish on the racetrack after the Belmont Stakes-Triple Crown, and the influence he will have on the millions of people that follow and not follow the sport. On all the people this horse can touch. A classy honest hero for a nation and a world in time of need. An ongoing war, and an economic recession. He could be the next Seabiscuit to all of us.

Understanding the IEAH point of view, not defending it, this is a group of investors, expecting to grow financially by increasing their profit to shareholders. Fortunately, great horsemen are associated with this group including Frank Lyons, and more recently Gary Stevens. Both of them characterized by outstanding work ethic, respect for the sport, and utmost love for the horses. I would like to believe that if people like them are associated with The IEAH, those principles of horsemanship are very likely to be respected, and will be more important than early return profits. They know what is good for the sport. Maybe the will be able to influence the early retirement decision of Big Brown. However, this is a once in a lifetime horse, and a once in a lifetime opportunity for Mr. Iavarone et al. of The IEAH group to solidify their status as a believable profitable equine holding, thus, continuing to attract new business and growth. Ultimately is still their decision and what they perceive as being important for thoroughbred racing.

If I could develop Big Brown's campaign, I will continue after the Belmont with the following grade I races: Whitney H, Travers, Jockey Club Gold Cup, BC Classic, Cigar Mile, Malibu, Donn H, Dubai WC, and finally the Met Mile. If he could remain sound through a true champions campaign like this, he has nothing else to proof to anyone ever. He would have won from 7 to 12 furlong races, including a grass race.

One concern that was brought up as a topic of discussion with the ESPN and NBC panel on Preakness day, is the early retirement of 3-year-olds to a stallion career. There is a very high number of them that have been retired due to career-ending injuries and/or excuses, without having the opportunity to demonstrate their capability of staying healthy. There is a very high probability that these new unproven on the racetrack stallions, will be able to pass- on genetically to their offsprings, the same infirmities that end-up their racing careers in the first place.  For instance, Nicanor, Barbaro's full-brother. It will be interesting and necessary to follow him really close to evaluate his durability, biomechanics, and absence of lesions. Could it be that Barbaro's fracture had a genetic component or susceptibility of some sort? Another example, both Jazil and Rags to Riches were retired by injuries at the age of 3, both by the same dam. They can run, but can they last?

How will we know if Big Brown is retired so early in his career, if his quarter crack and foot issues will not be inherited by his descendants. No doubt he will be a great stallion, but he could very well demonstrate his soundness with a longer campaign. Then his value and influence as a sire to the race will have no price.

I would generally agree that great horses, provided they remain sound, could do the sport a lot of good if they stayed in training at least through the age of four. Yet, as I mentioned some time ago on another Bloodhorse blog, each horse is unique and has different circumstances that determine whether he races beyond the age of three or not.

In your opening remarks, you mentioned Citation racing past three and this being part of his popularity. Citation had been popular enough as a three-year-old. He had done everything any horseman or fan could ever dream of, had absolutely nothing left to prove, and at three, was already an immortal. He didn't need to race as an older horse.

I won't say any more about this, because it breaks my heart that Citation raced beyond the age of three.

As long as Big Brown's healthy, I say let him take on all comers--including Curlin.  If he wins the Triple, the Travers could be his downfall in a rematch with Casino Drive or he could pass and still lose the Classic to Curlin.

As far as running as a 4- and 5-year-old, there needs to be more media hype and dollar motivation than the racing now offers.  Years ago my dad said there was a lot of attention to the "Handicap Triple Crown" of the Metropolitan Mile, the Brooklyn, and the Suburban Handicaps.  Only four horses have ever won that one.  I vaguely recall watching Kelso win but after that I don't recall any media attention at all.

anyone have a horse? it's a lot of hard work.  and it's a lot of money...  I've grown to appreciate all the hard work that those teams put into their horse... and believe me, it's stressful... and a lot is riding on their investment.

You are absolutely, positively correct in this post, and this is what I've been thinking about ever since the fiasco right after the Derby. THIS is the biggest problem facing the sport today, hijacking the careers of the greatest stars because of huge stallion deals, completely ignoring the present in favor of the future. I wish I could say there was a solution to it, but I really don't know if there is; from a financial standpoint it makes complete sense that these horses are retired early. As we are all likely very aware by this point, that is the bottom line in this game, and it's becoming more and more prevalent with each passing year. That dream field in the 1998 Breeders Cup Classic, which included the likes of Silver Charm, Skip Away, Victory Gallop and Touch Gold seems like a long way off, doesn't it?

As for Big Brown, I can't say that I'm rooting for him, because I'm with you. If he wins the Belmont I don't think there's any way he keeps racing. It's sad because I think whisking him off to the breeding shed would negate a lot of the good karma that winning a Triple Crown would create, but I'm afraid it's gonna happen. Anyone who thinks that these Wall Street dudes are going to keep running Big Brown for the good of the sport might be a little too naive. I do hope I'm wrong, and this post makes me look like an idiot, however. But I fear that if Big Brown walks in the Belmont on June 7 that he's going to ride off into the sunset, untouchable but untapped. That sends the wrong message and sets an extremely dangerous precedent, to the point that I'd rather it not happen. It should make us all the more appreciative of the precious few who do stick around, like Curlin; I'm glad that one of his owners, Mr. Jackson, called out his peers in saying that a lot of these people can afford to keep racing their horses for the greater good. He's correct.

With all this in mind, I'm going to bet Casino Drive to win, hoping that whatever happens is the best thing possible for a fledgling sport that could use a serious boost.

I was thinking of horses that continued to race beyond 3, and besides the obvious like Curlin and Cigar, I'm noticing the majority of horses who continue to race beyond 3 are the fillies and the geldings. The geldings are the ones making names for their heritage basically.

Is it possible that Rick Dutrow would be unable to go to Dubai with Big Brown due to Dutrow's drug problems? Is this why there is no mention of the World Cup for Big Brown? I understand that Three Chimneys has left it up to the connections re his 3-4 year old racing future. Several tracks in other countries will not allow riders to race if they have had drug and/or alcohol problems or convictions. I think Pat Valenzuela was unble to race abroad. Are trainers similarly prohibited?  

it is all about SHOW ME THE MONEY. We all know that.  Even the big boys who claim to love the sport and can well afford to keep the 3 year olds in training at least into their 4 year old seasons.  So how about finding that money somewhere (Sponsers, Breeders, Tracks, Etc ?) putting up some BIG bucks and recreating a handicap (or at least 4 up) Triple Crown Brooklin, ETC with a big bonus for a horse who can win all 3. We have to do something to counter breeding shed, breeders find it hard to do, how do you turn down the Money when you need to make payments and payroll?  Stud fees are to high on many stallions, Prices at sales are either so high it is crazy, or so low the breeder is lucky to pay for the gas to haul his horse to the sale.

I do not know the answer but the sport had better get their heads togeather and figure it out. Even If Big Brown wins the Triple Crown he will not be around long enough to build a national fan base like Seattle Slew or Affirmed Did. (Secretaiiat - well he was Secretariat)

Big Brown will be gone and so will the head lines. so will the casual fan who might become the intrested fan who might become a better or owner or breeder.

We want fans to come our sport but give them nothing to follow.

People want heros.

A horse racing hero goes into hiding after saving one damsel in distress.

I love horse racing but it is playing like a B movie failing at the Box office and headed the DVD bargin bin.

#1 Race Horse that ever raced in North Amercia was CITATION!!!the answer to the question is OWNERS THAT DON'T LOVE $$$$$$$...like us...we like it but don't love it...remember that its better to give than receive...Long Live The King...

LET THE RACETRACKS PAY AN APPERANCE FEE-TO INCREASE THE PURSES IF HE RUNS, IT WOULD CHANGE THE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. MAKE THE TRAVERS 5 MILLION, MAYBE THE HASKEL 5 MILLION MORE, WITH THE BREEDERS CUP WORTH 15 MILLION. THE FANS WOULD SHOW UP IN DROVES. RACING WOULD GET THE BIGGEST BANG POSSIBLE FOR ITS BUCK.

Even if Big Brown does stick around until Breeders' Cup, I don't think Curlin will be there.  I think they are pointing him to the Arc, and it would be asking a lot for him to do too much.  I don't think Asmussen wants to put Curlin on a synthetic surface and the Arc has so much prestige.  If Big Brown does keep racing this year, he'll have to meet Curlin somewhere else.

I believe Steve Finley made a recommendation awhile back to "penalize" 4YO stallions.  For example do not allow a stallion's crop from his 4th year to be BC nominated.  I think it would be unfair to a horse who is truly injured to try to enforce a race number qualification, but to penalize horses before their 5th year would seem equitable and may help.  If owners have to choose between no income for a year and millions in purse money, than most would probably choose the money.

PETA says dont run - you say run - I'm so confused

I agree it would be great for racing if Big Brown met Curlin at Santa Anita. But, I haven't spent a single penny in the purchase, training, upkeep,etc of Big Brown. I always felt bad about the attacks by the press (BloodHorse included)on the owners of Smarty Jones.  On one hand, you had an elderly couple who's horse had just taken them on a once in a life time experience.  An experience that allowed a severly ill gentleman enjoy a dream come true.  On the other hand, you had the press making all kinds of accusations about why Smarty couldn't or wouldn't race again.  Did it ever dawn on them that maybe the demands on the owner, not just the horse, were too great?  In the end, Smarty's owners did what they thought they needed to do. I hope Big Brown and Curlin both race on-the sport needs it.  But if they don't, enjoy it while they do.  Don't spend time second guessing those who have to make the decisions and pay the bills.    

i too wouln't like to see big brown retire but that might probably open the door for some other horse like pyro, war pass who is yet to meet big brown and colonel john who is to run in the travers. what i been reading is a match with curlin wouldnt be fair because curlin is more season but remember curlin met lawyer run last year in jcgc went lawyer run was coming off two great back to back performance, and he still beat him, so why can big brown compete with curlin now.

If there was more money on the line for 4 yrs old and up (we're talking BIG money here!) maybe then you'd see more owners looking towards the horses 4 yr old seasons!

As a horse owner, I look at the "stamina" and longevity of a stallions racing career.  If the horse was retired to stud for injuries as a 3 yr old, I'd pass that up.   Rather breed to something that as demonstrated their staying power both career wise and "health' wise so as not to pass on MORE bad genes!

When the hard boots at the Jockey Club allow the TB industry to go into the 21st Century and ALLOW A.I. and frozen semen as most ALL other registries now do, you will see more Big Brown's and Smarty's racing well into their older years.  I wouldn't put $40 mil on the line either, taking a chance my stud prospect MIGHT get hurt by racing - but if I could freeze semen..........that sucker'd be out there running.

Would love to see Big Brown and Curlin race in the Breeder's Cup Classic, but, never in a straight match race - However, I do not expect Hedge Funds guys to really be interested in anything except the fast buck.

But, I am really surprised that Desormeaux keeps calling BB, the greatest - Yes, he came home in nineteen and change for the last 3/16ths, and sixes destroyed the field - One problem with that, being the great Kotashaan - When Kent touched him at Del Mar, he almost pulled Kent out of the stirrups and came home in Elevens - Same, the next time at DM, when Kent misjudged Pat Day, riding for Frankel on the front end, and just missed - Again, Elevens - Same as the Breeder's Cup - And, at the Japan Cup - Except there, Kent misjudged the finish line, and Kotashaan had to repeat his Elevens from, almost, a dead stop.  However, no one in the US wanted any Darshaan types for breeding.  Kotashaan never became anything in the breeding shed, but, the passing on him, at least, trying him in the US breeding industry, spoke volumes about what is really wrong with our great sport.

When Big Brown can lower his burst to elevens, let me know.

The lure of the dollar is killing the sport of racing.

There are too many studs out there, passing on questionable genes and adding to the pool of unsuccessful horses left starving or sent to slaughterhouses.

We can't get to see horses like Seabiscuit any more, and we lose passion for the sport.

Small racetracks will close because people can't afford the gas to get to them. We'll be left at home to watch TV all the time, getting obese, watching an occasional race, a lot of virtual reality, and commercials for the junk food we consume in front of the TV.

Sad? Extremely. We are apathetic and greedy. The horse biz is like what's wrong with this country, and perhaps neither will last much longer. The unsuccessful, moneywise, are sent to fight the perpetual wars where many are sacrificed.

I would like not to believe this, but present trends are disturbing. Would love to know what others think.

I don't think it is fair to blame the owners of Big Brown for wanting to retire him before he can be injured.  This sport is no longer run by racing, it is run by breeding.  Looking back at Man O'War, Seabiscuit, etc. does no good because the times were very different.  Man O' War as a yearling was sold for a mere $5,000 from a pre-eminent breeder of the day.  Secretariat's syndication deal was unprecedented. Now, sires are commanding outrageous fees, yearlings are sold in the hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars, who would want to pass that up?  When racing is once again the purpose, and improving the breed the purpose of racing, then you will have your reforms.

Has anyone been paying any attention? What the industry needs, especially to secure the future of racing and the thoroughbred as a viable breed, is SOUND HORSES.  An 8 race career (should Brown race beyond the Belmont) does not show me that a horse is durable.  If a horse cannot compete past 8 races because he breaks down, that horse probably shouldn't widely be bred to to begin with.  Big Brown has more to prove than the fact that he was insanely good for a very short period of time.  True greatness must also be measured over time...

Naturally we'd all like to see these top class horses race as 4 yr. olds,but if it was your $50 million on the line every time your horse ran my guess is you too would retire him...I know I would even though it would'nt be "good for the game"

If we could begin breeding horses with better, stronger limbs then I think retirement would fall later in their lives.  Every owner is worried about a breakdown. Soon as they win big they are retired. The only expection at this moment is Curlin but is that because some of his connections are in a legal battle? When the legal battle is over, Curlin will be retired.

If we breed better horses, sure it means they are not so fast, what we see a race a few seconds longer. I dont mind if it means stronger limbs on a racetrack. But accidents do happen.  

And the Smarty Jones situation. How come we didn't hear of this issues involving his hooves earlier in his career? We didn't. All of sudden he was suffering for months with hoof problems. I don't believe it for a second, it was just an excuse to get him in a stall on a farm and off the racetrack.

There will come a day, I think sooner rather than later, when those of us who love this sport and these wonderful horses will no longer care to watch rich Princes and investment bankers buy racing stars and race them to the breeding shed. When there are no longer fans in the stands to watch their "investments" or follow their hero, what is the market value of their "product"?

The "Sport of Kings" has changed I fear forever.  

When I worked at the track, we used  to daydream about owning a horse and traveling with him everywhere to run in and win races. I think it will take owners with vision and deep pockets to see that the reason for going to the breeding shed in the end, is to what? Attempt to create another horse to win races? When you already have that, enjoy it and for heavens sake, compete where they can win.

The Jockey Club holds all the power needed to address these issues once and for all. Providing incentives is the ONLY way to motivate a change in behavior. To wit, if the Jockey Club made one simple rule change, the sport would be dramatically changed for the better. Here's the rule:

No thoroughbred foal can be registered by the Jockey Club unless sired by a stallion who is 5 years of age or greater at the time of breeding.

You don't have to monkey around with purse structures or 4yo Triple Crowns or anything else; all that stuff would work itself out. This leaves the option open if you own a stallion who is unable to race on; you can still stand him, and breeders can still choose to breed to him. It's just that you're going to have to feed him an extra year, and the breeders will now have lots of others to choose from who can DOCUMENT racing durability and soundness and appropriate maturation and development, etc.

Take Hard Spun as a great example. Who is to say: if he had been allowed to race as a 4 year old, could he have caught up with Curlin? Could he have been a great grass horse? Could he have proved to be the top miler in the world? Could he have etched a legacy as a tough gritty hombre who never goes away and is competitive at multiple distances and gets better and better with time? Maybe so, but now breeders have to guess.

The truth is, the quality of the breed would improve over time with this one simple sentence. And at the end of the day, that helps every single person in the industry.

I don't know who truly holds the reins of the Jockey Club, but they can easily fix a lot of it if they simply choose to do so. Do they have the imagination and leadership and guts to? Would that it were so.

Liz-- your first posting nails it: IEAH operates along the Wall Street model, and that's that, period. You thus delude yourself into thinking in subsequent posts a PR-driven grassroots campaign could convince IEAH to abandon its business model. Conversely, while Roy Jackson a consumate business person, he both loves horses AND has Gretchen as a futher contravening force in the decisionmaking. Barbaro would thus likely still be running on the turf in Europe, and winning.

Derby Fan-- when I was at Three Chimneys last summer all horses were being routinely galloped, so I think, as Jason suggests, you are being hoodwinked into thinking Smarty HAD to be retired when he was and for the reasons publically reported. Interestingly, Three Chimneys the only major stud operation I am aware of that DOES as a matter of operating policy routinely gallop its horses each day, concluding the risk of injury more than offset by the many positives for the horse, to include both the mental and the physical.

Jason-- you might also want to cite another Three Chimneys stander in Point Given and his "tendon injury" one week AFTER his Travers win "necessitating" his retirement.

BTW-- how long will it take Three Chimneys to get the Dutrow-applied "Winny" out of BB's system-- routine injections of an anabolic steroid to keep BB and all of Dutrow's horses "with a nice shine to their coats otherwise they look dull". Memo  to Dutrow-- use a WeatherBeeta polyster airflow mesh rug instead--shines up my 19 Year Old retired off-the-track t-bred's coat beautifully, and at a fraction of the cost. Yeah, I know, the Winny is "legal". Nice response, Dutrow. Band the 'roids and band Dutrow- long life to BB at Three Chimneys.

It amazes me that owners spend huge amounts of money, and sometimes a lifetime to get a great horse, and then they cannot wait to get him retired. See, Bernardini, Street Sense, Hard Spun, etc. etc. etc.

Please, you guys that are lucky enough to get a wonderful horse, Keep the RACE in racehorse.

I was attracted to TB racing when I was 16 yo by Secretariat' Triple Crown accomplishments, not the fact he raced as a 4 yo. In fact I was bummed out when he lost after the Triple Crown. If Big Brown achieves on the same level as Big Red, That is the best this industry can hope for in terms of PR in my opinion. I hope he wins the Triple Crown and faces off with Curlin in the BC classic, then retire.

It's a shame that the owners are caring more about the money, than the sport.  Big Brown is a great horse but I don't respect the owners. I do respect Curlin's owners for giving the sport what it wants THE HORSE. That is the problem with the sport today, Money hungry people.

True horse lovers and racing enthsiasts enjoy being at the races almost anywhere.  Here they are increasingly able to see offspring of "the greats" because their parents did not race to the point of injury or fatality.  

If you have never made a major investment in a potential breeding animal, you may not realize that one of the best ways to improve racing is to "preserve" your animal so they can improve the breed and provide future greatnesss to be enjoyed by many at both the large and small tracks.

In my view, if the owner's were truly just interested in money or the "limelight" they would have relied on insurance as a financial backstop, pursued an extended racing career and delayed the sale of breeding rights until it would have been considerably larger.

I doubt steroid laced horses continuing to run will do anything for this game.

Couldn't agree more with SB. I really liked Hard Spun and could not understand the point of his early retirement. If every racehorse who has accomplished much of anything must become a breeding animal so quickly, it is like multi-level marketing: You begin by selling a product (racing), but the whole point is to sign up people under you to sell product so that you make money off their sales (breeding).   If everyone is doing this, obviously one day there will be too much breeding for too little racing -- much like too many Avon reps and too few interested customers.

Investors (owners) surely can see this coming, and therefore feel justified yanking their multimillions out before the whole "pyramid" collapses.  What I don't understand is, don't the sheiks and Wall Streeters have, at some point, enough money to slow down?  How much better can you eat? Oh, well, I'm just a workaday fan.  But when I'm too old or disillusioned to bet or go to the track anymore, who will replace me?

Bryce, believe me, I don't think a petition signed by every single person on the planet would change the plans for the big horse to be breeding mares by next spring. But I don't mind dreaming of getting BB and Curlin together in some nice race, but I am talking about this year. I can't say I think SA is the place it will happen. I would love to see them on the turf. I know it is all a pipe dream, Wall Street has spoken. And who can blame them, no race horse can come close to earning the kind of money a great stud can pull in. Cigar leads the all-time race earnings list with $9,999,815. Storm Cat pulled in  more money with the first 20 mares he bred in 2006. And he bred 111 mares that year. BB may turn out to be a great stud and have a long career. He may also be out of "Gas," and by "The Side of The Road."  ;)  I doubt he will flop, but it is possible, and their best chance of getting big money for his breeding rights might be in the first few years before everyone finds out he is a dud.    

Big Brown did not "overcome" bad hooves as stated by Anna. His feet are trimmed down and held together with glue and it's a lucky thing he hasn't foundered already... any real horseman who looks at his feet would agree those are some painfully unnaturally trimmed/shod hooves.

He hasn't "overcome" hoof issues - his connections have luckilly held his hooves together through this campaign - and the one positive thing about him retiring after the Belmont (should he do so) will be the fact that his feet will get the chance to grow back to a natural, pain-free length.  

Listen guys in this business, its quite simple, (MONEY TALKS, B.S WALKS)!!

Correct to the person who said this is no longer a sport, but an industry....

Gone are the days of the Sport of Kings, when 50,000 people showed up to see Native Dancer, the "Grey Ghost" and people had the sporting privilege of watching a horse make 22 starts and retire a champion.

Going into the Belmont, BB will be on Race 6 of his career..... only race 6.  Native Dancer made at least 8 starts in his 2 year old year, and to me, that says volumes about what has happened in racing today.

Do we think the tracks are any less safer than they were in the 1950's?  No... and there were no synthetic surfaces then.

What has made the thoroughbred weak is the breeding and use of medications, such as the steroid Winstrol, which Dutrow claims he doesn't know WHY they give it to his horses, but that it's allowed so they do....

Excuse me, but a steroid - an anabolic steroid - IS a performance enhancing drug, regardless of whether the NY Racing authorities or KY Horse Racing Authority classify it as "permitted" up to 72 hours prior to a race.

Also, greedy breeding practices allow for horses who are technically unsound to retire to stud and people line up to breed to these horses.

Horses are also overbred, in my opinion.  When a horse has a stallion book as high as 150 mares to cover, then that's just too much of that bloodline being put into the breeding pool.

Claire, good for you for stating the obvious about this horse's feet.  (I like that you, like me, post under your own legal name, too!)

I saw them Derby week and said "ouch" myself.

This horse may or may not hold up, and then what is that going to do to racing if we have a horse breakdown again on the track during another Triple Crown race.

And, btw, BB IS still racing with padded, glue on shoes on the front.  They only reshod his back feet.

Secretariat was syndicated for the mighty sum (for the time) of $6 million before he won the Triple Crown; he raced several more times afterward and yes, Onion defeated him once... but he showed that the Triple Crown wins were not flukes. He did not run away from competition and that one defeat in his 3-year-old year (he lost a couple as a 2 year old as I recall) certainly did not tarnish his reputation or value. For Big Brown to even approach the "pantheon of greats" he should follow a similar path. Grass, dirt, synthetic should make no difference. A true champion isn't afraid of competition. Every horse in the race is running on the same surface.

Barbaro won on grass, dirt, mud... if he had not had his accident he'd be retired by now anyway, but he'd probably have, as someone else stated above, gone to Europe to run against the good grass horses over there in the meantime.

The greatest of the greats, Man O'War, won 20 of 21 races...

If Curlin is truly being pointed to the Arc de Triomphe, then he is going for 1.5 miles on grass--- a true test of a champion, especially one who has only run on dirt before. His team isn't afraid of all those European (and other continents) grass runners... Curlin HAS been lightly raced, but he is still racing!!! Imagine what HIS stud value will be when he finally DOES retire.  

I read an item in BloodHorse which clearly stated Big Brown's biggest hoof problem was a stone bruise, not a quarter crack. There IS a difference.

Considering how many of our recent Kentucky Derby winners have been sent off to Japan or Turkey, what difference does it make who won these races a few years down the road? Sometimes I wonder... Those of us who love racing for the HORSES aren't the ones who make the breeding decisions or write the races... and the truly sporting owners will keep their horses out there for longer than half the three-year-old year.

In the current atmosphere surrounding horse racing, it is necessary to remember that the INDUSTRY (all the thousands of farm and track workers, office staff, suppliers, real estate, etc.) depends on a lot of things the GAME provides... and the Great Unwashed Public needs to be SHOWN the good parts of the game as well as the ugly ones the media and radical weirdos focus on. Where is the PR? Forget "Go Baby Go" which was a disgusting turn-off... get the human-interest and cuddly baby foals out there... the beautiful farms and studly stallions... I had the good fortune to visit Newmarket, England this spring and it was wonderful to see the racing story from the broodmares and foals to the beautiful stallions and stud farms to looking down the breathtaking Rowley Mile racecourse from the finish line, to the Royal Box, to the historic Museum of Horseracing, the entire town depending on the racing thoroughbred.

Match races? NO. I saw Swaps and Ruffian. Full everyone-welcome races? YES.

IEAH, take some time to smell those roses... enjoy the marvelous HORSE... or go buy racing boats.

Retire BB when you have no more worlds to conquer, and you will find the mare owners beating down your door. For 2-3 years anyway. By then the get will prove him out one way or the other. He is linebred to Northern Dancer, Damascus, and Round Table... he ought to be able to hang around for at least another 6 months.    

How soon did they forget Kelso, Forego and John Henry? Geldings, yes--- but they had huge fan followings. Lava Man is still very popular out here in the West. People who come to the track love to have a familiar name to follow. Horse racing has very little presence in today's newspapers or mainstream media... unless it's negative. Let's give them something positive and LASTING to look to and cheer on.

Thanks for letting me ramble... it's all part of the greater picture though.

Note to Paula Weglarz and Claire Novak-- yes, I am glad Buckpasser isn't alive today with a trainer trying to use those glue-ons on his quarter-cracked feet-- those dang quarter cracks have GOT to be very painful. I would use my "real name" as well, but I feel better having my horse, first-born of 1986 Derby runner Wheatly Hall and ridden by Gary Stevens, doing the talking.

Liz-- excellent point about BB and stud duty: always hard to figure out how a guy might project in the breeding shed, and while I know his Sire, Boundary, never asked to go beyond a mile so we just don't know about those genes, really, there is little by way of classic two-turn distance coming up from the bottom, either. So yes, he could be a classic bust of epic proportions. Heaven knows Three Chimneys seemingly due for one of those. That's okay, my guy Exchange Rate over there will take up the slack :-)

CURLIN is the reason you DON'T RETIRE!! Big Brown v Curlin BELONGS TO RACING HISTORY, just like Affirmed v Slew, Affirmed v Bid, Damascas v Dr Fager v Buckpasser---WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS because this trancends the dollars and cents of the Sport Of Kings--even without Curlin, I'd like him to prove it against older horses, like when Bid beat the olders in the Marlboro Cup by five, or like Alydar in the Whitney---no, Big Brown has done it easy vs very easy--so far---he's likely the Crown winner but he needs more of a showcase---I think he's one of the all-timers but I also need to see it---and I do know it when I see it---I've waited long to see a horse like Bid and I want to see him some more--(please)

as weak as the 3yr olds are this year.big brown needs to prove he is great, by racing against curlin.dont you think?

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Big Brown has created a tremendous amount of attention to the horseracing industry both good and bad,maybe more will be done to protect these fine athletes in the future.I wish BIG BROWN a safe race win or lose.whats meant to be will be.Every sport needs a super star and right now BB is our SS.

Retiring Big Brown in his prime makes NO sense. I mean, it's not like he has a major injury or something. And the sport really needs a big star to make it popular yet again.