Big Brown had a Big Bounce

I feel that big brown was the best horse just like the patriots were the best football team but they were beat because they did not prepare as well as Nick Zito. Dutrow big mouth got in the way of his training. I thought when I saw the probables a week ago he should go to lead and make everyone pay. There as not eddington or rock hard ten just a dtara and tale of ekati. They were no match for him. Instead they held back and dtara cut him off and anak nakal try to block him. Brown wanted to go. he does not like slow and why change. Big brown was unhappy and it showed. 2:29 come on Big brown should have won easy.

I couldn't agree with you more about Richard Dutrow and the IEAH people. I was going to write a column like this yesterday after the Belmont, but a colleague told me just to write about the race, and that I had time for this later. I also agree with your thoughts on suspending Desormeaux. Pulling up Big Brown left a sour taste in my mouth. Almost as if saying, "Well, if we can't win then were are not going to play."

I will be as surprised as you if the colt ever runs again.

Keep up the good work.

I echo your sentiments about Rick Dutrow, Jr.  If you seek out the media attention when this horse was going well and winning, then you should man up and pay the piper when the ultimate fall happens...shame on you Rick!  That was classless and not showing respect to the winning connections will come back to bite you...karma shows no leniency!

I am also pleased that Big Brown did not win the TC. Nothing against him-he is a nice horse and obviously in the upper tier of class on his day. To me BB is like Curlin. An absolutely brilliant horse that is hard to root for because of the people behind him. In my opinion Dutrow and Asmussen are fairly comparable in their "issues" with steroids. The IEAH crew are not easy to root for either. They seem to come across as a bunch of crooks.

I disagree with your comments about Kent Desormeaux. In my opinion, he was protecting the horse, and - after all, isn't the horse the most important individual in all of this?

I agree with your comments about Big Brown's connections, in particular Rick Dutrow. No class there. The only class acts in this connection are Big Brown himself, Kent Desormeaux and hopefully, Michelle Nevins, BB's exercise rider.

Get Big Brown out of those classless hands and send him safely to Three Chimneys, where people care!

Da Tara's presence in the race actually made me wager on Anak Nakal. I figured Zito's plan was to set a fast pace with an obvious frontrunner while hoping to burn out Big Brown, then have his other horse pick up the pieces in the stretch. The fact that an obviously tired down the stretch Da Tara held on is definitely a surprise!

I think someone told Desormeaux to pull up if he felt Big Brown was going to lose. He never went to the whip to get a response from a horse that was not injured. Jason, perhaps you are right about leveling a suspension...

Dutrow is as phony as a 3 dollar bill.  I am so glad to see that bum get his just due.  He will never be a classy guy.  Here's to you Ricky boy.

You are absolutely, right on the money on every point in this blog entry with regards to Big Brown's defeat in the Belmont and the actions of his connections.

Especially Kent Desormeaux, who rode the most pathetic race I've ever seen in a major racing event. Allow the horse to win, let him carry you to victory. If he can't win, hey, there's nothing you can do about. Just give him every opportunity you can.

Trying to force him to the outside as if by some formula that worked in the Derby and Preakness was a joke. There was plenty of time and distance to work him to the outside up the backstretch if necessary. If on the other hand he absolutely NEEDS to be on the outside, then he's not the horse he's being made out to be.

Ask yourself one question, how would Pat Day or Jerry Bailey have ridden the race based on the way it set up?? The answer is: not like Kent did. Would the outcome have been the same - no way to know. BUT  at least you have known where you stood with the result.

You don't decide not to come out of the dugout in the bottom of the ninth inning just because your down by 5 or 6 runs. You play out the game!

Please! That Dutrow showed no respect for Servis is true, but what about Steve Asmussen and Curlin?? Asmussen kept his mouth shut while both Dutrow and Iavarone said Curlin should be afraid to meet them in the Breeders' Cup. Curlin earned his position as Horse of the World. The Big Brown group has now earned their place in mediocrity.

It's plain and simple. Big Brown's pedrigree got him beat. In the grind of the triple crown. Every horse out there besides brownie had better pedigree. The point given's, empire maker's, birdstone had much better pedrigree than their opponents. They can run all day. Big Brown has boundry as a sprinting sire. Are you kidding me, running in the test of champions going a mile and a half. The horse was tired after 2 legs of the triple crown. Point Given ran in all three and blew by his oppponents in fast time because his daddy was thunder gulch(kentucky derby and belmont champ). Enough Said!!

I agree. We will never see Big Brown again.  His stud value hit rock bottom with this loss, and if he loses again, even a second place finish, the greedy owners and breeding farms will lose even more money. Best to ship him off now before profits fall too far - hell with the racing fans.  Is he a great horse?  No. He proved nothing to me. He never ran a long distance successfully, he never carried weight, he never beat older horses, he never overcame obstacles in a race and still won, and he has had "soft" hooves his entire life and the rumor mill talks of his trainer using steriods in training. He probably shouldn't even be a part of the gene pool. I'm sick of defective animals winning one or two big races via drugs and turning into super studs, passing on their infirmaties to the next generation. The thoroughbred of today has nothing in common with the thoroughbred of just 30 years ago.  Just look at old photos of Man O' War, clear through Affirmed. Doesn't even look like the same breed.  Stop the insanity and the greed.

Jason, I have really enjoyed reading your blogs throughout this Triple Crown season. Your knowledge and insight has captivated me and made the first half of the year all that much more interesting to me.

Regarding your thoughts in this particular blog- I loved this horse. I thought this horse was a beautiful animal with a great personality whose connections tainted the public's affection towards him. The horse was much more classy than his connections were thoughout this Triple Crown. I completely agree with you, Dutrow's action yesterday proved to me that he has the least class not just in horse racing but in the whole sporting world. Same for the owners. Even the most classless people will show up to answer questions at a press conference and possibly even admit they were wrong in being so terribly cocky. As for Kent Desormeaux, is there an actual rule that Desormeaux violated as he finished the race? I have never heard of a rule that forbids jockeys to pull up a horse even if it is not hurt. I could be mistaken though. And also, Iavarone announced today that Big Brown will aim towards the Jim Dandy with hopes up running in the Travers and then onto the Breeders Cup. Do you still believe Big Brown will not run again even after these comments?

Once again, thanks for such a great Triple Crown season and I look forward to the Breeders Cup.

Look,I know Big Brown tanked. But he went out there and gave all people asked of him. I don't think people should blam anyone! Kent did nothing..I know it's against the rules to do what he did. but please why would he have pushed Big Brown that hard! And risk hurting him!Big Brown is still an amazing animal and I feel that if he races on he will be great!I don't know why he did what he did in the Belmont but it just was not his race.And stop the Rick Dutrow bashing as well.If your star horse just lost the biggest race of his life in the worst fashion wouldn't you be a little shy about it?I agree he should have answerd some questions but stop hounding him!Big Brown will be back,whether it's in the breeding shed or the race track he will be back to the old Big Brown we all know,and some have grown to love.

Although I picked Denis of Cork to win, I knew BB would not win the Triple. To me, something just did not feel right with that horse.  Sure makes you wonder how Da'Tara lost to BB by 20+ lengths and Da'tara beats BB by same!!! HMMMMMM.  I really thought Denis of Cork would win the race, but oh well, that's horseracing.

I couldn't have said it better.  Although, I feel Kent Desormeaux did what he thought was best at the time. The horse never looked right from the time he left the gate.  As you said, only Desormeaux had enough respect for our sport to face the media.  I believe that he thought something was wrong with the horse.  As for Dutrow, what a joke he is.  I have never liked him, but wanted to give him crdeit where it was due. After he slammed the connections of Smarty Jones, all I could campare him to was a scum bag. His name shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breathe as Smarty, his trainer, and homebred connections.  You reap what you sow. Enough said.  

Jason-- many thanks for taking us all on a nice trip via this blog. Look forward to its reconstitued BC trail focus.

Rather than focus on BB, instead let's marvel at the winner: yes, I am among your 99% who did see this outcome-- I remember the horse who could not carry his speed for a mile and a sixteenth Preakness Stakes Day on the Barbaro Stakes undercard (finishing 2nd) and thus gave Da'Tara no shot here, and then he goes out and WIRES THE RACE. Good grief. Not on my radar screen. Somehow, I suspect even Nick thought maybe it might be Anak who gave him the best shot at hitting the board. Instead, he somehow manages to reprise his first-third upset feat of 2004. Nick Zito = Giant Killer, and to do in once agin in his native New York, how sweet.

In the final analysis, that's horses and horse racing. And that, friends, in the final analysis, is also what happened to BB, and thus would respectfully suggest you are better off not looking for what was not there-- other than those impressive series of mule kicks in the security barn, BB looked his usual unphased self to me, Wista, in the saddle-up and post parade-- wasn't until he saw that starting gate down by the rail he apparently decided to leave his push-buttons in the shedrow and fight Kent, complete with throwing up his head entering the first turn. So, yes, flyinhome, I think you capture the essential truth with your observations.

Yes, that's the end of his racing career. Sad thing is, I will likely never again get in to Three Chimneys to visit that lovely gr/r Exchange Rate, the parking lot full of first Smarty Jones, and now BB, fans. I'll stick with Exchange Rate. Start running a commercial featuring Exchange Rate, Clay Family.

In closing, sure enjoyed Nick's gracious pre- and post- race comments. Something surely found in short supply this Triple Crown season.

Kent outdid himself after so many big mistakes in the past. This was the phoniest, thrown race I have ever seen. Easily the worst Belmont ever...

I agree with some of your comments, but your statement that Kent should be suspended is absolute hogwash.  Period.  

It's a rare thing that we see such selflessness in any sport, and I applaud him for looking out for the horse.  He knew he may face scrutiny and he knew he was dashing his own hopes and dreams, including the hopes and dreams of his family and especially his son.  He knew he would be extending the Triple Crown drought by at least one more year, and disappointing millions of fans, but Big Brown was the only thing that mattered to Kent at that moment and it was clear.  That's how it should always be, and he should be commended just as much as Edgar Prado and Chris Antley were for their roles in saving their horses.  

After Eight Belles, George Washington, Barbaro, Pine Island, Mending Fences, and countless other tragedies we've seen on the track in recent years, to me it was a GOOD thing that he showed the world that most people in the industry really do put the horse's needs first - not the needs of the bettors!  I'm not saying that there was blame to be found in the accidents that happened with the aforementioned horses, key word being ACCIDENT, but there certainly are some clueless people out there who like to place that blame on the nearest human being (*cough* PETA *cough*).  

So I think you just need to check yourself on that comment, because at the end of the day - without these horses and great jockeys like Kent, there would be no horse race and no money to wager.  Kent Desormeaux erred on the side of caution and, whether Big Brown turns out to have had a major problem or not, the world should be glad that he took care of the horse above all else.  The well-being of Big Brown, and all of the horses and riders on the track, is a heck of a lot more important than the wishes and wagers of the millions of fans watching the race, and I think anyone who truly loves this sport and these animals would have to agree.  

Like Calvin Borel and Street Sense last year, the relationship between Big Brown and Kent Desormeaux has been one of the most pleasant aspects of this Triple Crown in my opinion.  I don't care what people think of Rick Dutrow or Michael Iavarone, but Kent clearly loves that horse and he has shown that connection to us over and over.  If there were any doubters, he proved it yesterday in the Belmont stretch.

As for what happened to Big Brown, I believe slight dehydration played a factor (Lasix + decreased electrolytes + an unexpected 95 degree day + 3 hard races in 5 weeks = exhaustion).  Hopefully it was nothing more serious than that, and so far it looks like he's coming out of it OK.

Thanks for your blog and your post.  I just wish you would give Kent Desormeaux a break and realize he was thinking with his heart, not his wallet.  

The Belmont Stakes run yesterday was a major disappointment for more reasons than one. Kent Desormeaux's ride on Big Brown was one of the worse I've seen in an important race in a long time. What is even more incredible is that he still wonders after the race why the horse ran the way he did. If the horse was so superior, as I still believe he is, he should have run him with a bit more confidence and go after the race from the start. Instead, he opts to pull the horse getting him in all kinds of trouble and killing all the enthusiasm the horse might have had at the beginning of the race, not only giving away the rail to D'Tara but almost pulling up the horse and going around Tale of Ekati in order to get to the outside, thus giving away several more lenghts to the leader. No wonder the horse didn't show any interest in running later on. Anyone would have been confused too.

Pulling the horse up at the end is, in my view, the most irresponsible way of ending this story. You can't cover up your own ineptitude at the expense of the betting public. I'm sure Kent D. knew there was nothing wrong with the horse. The horse is good and he is superior to anyone in this crop, but he can't work magic.  

Thanks for backing me up on my comments yesterday.I said if I was a Belmont Park steward I'll be asking KD some questions.When you accept a mount in a race you ride him to the best of your abillity.If there was nothing wrong with BB he should have ridden him to the wire.Period.

I think Desormeaux gave Big Brown a bad ride. At the start he almost ran his horse up onto Da' Tara's heels. Then he wrestled the horse awkwardly to the outside. Then he held the horse back, using up Big Brown's energy in the fight. I think Desormeaux was remembering his ride on Real Quiet where he was criticized for moving that horse too soon so he held this horse back when he wanted to run on early. Perhaps Big Brown should have been put to the lead earlier, being the aggressor the way he is used to.

One more comment: the odds in the Belmont on the horse going for the Triple Crown are always ridiculously low.  

jshandler, he DID ride him to the finish - that's why he "eased him up," he didn't *pull* him up.  So I don't believe Kent violated any rules.  Big Brown crossed the finish line.

I couldn't agree with you more...on everything.  My family and I have been in the racing and breeding business for 20 years and ran against BB twice.  A great horse is only as good as his connections and unfortunately for BB, his connections made a lot of people sick to their stomachs.  It's a true shame that the public will never know how grest or bad BB was - was it drugs, was it milkshaking, was it just a bad day?  We won't ever have the answer.  Hopefully though, there will be major changes in the sport going forward after this TC season so that the little guys and the straight guys can come into big games on an even playing field and the best horse will win fair and square.

At Belmont, I was next to at least three people who bet on Da' Tara.  I guess I was "lucky" to be close to at least a few people celebrating on Belmont day.  

I'm not quite sure what to say.  I'm 25, and my first memories of horse racing are news paper clippings from a local Montana newspaper showing the Sunday Silence/Easy Goer saga.  I've been waiting for a TC since I was 6 years old, and I love BB.  I really thought he had it.  Being in row 1 of benches, in the sweltering heat, I was waiting for a coronation.  I cried when EB went down and wasn't sure I wanted to watch anymore.  More than anything I want a healthy horse.  But when you pull a horse up for no reason other than you won't be able to win...that spells doom for the sport more than anything I know.  I walked out of Belmont hearing people chanting, "Big Brown sucks."  Probably would've happened no matter how he lost but I don't know if there's much else that could give me this bitter feeling in the back of my throat.

It was a sad day for horse racing.  I was upset with Kent for pulling up a healthy horse.  That's what horse racing is about - competition.  My husband commented that Dutrow got what he deserved.  He only watches horse racing because I make him.  I guess I just wonder what "Dutrow getting what he deserved" and Kent pulling up the healthy horse will do for this sport.

I'm curious what draynay's thoughts are on this matter. Come face the music dray. All good/great horses have an off day.  Big Brown just showed he is no different.  They could run the Belmont 100 times and he would probably win that race 95 of those times.  It just so happened that yesterday was one of the five time he wouldn't.  I'm not a Big Brown fan at all, mostly because of his connections & even though I work for UPS, but I hope all is well with Big Brown.  His connections, however, are reaping what they sowed, especially Dutrow.  He wanted to call out Servis and downplay any other 3 year old this year.  Now he better be prepared to accept the same criticism for which he shot his mouth off about Servis.  Finally, I don't think Curlin's corner is running from Big Brown.  If anything, knowing Asmussen, he wants to face Big Brown to finally put to rest any talk of Big Brown being as good as Curlin.  The only difference is, he will be classy before the race and humble afterwards when Curlin wins.

Think we saw Big Brown's last race in my opinion. I so agree with Wendy.  A great horse would have handled all of what happened in that race. The horse did not like being on the rail, with dirt in his face, simple as that,  in my humble opinion.  Real Quiet deserves more veneration that Big Brown, and look at his stud value.  I can only imagine what Three Chimney's is thinking.  

its amazing how many experts there are when something like this happens,they spout off and would not know one end of a horse from the other.Rick dutrow is no more arrogant than most football, baseball, and basketball players. The media decides who they like and in this case they have made a villian out of Rick dutrow.

After Dutrow ripped John Servis I watched the Belmont for one reason.  That was to see Dutrow get what he deserved.  Smarty lost the Belmont by a length after being doubleteamed by two future grade one winners.  Big Brown finished last against a bunch of allowance runners.  You tell me who did the better job of bringing his horse up to the race.

I didn't have any money on Da'Tara either. I am not sure I would bet him if the race were to be run again. It looked to me like he set an easy pace and no one really had much left at the end. When Casino Drive scratched, Da'Tara became the lone speed by default. Was this another example of "pace makes the race"? I have been a big fan of Denis of Cork since I saw him run at Oaklawn. I was hoping he had a little more left in the tank, but I admire his effort. I can't fault Kent. If he didn't have any horse under him what is the point of driving him more? His explanation of why he eased "Brown was acceptable to me.

I would like to read comments from others on the use of steriods.

I would prefer that all horses raced on nothing but hay,oats and water. I know lasix and bute have their place but it appears to me that medications are over used today.  

My guess with the weather might have been heat exhaustion, but what about the other horses?  My question to those who might know is this - will it look "better" on his "record" to have been eased, as though something were physically/medically wrong as opposed to simply being beaten?  Might KD have been told to ease if he knew he couldn't win this?  And so what if he lost?  Great horses do lose.  There's no shame in losing as long as they've done their best.  Man o'War lost, but it didn't diminish the champion that he was.  Slew's greatest race is probably the JCGC where he lost by a whisker to Exceller.

Pedigree alone told me BB couldn't do this, and D'Tara really didn't surprise me because of Tiznow, but BB is a good horse.  It's his connections I don't care for.  I was waiting to read a comment made against Casino Drive's connections that they pulled him because they knew they couldn't beat BB.  Surprisingly, I've not heard anything like it, but with Dutrow's arrogance, it was what I'd expected.  But I agree with everyone else, if he was bold enough to guarantee a win, he should have been man enough to stand up and say, "Hey, I'm sorry, I was wrong."

By the way, does anyone know what's up next for Casino Drive?  What about the Breeder's Cup Classic?  (I know his prime target was the Belmont, though.)

I know a lot of people are really upset that Big Brown didn't win.  Four years ago it was Smarty, who, in my opinion, was a better horse than Big Brown.  BB ran 3 races before his derby winning by many lengths, he comes to KY and does the same then again in the Preakness.  It just seemed as those he was untouchable but Smarty was the same way only having raced more.

I just didn't think BB would win the Belmont.  I really didn't.  That race is the true test...not the Derby, not the preakness.  The Belmont is run 5 weeks from the Derby and 3 from the Preakness and is the furthest those horses will ever run.  It is grueling and it is the toughest race in this country, I feel, to win.  There was a character on one of these blogs who said Secretariat was over rated and not that good not having won after the triple crown, which is incorrect.  After watching that race yesterday and comparing it to the unbelievable way Secretariat won it, I should think all comparisons of BB to Secretariat would cease.  They are not in the same league.  BB is not one of the greats, he is a good horse though who had a bad day.

We won't see him race again.  He did not win the tc so it's off to the breeding shed because the breeders will insist just as they did with Smarty. Smarty was going to race again too but that didn't happen.  It's too much of a gamble to risk an injury or another loss.

Having raced 6 times with 1 loss is not bad but it's not enough, really.  My question is how much did the steriods have to do with his winning?  Maybe nothing but steroids in humans helps build muscle and strength would it not be the same in horses?  It wasn't for a shiny coat that Dutrow gave him steriods.

As for Mr. Dutrow himself, he was an embarrassment when he said the Japanese think Godzilla is dead but he's not.  That was so tasteless and crass it is not to be believed.  The guy is a lowlife, big mouth.  His horse won 3 races and he just knew the triple crown would be a cake walk.  HA!  If it is ever won again, and that is in doubt, it will be won by the best horse since Affirmed and we haven't seen that horse, so far.  There have been many great horses in the last 30 years but not one who could do what the other 11 did.

I can't blame anything on Kent D. The ride into the first turn wasn't pretty but that didn't cause BB the race. As far as pulling him up, Kent D. knew he wasn't going to get in the top 4 or even 5. Sure, there was alot of money lost on him. Thousands of people had two dollar win tickets on him that they weren't going to cash in to start with. And then you have your bridge jumpers. Don't get me started on that subject. Let's just say I don't have any sympathy for them.

aiken- I know horses and I also know Dutrow is an arrogant jerk.  Not one person on the backside of Churchill, Pimilco or Belmont had a nice a thing to say about him.  While he faced adversity in his life, he clearly learned nothing from it, in particular humility.  You never spout off the way he spouted off in racing...I don't care who your horse is.  Any given day, any certain circumstances and your second or worse...last.  

I don't believe BB was in a lot of trouble at the beginning of the race, he ran up as T'ara was moving to the rail and was cut off, that happens.  Kent got him to the outside which is where he likes to be.  He was a bit rank at the start so I do believe the horse was not his usually self.  He obviously likes it his way and no other way.

Kent gave him a bad ride, from the start to the finish (if it's called a finish.)

That race was so bizarre.

The horse couldn't take the distance.

I would guess that that is the first time that's ever happened, and it just shows ... again ... that our horses today .... are babied pretty ponies. Seattle Slew and that other triple crown winner were the least raced TC winners with 17 STARTS! Big Brown had what? 5? 6? He didn't belong in their ranks anyway.

I'm glad IEAH fell on their face.

I hope a gelding or filly wins the Derby next year.

Did anyone else notice that Dutrow's shirt was completely soaked in sweat?  Think that was because maybe he wasn't so sure of the win?

Jason,

You nailed it! At least Smarty Jones showed up for the Belmont!

Who knows what they instructed KD to do. Maybe take a look at the trainer too if you're looking at Kent. Not a fan of his ride, but maybe Karma to the owner for taking the ride from Prado who rode the colt all winter. As far as the Winstrol, anabolic steroid, synthetic derivative of testosterone,stopped it two months ago that could have affected the horse in muscle mass, attitude etc.

As Jack VanBerg said on TVG, usually give it to fillies and mares (to keep them from coming in season). I still don't think the colt was a super colt just good in a below average class, maybe bolstered by the steroids. I just think it was for the best the colt didn't win. Just like Curlin the dubious human connections with criminal owners, a litigious owner and a trainer off a 6 month suspension hasn't endeared him to the public, this colts owners and trainer would have caused more problems than a TC would have solved.

I really appreciate this blog and only wish that I knew about it throughout the triple crown.

I agree with many points made here but I think that the Kent D and Dutrow bashing are a little extreme. Yes, Kent did not give a stellar ride but he clearly had a plan and that was to get the horse to the outside.  The plan backfired from the gates opening.  As for Dutrow, he is a unique individual and I thought he added a lot of color and intrigue to the triple crown.  I can't totally blame a guy for wanting to be with his horse after the most difficult loss in his very successful career.  The pressure was extreme so let's take it easy on both of these established horsemen.

Finally, this Belmont day was a bust from the outset for me.  I found no energy or enthusiasm to even wager on any of the races because of the oppressive heat at Belmont Park.  From a gambling perspective, how can one possisbly handicap on a day with record heat and humidity?

I am glad this day is over and the mainstream media can get back to their mainstream sports.  My enthusiasm for this great game is already on the way back after a very rough day.

Rick Dutrow saddled a horse in the last race at Belmont on Saturday.  I was standing near the HRTV tent and watched the beginning of the press conference at the same time that Rick's horse was headed out to the track.  I'm not much of a Dutrow fan, but his first priority is the horse, and in any situation, I would want to be with my horses first.

Additionally, the owners tried to blame the track - saying it got deep because Belmont had water problems.  The water problems were in the bathrooms - no water and no flushing toilets.  I watched them wet the track after EVERY race.  In fact, prior to the Belmont, as they wet the track, the men in the trucks got their little bit of fame - honking and waving at the crowd - they did their job.

I would have to agree that we will never see BB again. I  am not a fan of BB but I will admit that he is the best of a bad crop. What Dutrow said about Curlin and connections being afraid, I think that Dutrow was trying to give himself confidence and scare some people in the process. If BB and Curlin raced each other, Curlin would knock BB's socks off. I think Da' Tara may end up being a fair runner if he can continue to run like he did yesterday. I also support Anak Nakal, who chased the pace the whole way round the track and still dead heated for third. Not quite as impressive as Da' Tara but impressive nonetheless.

Think many of the people here got it right.  It was the ride not the horse that lost the race, though it is really not the jock's fault.  Sound funny, but I really think Big Brown's intelligence and willingness lost the race.  When the horse was checked hard, a couple of times, just as he was ready to RUN, B.B. said, "okay, this is just another gallop out", and quit right there.  A horse doesn't understand he had to be checked hard to keep from being injured, he associated it with the fact that when he tried to RUN, he was checked hard, and hurt in the mouth.  He shut down right then, only trying to be cooperative and do what he thought the rider wanted, which was to gallop around the track.  No way was B.B. "dumb" enough to try and turn on his speed again, and chance being hurt or bumped in the mouth again.  He did just what he THOUGHT he was suppose to do.  After the race, while being walked out, he kept looking out towards the track, as if he was saying "okay, when is the REAL race?"  Just unfortunate circumstances of positioning, and the necessity of requiring a hard check to prevent a crash, caused basically from another horse trying to box him in.  Too smart in a competitive animal is sometimes not an advantage.  Know this from years of successfully training competitive field retrievers and gaited show horses. Sometimes they just plain try to out think you.  Too bad it happened to B.B on Belmont day. 

You folks who are talking about suspending Kent are absoutley ineducated and have NO heart whatsoever. Being a Show Jumping rider, if my usually phenominal horse feels anything less than 100% I will excuse my self from the ring and not compete. Irregardless of what people think! I'd rather make sure my horse is okay. What would you all be saying if Brown came back with something serious internally. Kent does not know what going on with his horse, all he knows is that the horse was not right at all which could only mean one thing, he isnt feeling well, if he had pushed him, what if he broke down? Then you all would have a field day with that to. For gods sake, I applaud Kent, he actually cares about his horse. He was not saying "I pulled up because I'm a sore loser" He was saying in other words, if Brown didnt even want to beat one horse, something was wrong, wether we find out what it was or not, something was not right. Does anyone else remember an undefeated champion whos sole loss came right before finding out he has cancer....yes that right Lost In The Fog. Lets all just hope and pray Brown is okay. Again, Good job Kent, your a real rider.

I emphatically disagree with the knocks against Kent Desormeaux. He did what was best for Big Brown by easing him. What's the point in making the horse run when the jockey sensed there was something amiss with his mount, and he had absolutely no chance of finishing in the money anyway?

We don't know whether or not Big Brown would have been injured if he'd kept going, because we still don't have all the information. None of us was riding Big Brown, so how can we criticize this Hall of Fame jockey for making the decision he did? The horse's  safety must always come first. I'm very thankful that Big Brown appears to be physically fine, and hopefully nothing wrong will show up later.

Kent wanted to win that race for all the right reasons: for his son Jacob, and perhaps because of his ride 10 years ago on Real Quiet. But he put himself aside and put Big Brown first.

Kudos to Kent. He's one class act, and demonstrated yet another reason why he's in the Hall of Fame.

Mike AnonettI: I couldn't agree with you more. Kent pulling him up at the beginning of the race was a grave mistake. In my opinion,he lost the race right there. BB was on the rail and both Da'tara and Tale of Ekati cut him off. He got into traffic trouble. He didn't almost run up the heals of another horse. Those horses cut over in front of him. As far as Kent pulling him up at the end. I'm not sure how I feel about that now. I thought Kent was doing what was best for BB. Thinking something was wrong with the horse. But now, after watching the replay several times, something just doesn't add up to me. Dutrow never bothered me through this. You get use to his personality and you accept it for what it is however to not show up and face the music after boasting and sucking up the limelight before doesn't sit well with me. Had he conceded and shown a little humility after the race, maybe he could have redeemed himself a little. If I were going to play the devils advocate, I would say that maybe he was extremely concerned for his horse and didn't want to comment. Who knows. At this point, I am holding Kent responsible for that ride. What a horrible ride.

I agree with everything you've said about Dutrow and IEAH.  We're trying to improve the image of this sport but you do it with men and women of character.  With regards to your comment about Kent pulling up the horse I cannot disagree more.  We must place trust in the jockeys when caring for these magnificent animals while on the track.  If he felt something was wrong he did the right thing not to risk an injury (or worsen one) to the horse.  At that speed you have no time to say "maybe he's ok, let me just push him a little harder".  I applaud Kent for the courage he showed pulling the horse up and then standing like a man before the press to discuss his decision.

MonicaV. Perhaps the sweat was because it was extrememly hot and humid???? Yes?? Not to mention Dutrow doesn't appear to be in the best physical condition either. My thoughts would be if I had a horse running for the crown and it was 90 degrees and humid as hell, I would probably be a sweaty mess too.

In watching the replay, Big Brown was clearly "done" when Kent eased him. Big Brown did finish the race, and after the Eight Belles tragedy, I don't think Kent deserves to be criticized for galloping him to the wire. Whether Big Brown was just tired or something else was wrong - they didn't know he didn't bleed until after the post race tests - there was no reason to risk injury.

I was devestated when Casino Drive was scratched. I thought he was the only hope to beat Big Brown, and I wanted Better Than Honour to make history. I have been a Nick Zito fan since Strike The Gold, and I'm thrilled to see him win his second Belmont. I also admire Nick for his dedication to thoroughbred retirement and rescue. I didn't give Da' Tara a chance either. Only time will tell whether he is a one time wonder.

On a final note, being a fan of names and pedigrees, I read that Nick named the horse for the name pirates gave the main character in the Count of Monte Christo. Da' Tara translates to "driftwood", and the broodmare sire is Pirate's Bounty. Credit to Nick for a fine training job & a clever name.  

aren't these the same owners that were involved with a milkshaking and race fixing scandal with their previous trainer G Martin?  Who knows how much could have been made betting against BB offshore?  Who knows...

where is draynay????  Da' Tara was not too tough to have if you did not like BB.  Speed is often dangerous in the Belmont and Da'Tara is by Tiznow a late developing 3 year-old himself.  Big Brown's pedigree was exposed and a pedigree laden with Classic influences won the race.  Zito is all class Congrats!!!

I wish BB was handled by someone else. I think KD ran a horrible race I don't understand why he had to wrestle him back so hard to get to the outside of Tale of Ekati. Even after Da'tara cut in front why didn't he just fallow him around there was plenty of time to make a move. To pull up a sound horse KD cheated the public and racing. He disgraced himself.  

I have to agree with everything you said. And Desormeaux gave BB a terrible ride. You could tell it was over for BB soon after the break. My personal opinion is that BB was not adequately prepared for the race. They shouldn't have eased him in the Preakness when he had so few races under his belt and no works between the Derby and Preakness, especially when they planned just one work in the 3 weeks between the Preakness and Belmont. He didn't have the necessary bottom and the heat and humidity did him in. I was front row walking ring for Secretariat's and Affirmed's Belmonts and they both looked a million times fitter to me. Dutrow shouldn't have criticized John Servis's training regimen for Smarty, that's for sure.

I don't believe we'll ever see him race again. Too much money at stake.

If Dutrow's mouth was entered in the Belmont, it would have won wire to wire.

I agree with your comments Curlin. I hope BB continues to race forward toward the Breeders Cup. Comments made from some of BB's connections a few weeks ago in regards to a match-up with Curlin were, as always, absolutely classless. Saying that a match up between the 2 would be great for racing, great for the fans and great for them, but not so great for Curlin and his connections....give me a break. BB is a terrific horse, and I would have liked to seen him win the Crown (the horse isnt responsible for his owners and trainer), but he is NOT Curlin. Classic last year, World Cup in March, along with other victories and his overall record. Curlin is the best horse in the world right now, and his victories have proven it. If I were Dutrow and IEAH, I'd try to at least have a little more respect when talking about the Champ.

I just have three points to mention after last Triple Crown:

1. Steroids should be banned completely from horse racing. Let's be like other CIVILIZED countries.

2. Whip should be prohibited. Let's be CIVILIZED people.

3. Until we breed our horses for speed but not for stamina, let's admit we are not going to have Triple Crown winner in the near future.

Don't paint everyone in the sport with the same brush.  There are plenty of great breeders out there who don't just breed for a sire with speed and no bone.  This just does not happen.  It is a shame that a few bad apples had spoiled the way people look at racing.  Don't take a few things you have learned in the past 6 weeks and apply them to everyone.  

Billy Turner must be on drugs to make such a dumb comment.I have watched decades of racing in England were horses are EASED OR PULLED UP and race just fine next time. THEY ARE NOT MACHINES.

Early on the day of the Belmont ESPN showed BB bucking and kicking badly in the security stall.  They later refused any more cameras at the security stall and stated BB eventually settled down.  I haven't seen anyone comment on this and wonder if this is where BB lost all of his energy for the day in combination with the heat.

I like Big Brown but have said that he needed to do more to prove he was a great horse. More than what he has shown running - I like the way he acts.  Most of the great ones were reported to have a kind of intelligence and understanding of things that he seems to have. I have a thought that we haven't had a triple crown winner for 30 years  not because the horses aren't "tough enough" but rather it's because of the way the horses are trained these days.  Historically from what I've read, horses that win this series were conditioned with much longer workouts and gallops. I don't see how you can prep a horse for a 1 1/2 mile race on a half mile work.  I don't believe Big Brown was in proper condition for this race even though he looked "good".  It's a very difficult series of races and takes a great training schedule to get them through it.  I also didn't think the ride he received was very good-there was plenty of time to get him off the rail - I don't see what the rush was.

And for the record, I agree, Curlin would win hands down, Big Brown is a nice colt but he is not Big Red and honestly, I thought Smarty had a better chance, and THAT was a bad ride by Stewart.

I agree with jason here - he didn't have to pull him up.  I think he knew he was partly to blame for the race considering he almost clipped heels with Da'Tara in the first turn.  He was saving face - that's it.  Don't make this about what happened to Eight Belles - it's nothing of the sort

AlexK: What?

Right now ... Right now; we are breeding the horses for speed and not for stamina. Until we stop breeding horses for speed and not stamina? Is that what you meant? The problem doesn't lie in just the breeding. There are plenty of horses running in ten races a year, or more, and fine for it. Just not the top horses. They're worth too much.

2. Let's be civilized and NOT prohibit whips. I don't know if you've ever met a horse ... but they do worse to each other in the fields daily. I've watched a horse grab the other horse's neck with it's teeth and hold. (Among many other kinds of rough play.)

I don't know if you know, but it hurts awful bad when a horse nips at you; much less bites down!

All these anti-whip people think in terms of human emotion and pain sensitivity. Horses ... aren't humans. Believe it or not. Whips are safety just as much as anything else.

I do agree with you on the steroid thing. Not for the same reason ... just because Europe - England, France, etc., don't use steroids - just because it's EUROPE - doesn't mean they're superior. If we stop using steroids we should also make our races as dead hard as those in Europe, too, huh? Up hill, down hill. ;)

People in England use whips, so it must be ok :)

jshandler.....Kent did ride Big Brown to the finish,he did not pull him up like Prado did to Barbaro,he eased him.and they crossed the finish line that's why you can say Big Brown came in last.Ok Rick was outspoken,that's the kind of person he is...deal with it.And ya know what he was right about the first 2 races.So what if he did not come to answer questions,he was worried about his horse and not happy about the win.Stop blaming everyone for this years Belmont!

Again, to the person who referenced the people pulling their horses up in England ...

those stewards in Australia wouldn't have stood for it. I don't know if you've been reading those stories. Kent should thank his lucky stars he isn't in Australia ... they would've thrown him out of Australia!

Say what u will the FACT is Dutrow is 100% a coward who dopes horses and himself!

just look at the record and open your eyes because the truth will set you free not the media spin.

these are exactly the type of people who are killing off this great sport one crooked race at a time...

Kit - do you watch horse racing at all??  Do you not see a pull up when it happens?  It doesn't matter if BB crossed the finish or not, KD pulled the horse up - get your story straight and watch the race again.  

I was very sad to see Big Brown pulled up in yesterdays race too, and I wondered why, if he wasn't injured, would Desormeaux stop him only 1/2 mile from the finish line? I'm sure we'll never really know what transpired between horse, jockey, trainer and owner, but I did have to ask myself, whould Edgar Prado have done the same thing in this situation?...

It's really too bad and I hope you are wrong in saying "we will never see Big Brown race again". I would love to see him come out again in another couple of months to race in the Travers, and prove to all who question his talents now, that he is indeed worhty of the respect his two extrodinary victories in the Derby and Preakness earned him, and that they both were indeed incredible achievemnets.

I think Big Brown should have never raced in the Belmont.  The quarter crack hindered his training and you cannot stall training for a major race like the Belmont, especially because if the distance.  I don't care how great a horse is, if he misses training it has got to hurt his race.  

As far as the race, maybe Kent should have let him go right along side Da'Tara, it was a slow race and all the fighting to get him to the outside may have discouraged the horse.  But Kent felt he was doing the right thing and we will never know how it would have turned out the other way.  

Big Brown is still an impressive horse and it is sounding like they are heading him toward the Travers, hope he can get his mojo back!!!!!

 I love Big Brown, I like his turn of foot and I just like him.  I love all the horses, the connections are just the people that get the horses ready to race.  I go to the track to watch the horses.  All this bashing makes all those people as classless as the ones they bash.  Pedigree, hahaha.  John Henry?  Seabiscuit? what are you saying?  It is the horse's heart that rules.  Kent eased the horse, and I am glad, what would have happened if would have just collapsed?  Want to run on a hot day?  Try California.  It is rough.  The characters in racing as just having fun, isn't that what is it about.  You have all kinds of characters and they sure do not come from the well bred families.  These people dedicate their lives to horses, would you?  get up at 4:00 a.m.?  Every day?  Leave the New York man alone, he has nothing to say, so lay off.  Just be glad these magnificient animals are around to remind us what real beauty is.  People generally are ugly all over.  I love Big Brown and he will race again and if he does not I will board a plane and go visit him in Kentucky like I do all my favorite horses.  Keep it cool, you are not going to live forever, have fun and get rid of anger.  Ka'Tara is gorgeous.  Too much anger in this world.  No I am not a pacifist just put it where it belongs.  Now I will go visit my horses in Santa Anita and give them carrots.  Bye

Dutrow admitted that Big Brown was now off drugs, and maybe that is what beat him. Everybody was all over the trainer of Eight Belles who wasn't on steriods and Big Brown was! Maybe like baseball, Big Browns wins should have a * by them, saying he was doped. Glad to see them all eat a big piece of crow pie!!!

great crowd @ the race & NYRA did a good job...some of us grow later in life...i'm one of them...foregone is a little strong for a $5000 claimer...Long Live The King!!!check out those tv ratings...

To those who believe "any horse" would have been confused with the little bit of trouble Big Brown had in the early stages of the race, I couldn't disagree more. A great horse would have overcome the minor trouble that caused. I have seen hundreds of horses ranging to the lowest level of claimers win with more trouble than that. Big Brown spit the bit the first time he encountered any trouble. All his previous races were run as clean as a whistle. Maybe that's why Pull-Em-Up-If-They Can't-Win Desormeaux was so adamant about getting him a clean race each time before. Guess Kent knew he didn't have it in him to race his way through trouble. That is not a sign of true greatness. Ivarone better retire him now because if he races on you can bet that with his weakness revealed Big Brown will never be allowed to run a clean trip again. That's part of racing and Big Brown showed me he can't handle that kind of adversity. Bump him a bit, box him in, look him in the eye and he blinks. He belongs nowhere in mentiion of the greats of the past. He doesn't have the fortitude to fit there. Kinda like Draynay who has also pulled a dissapearing act.

by the way...there will be a Triple Dipper in the next four years...2009-2012...you saw it here!!!

So many things.....

I'd bet that the stewards, vets and other officials at Pimlico and Belmont told the jockeys, trainers and owners that if ANYBODY suspected ANYTHING wrong with any horse at any time, that they should take the most conservative route possible.  They had to avoid another Eight Belles.  KD had a matter of a few seconds to decide whether to continue racing or slow him.  He knew it was a hot day and he knew BB had a quarter crack - he did what he said he did - he took care of the horse.  If he'd finished 8th under urging and his hoof split open, then what would people say?  I don't like the ending of the race either, and I think Kent could have done what Pincay did on Sham in 1973, but I think Kent did what he thought was best.

But I think BB got himself beat, with a little help from Mother Nature.  It had been amazingly cool in NY the last few weeks and he was suddenly being asked to run in 90+ weather.  That doesn't bother some horses, but maybe it bothered him.

How did he beat himself?  There were several notes during the week that he was being uncharacteristically rough.  Some attributed it to his lack of exercise for a few days.  Maybe it's just his time to become studdish.  If he's feeling his hormonal oats and aching to get out and do something, and then not once, but multiple times during the race KD pulls him back, maybe he just went sour.  KD said after the race that "a few times" BB got up into the bridle and wanted to run and KD said no.  This was, after all, only BB's 6th race, and maybe he said to himself, basically, "look, it's hotter than heck out here, I tried to run, I tried to do my job and you won't let me.  I'm done."  It happens.  Frank Whitely used to tell Forego's jockeys on days when the track was questionable to let him decide whether he was going to run or not, and if he wasn't getting ahold of the track, you couldn't make him go.  Now, Forego was never sour, but HE, not the jockey, decided when it was running time.

Sorry to chime in yet again;

but another interesting thought.

What would Edgar Prado have done?

:)

something just doesn't add up with this race. If I ever once thought a horse race was rigged. This would be the one.

bb had a rough trip. first and foremost crashing from lack of steriods and g-d knows whatelse. he did get choked down early by kd and taken out to the worst part of the track. coa took him out into the seven path with a horse that shouldnt even belong in the race  but kent was responsable also for having him in  that position anyway . why choke down the best horse. the horse may have been a push button horse but you just cant take the human element out. you know the inside was holding and fast as the heat and day went on you knew the outside was not watered down. so were was the team of genious'. dont they know anything about big race stratgey ala nick zito. some great trainers walk the track. sorry  boys you lost with the best horse.very poor race preperaton. or is all you know is how to pre race a horse. you need to do better at this level its not the claiming ranks were form refersal is only a treatment away.

I must admit I was delighted to see Nick Zito win the Belmont. I wanted anyone except Dutrow to win, but Zito was my first choice. The people around Big Brown made it impossible to hope for a triple crown this year. They are such a stark contrast to those associated with Affirmed. The classy Wolfsons, the gentle, kind, & soft-spoken Laz Barrera, & the totally refreshing, unassuming Steve Cauthen. I was fortunate enough to have worked for Jack Van Berg & was so proud of the way he handled Alysheba's loss. He is a class act & Dutrow could take a few lessons.

Jason, have you ever ridden a 1000+ pound Thoroughbred in a horse race, traveling 35-45mph, let alone ridden one in the Belmont Stakes? Can you ride a Thoroughbred in a race like this and sense from the animal if something is wrong or not? And if you think something might be wrong, could you make a split second decision to pull the horse up in front of well over 100,000 screaming people who've waited three decades for a Triple Crown winner and they've put millions of betting dollars on your horse? And if you did pull him up, I'm sure you'd have a pretty good reason for doing it, based on your years of experience and skill as a jockey.

So now you're saying that your assessment is correct and a professional rider making his living on the highest level of the sport, and who's won how many big races, is wrong?

It's been determined that nothing is physically wrong with the horse, and hopefully nothing will turn up later. But during the race, nobody knew that, there was no vet riding Big Brown, Billy Turner wasn't riding him, and neither were you.

Kent is a great rider, and he certainly was great yesterday.

What kind of a trainer doesn't even bother to show up at the barn to check out his horse the day after a race?

The most telling part of Big Brown's collasal flop is the fact that he went off the steroids in April. That was not enough time to effect his performance in the Derby or Preakness but for the Belmont they were completely out of his system Imagine what a Secratariat on steroids would have done to Big Brown. It took the steroids to get him to where he was in the Derby and Preakness and his races there didn't begin to approach the times Secratariat put up. Thet should suspend Dutrow and Desormeaux for his pathetic effort and strip Big Brown of his Derby and Preakness title he won souped up on drugs.

Rejoicing over the troubles of Big Brown and his connections also shows a lack of class. Zito showed the world how to act in a case like this... I'm very dissapointed that we did not have a Triple Crown winner again this year but I'm glad all horses and jockeys came back safe.

My favorite horse of recent years is Tiznow and the only gratifying thing about this Belmont is that his colt won. Bet there was a lot of hollering going on at Winstar Farm and not because somebody else got his due. They are a class act.

Desormeaux is in a no win situation(pardon the pun). If he had gotten after Big Brown he would be accused of beating a dead tired horse, now some are accusing him of not trying hard enough to come in 6th, 7th or 8th... I say he did the right thing by the horse. He had no idea what was wrong and did not want to aggravate the problem if there was one. Bravo Kent! Can you imagine the heat he would be taking if he had whipped Big Brown and it turned out that the horse was having a real physical issue???

I hope Big Brown returns to the races. It's not the connections I cheer for, but the wonderful horses and brave jockeys who are at the core of this sport.

I too love Big Brown. He showed heart, an amazing turn of foot and the ability to race all over the track. He won wire to wire, off the rail, on the rail, coming off the pace, ect. He was and still is an amazing race horse. We should all hope that his connections allow him to continue to race AND race again with Kent Desormeaux in the irons.

If anyone thinks for one second that Kent "threw" the race, they should seriously reconsider. Kent went into that race wanting nothing more than to win the Triple Crown, not only for his own glory, but that of Big Brown, his connections, Kent's own family and the racing fans. Kent is an amazing person and has overcome much adversity in his life. We can all learn from him. I sincerely hope that no disciplinary action is taken against him as he is one of the top riders in the US. PLEASE think before you speak. Let’s say you drive a Lamborghini that runs like a dream every time you press the gas pedal. You are driving down the road and get on the ramp to the interstate and your amazing car won't accelerate. What would you do?

Careful, Jason:

Although I have not researched, my recollection is Ch 1, Subchapter A of the (NY) State Racing Commission Thoroughbred Rules does not include a provision analogous to say KY's Section 14, which does require horses to be "ridden out" (as opposed to how BB was finished off at something decidely less than a racing gallop by Kent, before being pulled up after crossing the wire).

To have something for the NY stewards at Belmont to ajudicate, I think you would have to make an argument Kent was unlawfully instructed to stop racing BB if he thought he was going to place out of the money (SEE: Sect. 4035.4 "instructions to jockeys", as follows--

"4035.4. Instructions to jockeys.

All horses are expected to give their best efforts in races in which they run, and any instructions or advice to jockeys to ride or handle their mounts otherwise than for the purpose of winning are forbidden and will subject all persons giving or following such instructions or advice to disciplinary action by the stewards and the commission."

With all due respect to Billy Turner, who I admire greatly as both a steeplechase jockey and a horseman-trainer, I think it would be pretty hard to sustain such a claim against Kent-Dutrow-IEAH, unless you can produce a Watergate-style smoking gun tape of Kent being so instructed, or someone cracks under a Gitmo-style waterboarding interrogation. Then, of course, you could also seek to prosecute them for perjury, under the theory you rarely get penalized for the original crime, rather it's the cover-up which brings you down. Just ask Duke Law grad and former US President Richard M. Nixon :-)

Breeding....Steroids....who knows?  One thing I do know.  I've seen thousands of races from Belmont Park.  You do not win from out in the center of the track like he was.  The rider's wild manuvering into the first turn unnerved BB, and was not necessary condsidering the distance.

I think Kent should have ridden BB out so he would have at least finished the race with the rest of the horses. Even on his worst day I'd think an unbeaten winner of the first two legs of the triple crown would at least be able to finish with the pack. Even finishing last a head behind the next to last horse would have been less of an embarrassment than galloping down the stretch alone. I think it was a slap in the face to the racing fans and a disgrace to the sport. Dutrow should be ashamed of himself for bragging about his horse and putting other horses and trainers down and Kent should be ashamed for riding the way he did. What a pathetic bunch of losers!

jshandler, listen, I'm not an animal rights activist, I think PETA ppl are idiots. and yes, I know he is fine, however maybe Kent did not KNOW he was fine, listen, I have a 10 year old Gone West gelding who is a "nut" haha he is very high energy and loves to run and rear, when I take him out to show in a jumper course, he is on the bit, on the muscle, ready to break right out of his breastplate....not only that but he is always clean and fast. If one day he went in the ring and was packing aruond like a childrens school horse, or got rails or time faults, I would pull him up and excuse myself, maybe he wouldnt be hurt or sick, but something would not be right, its safer and that means u care about that animal, not how it looks to other people. no one lost out exsept brown and kent, and if they dont care, neither should we.

To All: Its about time everyone see how bad a jock Kent D. is. I have never seen a jock get so many favorites beat.

If he is in a dog fight, and the other horse gets a nose in front, Kent gives up.

New York and Bill Mott can have him. Keep him away from Churchill Downs and Louisville, KY.

This article is RIGHT ON!  I couldn't have said it better myself.  I was almost ashamed to admit the fact that I thought Desourmeaux pulled up Big Brown just because he wasn't going to finish "in the money."  The entire television audience as well as the spectators at Belmont Park must have thought we had another Barbaro or Eight Belles on our hands.  Not another injury for PETA to squawk about??  Hats off to a tremendous piece of writing!

Was  postponing the race ever considered by NYRA officials?? It was not in the best interest of horse racing or the horses to run in 95degrees+ with humid conditions.  I remember racing cards being cancelled in recent years at Saratoga for exactly those reasons.  I think the heat got to Big Brown, I know I can't run when it's that hot and humid and I don't weigh a thousand plus pounds.

I dont care what they do across the pond.I have never seen a horse pulled up due to a "bad day". The jock should have wrapped up on him and ridden him to the wire.BB couldn't even gallop with Curlin,Street Sense,Hard Spun or Rags to Riches.That steroid freak couldn't even be BIG RED'S stable pony.

Gosh when I was reading this I had a thought that i wrote it. ur opinion is basically just like mine.

I agree with all the author's comments except the one about Big Brown being eased. It was the right thing to do for the HORSE. That is the most important thing. Apparently, the writer did not take away anything from the Eight Belle's tragedy. Kent thought the horse was okay, but just in case there was a problem, he eased him. He took care of his horse. And if someone finds fault in that, that person doesn't have the compassion it takes to be around these fragile animals and maybe should stick to watching pro hockey. If there is a doubt, take care of the horse first. Thankfully, Big Brown is okay and I take my hat off to his rider. He knew there would be no payday and no triple crown Saturday. He showed that he is compassionate. And that is what racing needs to showcase - not someone urging a hopelessly beaten horse on to the finish line as fast as the poor animal can go. What possible good does that do? That is a terrible way to treat a living animal and a bad thing to say should have been done!

I had very mixed feelings about what happened over this tc season.

This sport really could have used a triple crown winner to bring more fans to the sport.

I detested the trainer and how obscene he was and is and hoped that some how his horse would be crossing the finish line, as the winner was entering the winners circle.  I had no idea that it almost happened that way.

I do believe that KD was a little overprotective of BB in easing him up like he did, he should of let him run on, he could have been easy on him and not pressured BB while finishing the race.

I think it is safe to say emotions are high right now. We are looking for answers and probably won't get any. Therefore we make up our own theories.  I for one feel very strongly that Kent is the primary reason for BB's loss. I have never had anything against Kent and realize he is a very experienced jockey but after the ride I saw yesterday you would have thought it was his first. He had to go to the outside as he forced his own position. He held BB back. Not only did he hold him back,he basically was pulling on him to come to a stop right from the break. BB has been trained to break from the gate and run. Not stop. Then he was forced to move to the deep outside of the track after the other two shut him out. BB was confused to say the least. Kent said he asked and there was no horse left. Most horses are still running the race at least but Kent pulls him up completely and then says he never once thought he was injured? I just dont' get it.

Kent may not have performed his best yesterday but if he had half the horse he had in the Belmont or Preakness he would have won the race.  He raced as wide as he did as he was confident the horse would do the same thing he had done in the Derby when he got 109 beyer and 0 Rag number.

It looked like to me that the horse just bounced and it is time to reexamine the length between Triple Crown races.

The other horses in the race all had 100 or less beyer figures and 7 Rag numbers at best.  

He already had 109 beyer under his belt from the 20 post and going 1 1/4.

On his average day BB is 5 to 10 Lengths better.

As far as the winner is concerned it was not impossible to play Da'Tara.  If you take a look at the PP's you can see that he was the only remote speed in the race if you took Big Brown out of the race.  Also, take a look at the racing form PP's and you will see that on Preakness Day that BB ran a 93-02 and Da'Tara on the same track and same day ran a higher DRF speed fig of 102-02.  I am not saying it would have been easy to pick this horse but he certainly could have been playable as the longest shot on the board.

Several weeks ago I predicted to a friend of mine that Big Brown wouldn't finish the Triple Crown much less win it.

Does anyone have any insight into the surveilance surrounding Big Brown at Belmont on race day and the days leading up to the race?

It's quite possible that whatever the latest "juice" Dutrow was using that he wasn't able to administer it on race day.  Things like this have happened numerous times on big days such as Breeders' Cup.

One thing for certain is Big Brown ran like a horse who hadn't been treated.

shaquille o'neal, the heavyweight  playwrite/jockey, would've finished in the money aboard BB

EmpireGiven21: This isn't showing off your pretty horsie in a ring. It is a race - a race where it was reported wagers exceeded $5 million at Belmont alone. It was a disgrace from start to finish.

This horse really only started racing 3 months ago, and look at what he did!  My God people, he's an incredible horse.

You're right he's not Secretariat.  Secretariat raced as a 2 year old and was defeated before his Triple Crown bid.

I know everyone wants to rub it in because of Dutrow and the connections, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Big Brown has been an awesome horse and now he still has something to prove.

Hopefully we'll see him pick up the pieces in the Travers, maybe with Prado on his back!

I don't understand what Kent said...if he said the horse ran out of gas, and it wasn't his wheels, why pull up?  

Kent has ridden over 25,000 races....how come he has never done this before?

That was probably his worst ride ever, and he really looked confused while riding him. It is as if he was caught by surprise that they would swarm around him.  

Like someone else said, he should have gunned for the lead and said come and catch me if you want it.  Especially if the horses were all as weak as Dutrow said they were.

Doesn't make sense to me.

I do not have a problem with Kent easing BB-protect the horse at all costs, he did not know why he had no horse and he wasn't going to take any chances. I do however have a problem with his ride at the beginning of the race. In the pre race show Bailey showed a chart of how he felt the race should be run and darned if Kent didn't try to follow it to the T. This is not football or basketball where you draw up plays. You do not try to alter a horse's natural running style. BB used a ton of energy fighting Kent early and then when it was time to run the horse sulked. No big mystery there. Watch the film of Secretariat's Belmont he broke from the one hole but Turcotte never panicked he just sat chilly and let the big horse run. I expected a similar ride from Kent in the Belmont and a front running win by BB. As a rider Kent knows about lost momentum and fighting a horse it never works. As for Dutrow's attitude it was absolutely the most unprofessional display I have ever seen throughout the entire Triple Crown. If Karma has anything to do with it then his attitude cost all of us a Triple Crown

Kent Desormeaux was protecting Big Brown and he did the right thing. As for Rick Dutrow he is a bit cocky but you people weren't jumping all over him when BB won the derby. Its his opinion and he should be allowed to speak his mind and thats not why BB lost.

Jason, as a racing fan who was left feeling very bewildered after yesterday's race, I have read your blog and most of the comments with an open mind. However, consider this: right after the race, my immediate comment to my husband (a quarter horse trainer) was that it looked like Big Brown was tying up. He was tense, his tail was up, and he was not moving freely behind after they took the saddle off. Now, maybe this wasn't the case, and from 1500 miles away I certainly don't claim to be able to confirm such, but he had at least three risk factors for it; the extreme heat and humidiy, unaccustomed (for him) excitement at the beginning of the race, and skipping training days throughout the week or so before the race. So, what if the horse did tie up? He should be stopped and evaluated right away to prevent muscle damage and possibly even death.

My point is that he could very well have been suffering from something that didn't involve a leg dangling or coughing blood, but that still could have been serious had he been pushed too hard. Keep this in mind before chastising Kent for being concerned for the horse's welfare.

I learned the next day that in an earler race, a five-year old had tied up and had to be treated. So the possibility was there.

Rick Dutrow Showed what he is made of when he failed to show up for the post-race press conference. No excuse he comes up with exonerates him from taking his medicine.

Kent Desormeaux easing Big Brown was not good for racing, casual fans went away thinking Oh another horse was hurt! Poor Big Brown, Just what horse racing needed.  The person who bet on him to place or show are mad and feel cheated.  Mr. Desormeaux is a great rider, On one hand he knew the horse was not injured, but in the moment hard to second guess him, but over all I think it was a bad call on his part.

As for the loss I think Big Brown was treated with kid gloves to much.

you cannot win a mile and a half race especially the Belmont by treating a horse like a baby-He had better be trained hard and ready no matter how good your horse is, It is not called the test of Champions for nothing.

If we have seen the last of Big Brown I hope breeders respond with a cold shoulder. But they won't. After time passes and the heat of the moment who did he beat?  OK the three year olds may go on and become good down the road, But they where not good while Big Brown was defeating them. The colt never had great times, some say time only matters when your in prison, then why do we keep track of the fastest Kentucky Derby, Preakness, or Belmont? (and every other race). Big Brown has never been tested, How can you say you are even remotely GREAT unless you have looked another superior horse in the eye challenged him and won?  And have you met older horses and defeated them?

Sorry Brown but so far as much I like you are far from a great horse and breeders must stop paying millions and millions for maybes. And for maybes who are not sound. Boundry Had bad feet, Big Brown has bad feet and you can bet his foals will also.  $ will win out over reason though and they will flock to fill his book, then send his foals to the sales. I wonder when and what breeder(S) will have the courage to stop the madness and but the breed back on track to what it was before sale madness and speed took over.

At some point the US will get smart and ban ALL drugs. When that happens many sire lines (and breeders & trainers) will be in trouble. Perhaps that will what it will take to self correct the breed, It will be long and painful but at the end we will all be the better for it, Horses, Breeders, Fans and Horse Racing overall.

I think KD should have pulled up the horse given not  that he was NOT just not running well, he was totally different. Lets see - if he would have been injured and he had made the injury worse by running what would we be writing about right now?! Racing and KD did not need another Eight Belles on their hands.

As for Dutrow, go back and read the editorials fom your own magazine from not long ago.

ITS ABOUT THE HORSE!!!!!!

Not the trainer, not the jockey, THE HORSE. Heal racing by keeping it about THE HORSE. Just like some of the commercials yeserday, Big Brown knows he is going to race because they pulled his hay rack, but thats all he knows. He doesnt know his trainer appears to be a jerk, he does not know horse racing in failing, he does not know Eight Belles died. He knows he is gonna race. That is all I care about. THE HORSE! Isnt that why we want to stop steroids, change the triple crown, have a reconsideration  of breeding etc. to save the horse from what  we have done in the past. Remember the horse.

On that topic, I do think ALL horses need to race more and not go to the breeding shed at 3. We wouldnt have such a surplus of horses that we have to send them to slaughter to get rid of them, we would have real heros, we would not have to use steroids to prop up a lesser horse, we would not  have mares dying from overbreeding and foals of other horses dying to provide nurse mares. we would have less horses adn wnen we got a new hero, it would be a true treasure. Right now, it  is about business, not the horse. Therein lies the problem with racing.

Well, a couple of years ago a top jockey in Louisiana was suspended for a year because he didn't ride a horse all out in a Trial race, in which all he had to do was finish in the top three to make the final.  The horse finished 3rd, and the stewards handed out a full year suspension because they felt the jockey eased up when he knew for sure he was in the top 3.  There does seem to be a parallel here, but as some pointed out above NY rules may be different.

I do think it really distracted from Da' Tara.  You could see that as he neared the finish line the entire crowd was looking up the track at Big Brown with anguished looks on their faces.  I agree that Kent could have simply hand ridden him - he didn't have to pull the horse up.  Big Brown fought being pulled up and could have hurt himself doing so.

Jason, this is why i love reading your blogs so much. I agree with everything you said. Kent i think rode a terrible race. For one i think BB should've taken the lead. He's done it before, and with his early speed Da'Tara would've been left in the dust without even a fight. Also KD never used the whip. I'm not saying beat the horse, but tap him a couple of times. If there's still no responce then RIDE HIM OUT. KD should've never pulled BB up. When War Pass checked in last in the TBD they rode him to the finish.

Also with Dutrow, i will only say if you can brag and boast then be there to accept the limelight, but can't come out when you loose, your pathetic. Be a man.

There's 111 posts before mine and I don't have the time nor patience to read them all but am I the only one who thinks that Kent Desormeaux eased up on Big Brown to cover up the awful trip he had? Ease him up, let people think there's something wrong. I'm sure that the boys in the Jock's room had a good howl after that one.

Anyway I think we've seen Big Brown for the last time. I will forever be convinced that the horse couldn't deal with dirt in his face. And if does run again, I'm pretty sure that Kent Desormeaux doesn't get the mount.

Why does everyone assume that it would be possible for KD to know that there was nothing wrong with the horse. Big Brown is a horse, not a machine with a red warning light on a dash board that can tell his jockey when his engine is overheating. KD pulled the horse up because at the moment he asked the horse to run he found himself going backwards, not forwards, on a talented horse that has always given him 100%. I can see where one might believe that something was wrong with the horse even if he is not falling down lame. It is better, when in doubt, to protect the horse than take a chance of risking injury to a horse who is backing off of a run. The bettors may expect a trainer or owner to instruct a jockey to push a horse to run to the wire at all cost, but that doesn't happen. Any trainer or owner would rather have a horse come home safe and last than first and ruined. PETA needs to picket the bettors, not the owners and trainers. The bettors only concern is the aftermath their own poor judgment, gambling money they can't afford to lose, will bring. The horsemen and owners are trying to prevent the future tragedy of an injured horse to care for and finance, or worse. The horses are raced for sport, they don't have to lay their lives on the line for each two dollar bet. How soon we forget!

I believe there were several errors made leading up to the Belmont. Most importantly for me was the fact that this very nice horse has probably had the least work over the last 7 months of all the horses in that race. He had less bottom on him than any other horse. Then he pops a quarter and misses 4 days right before the longest race of his life. Then, the day before the race he has that quarter cleaned out and filled with an acrylic patch. I have probably patched 200 quarter cracks in the last 30 years, and I don't think I've ever seen one that wasn't a little less than perfect the day after that kind of procedure. Finally, they took him out of his normal routine of moving on the morning of his race. He went out on the morning of the Derby and the Preakness, he did not go out on the morning of the Belmont. Part of why he is so effective is that he is a very relaxed, thinking horse who will let his jockey use him at any time during a race. On Belmont day he came out of the gate rank and in a battle with his jockey to go to the front. If ever there was a time that it would have helped him to be cool and just cruise along until it was time to use his tactical speed it was the Belmont. Maybe he needed to get out of his stall and move long enough to let his back down that morning so he wasn't so rank when the gate opened. He could have just walked for 30 minutes and been ready to go. Just my honest opinion. I don't want to criticize another trainer for making a mistake getting his horse ready for the triple crown...I'll leave that up to the master, Mr. Dutrow... Ok, that was a cheap shot, while the guy is down. I'm not perfect, and Dutrow deserves respect for the progress he has made and hard work he has done. He did paint himself into a tight corner over the last few weeks, but he still got to train a darn nice Derby winner.

The combination of the heat, BB fighting with KD and bumping with the other horses early in the race, all add up to be a major drain on his energy. Then, you add the minor issue of the foot and the major issue of the lost foundation work and you have a horse who may  either have a sudden wash out due to the stress, or just won't last the distance. I think he washed out.

I'm a horse trainer and I was screaming at the rider by the time they hit the first turn, and I knew the race was over for him by the time he had run a half mile. I don't blame this on KD, it is a combination of many things, but it was obvious that early in the race that everything was not going right for this horse on this day.  I still know he is a grand horse, and I don't blame him for errors made by the humans and circumstances around him.    

By the way, Nick Zito and Da'Tara ROCKED THE HOUSE. It should not be forgotten that Zito came through and gave us a great race. He shouldn't have to feel like a felon for winning a good race. I felt like Zito was treated so poorly for Birdstone, he surely needs to enjoy this big win. They are the heros today.    

Okay got to get this off my chest.#1 Lasix-non issue the 3# 4# 6#(winner) 7# 8# 9# and 10# ALL on it.To the show horse lady that says we are uneducated here's my equine education.Licensed from 1976-2000.As a groom,ponygirl,gallup girl,trainer, auth-agent.Licensed in Montana,Arizona,Minnesota,BC,Alta,Sask,Man.Rubbed a horse that held the track record at Hialeah(Intercontinent) for 6 furlongs.Ask the track caller at Calder(Richard Grunder)about him.He also broke the 5-6- and 7 furlong track records at Assiniboia Downs.I'm stating this info so you don't think I haven't been anywhere or know what a good horse is.How dare you make comments about people you don't know.Typical show horse person living in some pretend world.

Wow Jason, you are really mad about this, huh?  Doesn't seem like your usual kind of writing.  

Next year boy and girls, next year....

If you take a look at the works of Da Tara (no missed week) while  

Dultrow was bragging about a sure bet Nick Zito was conditioning a horse to go the distance and set a steady 25 sec 1/4 pace. You cannot stand a horse in the stall for 3 weeks with lite or no works and expect him to be ready of course the quarter crack was always a issue try sticking a splinter under your fingernail and tell me everythings fine --While everybody was saying Big Brown looked fine before the race to me BB looked 150lbs lighter than is Derby starts the steroid shot once a month was suppose to increase a horses appetite does it also mask other drugs is the Question???  While the trainer and vet say BB is fine I wonder if they took time to X-ray his legs for hairline bone fractures or just ran a hand down his legs feeling for heat.  And just Maybe the site of Eight Belles breaking down put some fear in Big Brown ---JUST MAYBE These animals are smarter than the Trainers and Owners who look at them as slot machines --Hoorah for Kent for listening  to  Big Brown

No one heard Eight Belles when her jockey had to take to the whip in the race PRIOR to the Derby

Jason: Do you ever get tired of reading all these comments? : )

I, for one, did not like Desormeaux's ride, but did not mind his subsequent late race decision to pull Big Brown up.  It makes me just as sick to see the "curtain" brought onto the track to put down a top class race horse like Eight Belles, Pine Island, etc as it does a $10K claimer.  I still remember the BC Distaff in 2006.  I was in attendance.  I had $200 to win on Round Pond & had her wheeled in an all-Round Pond-all pick 3, but couldn't have cared less.  I stopped watching the race and turned my attention to the 2nd turn when they had to put Pine Island down.  Nobody with a humane bone in their body or any type of respect or love for horse racing likes to see that.

If Desourmeaux really thought the horse was injured he would have immediately stopped the horse and not jogged him to the wire.  Did Kent D. really think something was wrong?  If you go by his post race comments, NO!!  He never suspected anything.  When asked if he felt at any time during the race that anything was wrong with the horse, he quickly replied, "NO".  However, to that, I still don't mind his decision.  The horse was not going finish in the money, so KD didn't deprive the betting public of a superfecta, super high five or whatever gimmick bet they have now, which unfortunately is what most people care about.  But, here is a little info for some to digest.  I seem to remember either earlier this winter or late last fall when Russell Baze was using the whip on a horse who won a maiden race and then shortly after the wire collapsed with an injury and had to be euthanized.  Baze took all kinds of heat from the animal rights activists, general public, etc.  When Baze was asked if he thought anything was wrong with the horse, he also said "NO", but yet still apologized and stated how he loved horses & wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt one.  Same thing can be said for Gabriel Saez this year with Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby.

I guess my point is that even though KD didn't think anything was wrong with Big Brown, the jockeys aren't always right.  It's best to take the safe route.  Horses can break down even when the jocks don't think there is a thing in the world wrong with them.  So, when Big Brown ran such a terrible race which was uncharacteristic for him, even though KD didn't think anything was wrong, he did the right thing by pulling him up.  KD didn't "cheat" the public out of a possible gimmick bet payout and I'm willing to bet IEAH doesn't care about losing $30K for possibly finishing 5th with so much more to be made in the breeding shed.

In summation, very bad ride by KD until his final decision to pull Big Brown up.  

Finally, like I stated in an earlier post, I'm not a Big Brown fan at all due to his connections, not any fault of the horse.  It's a shame that his finish in the Belmont is how we will remember him because it will be his last race, but he will still be around for life after the track and that is always a good thing.  I still haven't heard from draynay.  Maybe the bridge jumper went jumping.  

Oh yeah I forgot to mention I raised a couple to. One couldn't run a jump so I sold her to a paint horse guy. The other one made 100,000$ lifetime.He did it the hard way bottom claimer. He retired this year at 11 years old and lives with my inlaws(spoiled rotten).Okay I've calmed down now,my husband is laughing at me but I still stand by my comments from yesterday and today.

Just one more thing I would like to add.  Big Brown, as I have previously stated, is a truly talented racehorse.  There is no doubt he is good, but I stress, he is only good.  Unfortunately, I don't think he will race beyond the Belmont, so we will never get to know if he was great.  Just like we will never get to know if Afleet Alex, Smarty Jones, Point Given, etc. were going to be great, not just good.  Unfortunately for most racing fans today, the only way you get to truly follow the career of a racehorse and see him run more than 8 to 10 times is if he is a gelding or lower level horse.  Far too many talented colts are retired way too soon because of their potential value in the breeding shed.  To that, I say I truly hope to get to see Big Brown run a few more times.  He is a talent that horse racing needs on the track, not in the breeding shed.  At least run one more time so he can meet Curlin and Curlin can run him off his feet (No pun intended).

I think that something was bothering Big brown his left hind looked off to me and he and KD never seemed to be one like they usually are. I think KD did the right thing slowing him up something was wrong. Just like when Lawyer Ron did poorly in the Derby last year and Gayego this year. Something was off with Big brown and hopefully we will find out what.

I know what you are saying ... it was downright unnatural to see Big Brown finish at nearly a walk. But, with tying up, it is critical to slow the horse as quickly as possible, not just gallop out. But, that might not have been the problem at all, who knows. I hope it really was nothing and that he can come back and race this year.

I love the blog -- keep up the good work!

Jason, I think that infraction is called "failure to perservere on your mount" and if my memory serves me , I think a jock in Louisiana was suspended for that very thing one or 2 years ago.

I agree with many/most of the comments. Let's admit Kent freaked out under the glare of Triple Crown pressure. He rode a pathetic race. Why didn't he use the whip even once before "freaking" and throwing the race? If there's still no responce then RIDE HIM OUT.

In his poor demonstration of class Dutrow can be a good example for all of us. Be grateful for your good fortune, demonstrate humility when fate smiles on you positively, and face the ups and the downs equally.

I hope that BB runs again...perhaps a match-up against Curlin could be one for the ages and salvage the Horse's connections some character.

Oh heck, why not one more post.  This one I couldn't refuse.  Someone earlier posted that Dutrow was saddling a horse in the 12th race, he is more concerned about his horses and that is the reason he wasn't at the postrace press conference.  Please forgive me if I didn't directly give you credit for that one, but I don't think so.  I know this is from another website, but this is exactly from an article on that website..."Big Brown walked around the shed row at Barn 2 on Sunday morning with exercise rider Michelle Nevin. Dutrow took the morning off. He was not at Belmont Park nor at Aqueduct."  Wow, I guess maybe it's just me, but of all the mornings to take off, this one just happened to be the morning after your foregone conclusion, Godzilla, not an issue babe of a horse finishes up the track in the most important race to date of his career.  I think Michelle Nevin is an excellent horseman or I guess in this case horsewoman.  If she is good enough to look after Big Brown the day after the Belmont, why wasn't she good enough to saddle your horse in the 12th race yesterday so you could face the media?  I know, he owed it to the owner's of the horse in the 12th race & I'm sure that was what was on his mind at the time, right?  Dicky D, you're going to have to face the media sometime, why not do it now instead of later.  

Don't blame Big Brown; blame the jockey and whatever instructions he was given. The horse was keen to keep going. The jockey was up on him, never letting him run. When he asked, the horse was tired of fighting and confused. I'll save my verdict until the Travers, if he runs. Many horses have outrun their pedigrees. Secretariat's sire did not sire long distance runners; the stamina came from the dam. Same case as Big Brown. His dam is the key to his stamina. Brownie has pedigree to spare; he just needs a different trainer and Edgar Prado aboard.

Someone made the comment "great job

by NYRA". Great job at what?

The fans were treated like a herd of cattle. The toilets didn't work,

there was water all over the floor.

The advertised handicapping seminar was nowhere to be found-it

was moved from its previous place to an undisclosed location, and no

NYRA employee could help the hapless fans wandering around trying to find it. Worst of all,

at the end of the big race there

was a massive crush at the door-it

probaly took 30 min. to get through; came to find out the track

had put up a chain link fence at the exits, forcing tens of thousands of people through a long

narrow bottleneck and causing a dangerous jamb-up of people in 95-

degree heat. If there had been a fight or any kind of panic, the NYRA could have had a huge tragedy on its hands-unconscionable and incompetent! You had a dangerous

situation, hundreds and hundreds

of cops on the site, and yet no crowd control!

For those who say that Big Brown is the best of a bad or mediocre crop of three-year olds, keep in mind that Da' Tara's sire Tiznow didn't start until April of his three-year-old year, didn't compete in any Triple Crown races, yet broke his maiden at a 1 1/16 miles, and raced against and defeated older horses, most notably in the Breeders' Cup Classic.  He raced 9 times between April and October of 2000, and along the way he defeated Giant's Causeway, Captain Steve, Lemon Drop Kid, Albert the Great, Cat Thief, Commendable, Lemon Drop Kid, Dixie Union, Ecton Park, General Challenge, Sir Bear, Vision and Verse, Gander, and River Keen.  As a result, he was named three-year-old champion and Horse of the Year.

It's probably unlikely that we have not yet seen this year's three-year-old champion, but it could be that there's a slow developing horse that we're just beginning to notice who could become a superstar.  (Not that it's necessarily Da' Tara.)  So I'm refraining from judging the quality of the crop for now.

Marsha have you ever seen a racehorse tyed up?You got one of the most respected vets in the business saying that the horse was okay.Do you think maybe he would have noticed that? I watched on TV as he was led back thru the tunnel and he was moving fine.Horses suffering from the heat/tying up stagger and go down sometimes.He wasn't in distress at any time.

I was going to read all 115 posts to make sure I didn't duplicate anything, but after the comment someone made about "sending Big Brown to Three Chimneys where someone cares!" I had to skip to the bottom. We are in a worse position than I thought if the fans think the best thing to do with a horse like Big Brown is send him off to make more OTTB rescues with bad feet as quickly as possible.

I really enjoyed the interview ABC did with Bill Mott(a class-act that Dutrow could learn a thing or two from) about his training Boundary. The reporter wisely asked him if Boundary had bad feet, he said "yes" and later mentioned how BB's bad feet were "apparently hereditary." Now, I realize he is no vet, but you understand what he's saying.

I'm not referring to quarter cracks,those happen all the time. They probably didn't happen as much 50 years ago but again, that's the breeding situation we are in. I'm talking about hoof wall separation that can set a horse back a month, 3 months, 6 months, etc. Besides the other factors that contribute to horses not lasting as long these days, i.e. riding yet-developed yearlings and two-year-olds, drugs, etc., the "gene pool" as they say continues to be contaminated year after year.

Yes, let's just send Big Brown to the breeding shed because we want to continue to pass on this hoof problem to 80, maybe 100 more foals every year and see how many of them actually end up at the track and viable racing prospects.

No hoof, no horse. The only hope is that some of these horses that people can't wait to breed and perpetuate unsoundness, will be sterile.  

I wouldn't be so fast to assume we won't see Big Brown again on the race track.  I can't imagine three chimneys being able to get a $100k stud fee for him after than performance, which is what they need to pay off on the deal they struck before the preakness.  The only way to get the demand for BB in the breeding shed back up there in the 75k to 100k range is for BB to come back, run as he has in the past (other than the Belmont), beat older horses, and maybe even take a stab at Curlin.  Few mares will be sent to an exhorbitantly priced stallion who got hot for three races and proved to be unsound and incapable of handling contact.

finally, i was a BB fan, but Draynay needs to come face the music.

Yeah, Jason, you're right to an extent.  I haven't forgotten that, which I why I think it's unfortunate. I also had a little sarcasm in that statement because everyday it seems like there is another gimmick bet added to the card.  It started 30 years ago with exactas and has snowballed from there.  Now we have Super Hi Fives, Over/Under at Churchill (which is absolutely useless), Place 8, etc.  Ah, the days of just win-place-show are long gone.  What's next, pick the order of finish from last to first?  Unfortunately, I disagree that it is the only reason that racing exists.  It has helped increase purses along with slots for some tracks, that's for sure, but even without gimmick betting, it would still exist.  Gamblers are still gamblers and they would still wager their money somewhere like back into the win-place-show pools.  Also, gimmick betting isn't what attracts new people to horse racing.  Most novices don't even know what a Pick 6 is.  Let me ask you a question, since you are a horse racing fan, would you still play the races if it was only win-place-show?  Rhetorical question, don't answer.  I still like your articles though.  

I wish that this blog had been what appeared in most newspapers and outlets that the general public read.  (Let's face it, the general public ain't shelling out the cash to read the industry's publications)  Then perhaps racing would receive the respect it deserves and receive fair criticism instead of being painted as a bunch of unscrupulous hooligans.  

Whether we liked the outcome or not, the Belmont yesterday tipified the drama and suspense, the highs and lows that is racing.  As we watched BB swerving and shaking his head and running wide, didn't we all hang on to the edges of our seats for a moment wondering whether or not he could overcome the ride?  Didn't we all talk about whether it was a deliberate move to push BB out to the middle of the track?  Haven't we spent hours debating whether easing BB was in the best interest of the horse or a violation of rules?

But instead of reading a quality discussion of the race and all of it's elements, I was forced to read articles that were obviously written by folks who were not very well educated on the sport.  I looked and looked to find a discussion of KD's contraversial ride.  Every article painted it as if BB had a story book trip and just decided to walk at the end on his own.  Who can blame the general public for getting a bad view of racing when the articles they see can't discuss the sport in an exciting and educated fashion?  Good writers can show the general public the drama that is racing and bring respect back to the sport.  Racing has a lot more depth and things to think about than just who crossed the finish line first.  The public needs to know this or eventually the PETA-folks will get enough people to think that our sport needs to be shut down.

I am pretty much writing this from memory without going back into the past performances, but if I remember correctly, Dutrow was only able to work Big Brown 2 works before his comeback allowance race in Florida. He then "cranked him" pretty good for the Florida Derby with a sharp 57 work. Eased him back a little after the Florida derby and then hit him pretty good with a 58 work  just before leaving Florida for Kentucky. Wins the K Derby and then doesn't do much between the K Derby and the Preakness. Wins the Preakness "geared down" and then a quarter crack is discovered. He can't do a whole heck of alot with him during the three weeks before the Belmont other than some gallops and a 5f work. My belief is that this horse was and is so talented that maybe the needed foundation work was thought to be not as nescessary as you would do with less talented horses. Combine this with the heat and humidity on race day, it just might be that the horse just didn't have what was needed to be his best. Last point. I don't know Dutrow and his team, so what I have just laid out might be BS, but as a former long distance runner, I was never able to do my best when I was not able to "train up" to race properly.

Wanda -- yes I have, and there are varying levels of tying up, ranging from very mild to fatal. I am not saying definitively that he did, I was using it as an example to show that there are problems which can arise during a race which are not readily apparent, even right after the race. The horse did not look 100% right to me (on TV and 1500 miles away, mind you). If it happened it should show up in the blood work. Dr. Bramlage is extremely knowledgable but he also did not do a complete work-up on the horse in the ten minutes following the race.

A great article!  I have nothing against Big Brown, but I was rooting against him winning the Triple Crown.  For me, the announcement of the breeding deal before the Preakness did it.  Yes, I know that is the way of the sport these days, but I don't want to be a fan of a horse that will be retired before the year is out.  I also don't think that a horse that will end his career with less than 10 starts deserves the TC.  Sorry, I am a fan of the sport.  The TC is supposed to be a measure of a champion, and a champion is proven through actually racing.  I am not so desperate for a TC that I will root for just any horse to win it.  As far as changing the spacing of the races, give me a break!  Earlier winners of the TC won races in between the 3 TC races.  Let's not change the test to fit the weaker breeding; let's change the breeding to fit the test.

As far as everyone giving Jason trouble for criticizing KD on easing up BB, quit babying the rider and the horse.  KD didn't have to whip him and ask him for all that he had, but he could have let him run to the wire.  He admitted that he didn't think anything was wrong when he eased him.  By your way of thinking, there were 3 other horses that should have pulled up.  Purse distribution stopped with the 5th-placed horse, so I guess anyone who sees that they are out of the running for 5th or better should just pull up?  Racing relies on betting to help fund it.  Part of the point of riding the horse out to the wire is so bettors looking at past performances when handicapping get an idea of the horse's ability level.  BB should not be exempt from this just because he is BB.

Jason, Thanks for your well-thought out response. Initially, I thought you were being a bit harsh on Desormeaux, but after re-watching the race a few times, it seems like he was trying to have it both ways - BB wasn't hurt, but he was trying to protect the horse. You simply can't have it both ways. Either you suspect the horse is hurt (whether he is or not) and pull him to a complete stop, forfeiting the race...or you ride him as best you can to the finish. Desormeaux's pulling-up of BB gave the public the wrong message, especially when it was obvious BB was fighting him.  The horse obviously wanted to run.

Of course, had Dr. Bramlage discovered an injury at the end of the race, we'd all be eating our words.

Sadly, BB's poor performance yesterday makes me wonder just how much impact the Winstrol had on his previous races. Whether it was the heat or the lack of training, BB was suffering from the lack of it.

Whoever commented on Dutrow's "Godzilla" remark, I completely agree. That was absolutely classless of him. And his comment on John Servis put me over the edge. The man has no respect whatsoever for his competitors. If BB does ever run against Curlin, I hope Curlin shows him what a great horse truly is.

Finally, all hail Nick Zito, the Giant Killer! Now there's a class act. After that wire-to-wire win, I'm going to be keeping my eye on Da'Tara. I love that he was named after Edmond Dantes in Dumas' classic.

Finally, I'm skeptical about BB coming back, but I hope Iavarone sticks to his word and we see BB in the Travers later this fall.

Karen,

I really think that when it came to the Belmont, Dutrow did get nervous.  It was very hot and humid, yes, but he was completely soaked.  I didn't see anyone else that was wet like that.  I think that when it came down to the actual race, he was really nervous.  It was not a slam to him.  I just don't think he was that confident on race day.  After all, that was the biggest race of the 3.

As much as I would have liked to see the Triple Crown won, I'm not at all disappointed. The connections have ruined it for me. Dutrow's "foregone conclusion" commnets were uncalled for. It just shows what little class he has. As for what caused this failure, it goes back to the quarter crack because he couldn't train properly. Big Brown needed 2 to 3 timed workouts to be fit enough, Dutrow knew it and kept saying he could train him up to the race off gallops, bullshit. The horse ran out of gas and Kent knew it when he asked him to go and got no response. Every horse passed him into the stretch, his race was over, don't risk injury ease him up and canter home maybe to race again. And on a second note I didn't see any positive comments from PETA, oh I forgot no horse died, that's the only time those over-the-top jerks come out thumping their chests.

I do not think the race was fixed.  I don't see how it could be in the highest level of racing.  It's too easy to detect.  I do know that there has been race fixing, certainly, but I haven't heard of anything like that in quite some time.  I remember once jockey was accused using an electric shock device on a horse that he didn't even have!  Wasn't that when War Emblem was racing?  I don't remember.  Does anyone else?

NOBODY was rooting for IEAH or Dotrow. The media including The Bloodhorse, DRF and EVERYONE else, with the exception of The PTI Boys and The Around The Horn folks, gave Dutrow a pass.  If that was Jeff Mullins, the horse racing media would have strung him up and hung him before the race.  Kent D is the LAST person at fault here. Dutrow and the wannabe mafia folks in IEAH got JUST what they deserved and I hope Three Chimneys thinks twice before writing those wimps a check.

The best thing to happen out of all of this is that Big Brown is not injured.  He is healthy and looks good.  I can't see blaming anyone for the loss, certainly not Kent.  I just don't think it was in the cards.  It may have been the horse couldn't stand the heat and if that's so, he shouldn't race in the heat.  The others had no problem.  BB showed himself to be a wonderful horse and competitor

and it would be really nice to see him run again but it is doubtful.  Too bad.  It would have been nice to see him develop more as he is only 3 and has some maturing to do.  I think the rest of the crop is just developing slower.  He certainly is a beautiful animal and very nice to watch.  But then, I think they are all beautiful and to watch them run fully extended is thrilling.  I think most of us have a passion for the horse not the odds.  I went to the Kentucky Horse Park several years ago and was struck by the huge picture there of horses running as you go in that has a caption that reads "Thou shalt fly without wings".  It gave me chills because it so true.  Thanks to everyone for such compelling posts and ideas.  It is good to see how others feel and think and nice to know that horses are important to  you.

Ok, Davio1: "time to reexamine the length between Triple Crown races"???!?!?!  Are you crazy??  Why would you change the standard of greatness?  If you start "reexamining" as you say, it's rubbing mud in the face of the TRUE greats of the past and lowering the standards of racing to the petty breeding habits of today.  "sa", if you are reading this, thank you for your posts - you sound like a breeder with their head on straight - I thank you for that!  But seriously Davio1, start looking into why today's Thoroughbred isn't winning the Triple Crown.  It's a wake-up call for us dude, not a request to change our standards for a softer, more fragile breed!  Get Real!  Don't disgrace the greats of the past!  Learn from our tendencies to overmedicate and baby our horses - LEARN FROM HISTORY!  Come on Jason, back me up!!  

Marsha,Marsha,Marsha I stand corrected.Yes bloodwork will take awhile.Sorry I was still worked up over the show horse lady's comments.

One last thought:  I don't think a triple crown win will save racing.  Certainly it creates a lot of media buzz but the only people who really know what it means are the people who are diehard racing fans like the people on this blog.  Horse racing use to be big, it was covered a lot in the newspapers and television and they stopped that.  Even on ESPN's website, it's under other.  It's not looked upon as a big sport any longer.  There has to be a way to bring it back.  Maybe stop the year-round racing.  It didn't used to be all year.  I think there are things that can be done and certainly the idustry is trying to work something out.  I believe the movie "Seabiscuit"  was a big help and that was followed by Smarty Jones's remarkable 3 year old year and a possible triple crown.  That was exciting.  The movie showed people about what goes on in horse racing and they liked it.  It needs more exposure and fewer breakdowns.

JMark,

The Champman's retired Smarty after the Belmont and got $100,000 stud fee.  It's about risking injury and another possible loss.  He also stands at Three Chimneys.

I'm telling you that something does not add up with the Belmont race I watched.  For a month we have heard Dutrow talk about his horse being from another planet.  After the Derby, they had a camera on Dutrow and I heard him say "they can't beat this horse"  Well, after seeing the Florida Derby, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness you would kind of have to agree with him.  Big Brown not only won those races, he destroyed the competition.  Now, we ask how did BB do that?  Well, the answer is clear-they let the horse run!!  The Belmont I saw, they didn't let the horse run!!  As the race unfolded, I could hardly believe my eyes!  I watched the replay over and over again and it was so clear that Kent D. wasn't letting him run!  Everytime BB made a move, Kent would check him.  After being checked a number of times, and then being asked to move, BB probably said no way.  Now if BB was this super horse, then why would Kent D. keep checking him and not let him run?  Remember Secretariat's Belmont?  They let him run, and run he did.  Did Kent D. get instructions to do this or was that the worst ride in the history of thoroughbred racing?  How on earth could Da'Tara lose to BB by 23 lengths and then beat BB by that huge margin?  I'm sure Da'Tara is a fine horse, but to destroy BB the way he did certainly does not make sense.  I know it wouldn't make any sense for his connections to want BB to lose the Belmont, but the Belmont I saw, sure left alot of serious questions in my mind.  It was either the worst strategy by a trainer in the history of mankind or the worst ride I have ever witnessed.

Anybody think this race might have been fixed? It wouldn't be the first time in New York.

MonicaV- He sure sounded confident! Here is the interview in the paddock "Mr. Dutrow, can you guarantee a win?" (stupid reporter, its horseracing!) "Yes, i can." he answered.

As far as BB's performance, all i can say is i knew that he could not do the Belmont. keep in mind, i'm trying not to be cocky. I knew he could easily win the Derby. (i even bet on him)I knew he would breeze by the preakness, but i knew the Belmont would beat him. Dutrow has never trained a Belmont horse, so he didn't really know what he was getting into. But he was still cocky. I really don't like dutrow. I did when he had Saint Liam, and benny the bull, but i don't (and didn't) like his sportsmanship. (As many have you seen me putting my two sense in when it comes to him and BB)

I seriously don't think it was Kent's fault (Before the final turn) But easing BB was, well, unusual? BB obviously didn't like the rail, and being boxed in. he wouldn't settle.

Thanks jshandler for the blog!  i like hearing others' opinions and seeing things i didn't see.....

Monica V when you were at the Horse Park did you see the horse they had there that was in the Seabiscuit movie or had he been put down by then. The reason I'm asking is cause my husband and I trained him years before for a friend of ours. His name was I Two Step Too.

Getting a horse that just recovered with bad feet to race 3 huge races in 5 weeks proved to be too much. He was taken out of his routine with the crack in his hoof again and I think he was tired.  In this day and age they are throwing a bunch of fresh 3 year olds at you and Kent looked a bit scared.  Go to the lead don't let horses cut in front and dictate the race to you and take you 6 wide.  It was a very poor performance and tugging on the horse for the first quarter mile just kind of took his spirit away... or so it seemed ... he was the only horse in the race running each Triple Crown race and maybe he was just tired or the foot didn't feel well..and I am sure it didn't help that it was 94 degrees. We will never know because horses can't talk. But I will take a healthy fresh Big Brown over any horse alive.  When he runs again I will have all my money on his nose to win. The nectar from the Derby and Preakness was so sweet...and the pill from Belmont so bitter...but that's life huh...

Why dump on Kent for "pulling up a healthy horse"? There was no way Kent could have known the hose was okay when he eased him. Just because Bg Brown wasn't lame didn't mean something else wasn't wrong. On the same card, in an earlier race, another horse had to be treated for heat exhaustion. That can kill. Kent made the safe choice. If Big Brown has been urged on and then fallen in the stretch, everyone would have been castigating Kent the same way the jockey of Eight Belles was criticized. It was extremely hot and humid, and Kent made a decision to save the horse. Big Brown might not have been diagnosed as healthy today if Kent hadn't eased him  when he did. I say kudos to a rider who acted in the horse's best interest.

I was hospitalized last Wednesday with an inflamed gall bladder, was finally released about 2 pm Saturday gall bladderless and got home just in time to see Big Brown fail miserably in his attempt at an automatic berth in the Hall of Fame. Instead he became the first Triple Crown wannabe to finish last in the Belmont. I’m not sure he finished last since Kent Desormeaux eased him in the stretch and I don’t know that he ever actually crossed the finish line. Doesn’t really matter. Sent off as the 3/20 overbet favorite, the UPS poster boy was rank early and just had nothing when Desormeaux asked him to run turning for home. The big question is “What on earth happened?” This was not even supposed to be a horse race, but the coronation of the greatest thing to run in New York since the immortal Colin. Well, there are many possible reasons for this spectacular failure.

1) The detention barn. For some reason NYRA thinks it’s a good idea to gather all the Belmont runners in one barn about 6 hours before the race. Never mind that horses are creatures of habit, and even more than I, they love a routine. The only item not on their normal daily agenda they probably don’t mind is if someone slips them an extra treat. Hey! That is just like me. This detention barn disrupts their normal routine, and as was shown on ESPN, Big Brown was clearly unhappy with being uprooted and stuck in his detention stall. Yet those same geniuses who had been commenting that this could be cause for concern as it happened were strangely silent about it in their postmortems. At least I didn’t hear it mentioned after the race.

2) The heat. I understand the Belmont temperature was about 98 degrees. I also understand that it was 93 degrees. No. it was 96 degrees. In short, our brilliant news teams can’t even read a digital thermometer. Would someone please tell me just what was the actual temperature on the track? I suspect that if the air temperature was in the upper 90s, the temperature at track level was probably in the 100s. That’s bad enough. But almost all these horses are routinely dosed with 3) Lasix.

Whatever alleged medical benefit Lasix provides horses is more than offset by its routine application and the simple truth that it is a diuretic. Diuretics cause dehydration and are not exactly a good idea on a hot muggy late spring afternoon. In the interest of full disclosure, I too am a Lasix abuser as I receive a daily dose of the junk for some reason my personal physician considers medically valid. Like a dope, I just go along. However, it has not diminished nor enhanced my athletic prowess one iota, though I have not had a nose bleed since I started its use.

4) Steroids. Big Brown trainer Rich Dutrow made a huge point out of the fact that his bay marvel was routinely dosed with Winstrol on the 15th of every month. In an effort to prove that it was the horse’s natural ability honed by his excellent training skills, not the drugs that enabled Big Brown to perform so wondrously in THE DERBY and the Preakness, Dutrow made a big point of letting the world know that Big Brown was not doped on May 15th and essentially ran steroid free in the Belmont. Instead Dutrow scored a touchdown for those who maintain that anyone with a pharmacy account can crank out winning racehorses. Just maybe the only skill required to ready Big Brown for his Triple Crown attempt was knowing how to properly measure out the monthly dose. Would someone please tell me why Dr. Larry Bramlage, an NBC race commentator is such a highly respected veterinarian? According to the St. Petersburg Times (www.tampabay.com/.../article607863.ece)  Bramlage doesn't view steroids as an issue and sees no comparison between usage by humans and horses. He goes so far as to insist that steroids are used to build sprinters not distance athletes. If that is true why is the greatest human endurance event in the world “The Tour de France” plagued with doping violations including growth hormone and steroids? Would the good doctor welcome a public audit of his Lasix/steroid cash flow? That might reveal more than those of us “who can’t understand it” (the steroid issue) need to know. If drug abuse is such a positive for horses why do most racing countries outside the United States prohibit such free-wheeling drug use? Are all those veterinarians just more stupid than Bramlage?

5) Conditioning. After the Belmont, Desormeaux said words to the effect that he thought the 11 Triple Crown Champions were freaks. Well, we know that Secretariat certainly was a freak given his incredible heart size, but as far as the others are concerned, I’m not so sure. Certainly they were very good horses capable of meeting the only requirement made of a Triple Crown Champion: win 3 distinct races against other horses born about 3 years earlier, no matter how talented they might be. Some had to beat very talented horses: Citation was threatened by Coaltown, Secretariat had to get by Sham (keep in mind that Sham ran the 2nd fastest Kentucky Derby in history, may have repeated this feat in the Preakness, though that mark has since been beaten, and prompted that incredible pace that brought about Secretariat’s defining moment - the 2:24 he ran in the 1973 Belmont, while Affirmed was constantly harassed by Alydar. None of these had the luxury of handpicking the competition. They simply beat whatever else lined up against them in the Triple Crown races.

Let’s consider these freakish 11. The questions I asked are how often did they race at 2. Beginning in April of their 3 year old campaign how many times did they race and how often through that year’s Belmont. How much purse money was in those kitties starting with their first April race and culminating with their Belmont victory. Some time after Citation’s day, total purse money was no longer given in Daily Racing Form’s Past Performances. This might have coincided with the advent of graded stakes. So to get an idea of the money involved I consulted the “2007 Thoroughbred Times Racing Almanac” which lists the value to the winner for many of the Graded Stakes. For the 11 Triple Crown winners I used the Past Performances published in the highly recommended Champions 2000 © by Daily Racing Form. For Big Brown I used the official results published by Equibase and the Past Performances from Brisnet.com. I tried to get it right, but my gut hurts so much I may have made more than a few errors. I regret these.

1) Sir Barton (b 1916 by Star Shoot (Isinglass) out of Lady Sterling (Hanover)) raced 6 times as a 2 year old, Won the Kentucky Derby 5/10/1919 (not the first Saturday May), won the Preakness 5/14/1919 on 4 days rest. Won the Withers 5/24/1919 (just 10 days later) and the Belmont 6/11/1919 on a whopping 18 days rest. The total value of these 4 races was $77,000. Awarded the Triple Crown afterwards as it was not even a concept until someone noticed during Gallant Fox’s run that Sir Barton had accomplished the feat 11 years prior.

2) Gallant Fox (b 1927 by Sir Gallahad III (Teddy) out of Marguerite (Celt)) raced 7 times as a 2 year old. Won the Wood Memorial 4/26/1930. Won the Preakness 5/9/1930 on 13 days rest. Won the Kentucky Derby 5/17/1930 on 8 days rest (not only not the 1st Saturday in May but officials back then were evidently not yet smart enough to know the correct running order of the 3 classics). Won the Belmont 6/7/1930 on 21 days rest. The total value of these 4 races was $211,000.

3) Omaha (b1932 by Gallant Fox (Sir Gallahad III) out of Flambino (Wrack)) raced 9 times at 2. Won an allowance race 4/22/1935. Finished 3rd in the Wood Memorial on 4/27/1935 5 days later. Won the Kentucky Derby 5/4/1935 (on the 1st Saturday in May) with a week’s rest. Won the Preakness 5/11/1935 with a week’s rest. Finished 2nd in the Withers 5/25/1935 on 2 week’s rest. Won the Belmont 6/8/1935 on 2 week’s rest. The total value of these 6 races was $148,000.

4) War Admiral (b1934 by Man O’ War (Fair Play) out of Brushup (Sweep)) raced 6 times at 2. Won an allowance 4/14/1937. Won the Chesapeake 4/24/1937 on 10 days rest. Won the Derby 5/8/1937 15 days later though not on the 1st Saturday in May. Came back a week later to grab the Preakness. Then rested an incredible 3 weeks, took the Triple Crown 6/5/1937. Total value of these 4 races was $175,000.

5) Whirlaway (b1938 Blenheim II (Blandford) out of Dustwhirl (Sweep) raced 16 times at 2. In February 1941 raced twice. In March 1941 raced 2 times. Won a Keeneland Handicap 4/11/1941. Came back to place in the Blue Grass 4/24/1941 (13 days rest). Placed in the Derby Trial 5 days later 4/29/1941. Won the Derby 4 days later 5/3/1941. Won the Preakness the next weekend 5/10/1941. Won an allowance 10 days later 5/20/1941. Then captured the Belmont rested 18 days 6/7/1941. Total value of these 6 races was $208,900.

6) Count Fleet (b 1940 by Reigh Count (Sunreigh) out of Quickly (Haste)) raced 15 times as a 2 year old. Won an allowance race 4/13/1943. Won the Wood Memorial 4/17/1943 on 4 days rest. Took the Derby 2 weeks later 5/1/1943 and the Preakness the following Saturday 5/8/1943. Afraid his horse would go stale before the Belmont Don Cameron brought him back 2 weeks later to capture the Withers. He completed his Crown campaign with a magnificent Belmont victory winning by 25 lengths in a time of 2:28.2, quick enough to win the 2008 edition, in spite of 65 years of selective breeding with the objective of improving the thoroughbred. Total value of these 6 races was $222,000.

7) Assault (b1943 Bold Venture (St. Germans) out of Igual (Equipoise)) raced 9 times at 2. Won the Experimental Free Handicap #1 4/9/1946, the Wood Memorial 4/20/1946 11 days later, was 4th in the Derby Trial 4/30/1946 10 days later. Won the Derby 5/4/1946 rested a whole 5 days. Took the Preakness 5/11/194 rested an entire week. And completed his Crown 3 weeks later 6/1/1946. Total value of these 6 races was $409,000.

8) Citation (b1945 by Bull Lea (Bull Dog) out of Hydroplane II (Hyperion)) raced 9 times as a 2 year old. Raced 4 times during February of his 3 year old season. Finished 2nd to childhood hero Carry Back’s sire Saggy in the Chesapeake Trial 4/12/1948. Won the Chesapeake 5 days later. Won the Derby Trial 10 days later. Won the Derby 5 days later 5/1/1948. Came back after 2 weeks to take the Preakness 5/15/1948. Won the Jersey 5/29/1948 and the Belmont 6/12/1948 two weeks later. Total value of these 7 races was $476,000.

9) Secretariat (b1970 by Bold Ruler (Nasrullah) out of Somethingroyal (Princequillo)) raced 9 times as a 2 year old. At 3 won the G-3 Bay Shore 3/17/1973. Won the G-2 Gotham 4/7/1973 earning $33,330. Lost the G-1 Wood Memorial to stablemate Angle Light 4/21/1973 14 days later who earned $68,940. Won the Kentucky Derby 14 days later 5/5/1973 earning $155,050. Won the Preakness 2 weeks later 5/19/1973 earning $129,900. Culminated the first successful Triple Crown campaign since Citation with his stunning in every sense of the word blow-your-mind triumph 6/9/1973 when like yesterday’s winner, but much faster, he led at every call earning a whopping $90,120. Total value of these 5 races to their winners $477,340. This Belmont is still the standard of greatness I use when measuring every other thoroughbred. I suggest that those who can’t quite grasp its brilliance read Bill Nack’s account of that day in his classic “Secretariat: The Making of a Champion” Copyright © 1975, 2002 William Nack, and buy the DVD “The Life & Times of Secretariat, An American Racing Legend” © 2006 Secretariat.com. His time of 2:24.0 still stands as the American (and World) record for the distance on dirt.

10) Seattle Slew (b1974 by Bold Reasoning (Boldnesian) out of My Charmer (Poker)) raced 3 times as a 2 year old. At 3 won 2 races in March 1977 including the G-1 Flamingo. Won the Wood Memorial 4/23/1977 28 days after his Flamingo score earning $66,180. Won the Kentucky Derby 14 days later 5/7/1977 earning $214,700. Won the Preakness 2 weeks later earning $138,600. Ended his undefeated Triple Crown campaign with a 4 length beat of Run Dusty Run earning $109,080. Total value to the winner of these last 4 races $528.560.

11) Affirmed (b1975 by Exclusive Native (Raise a Native) out of Won’t Tell You (Crafty Admiral)) raced 9 times when a 2 year old. Raced twice in March of 1978. Won the Santa Anita Derby 4/2/1978 (Value to winner $127,300). Won the Hollywood Derby 2 weeks later 4/16/1978 (Value to winner $174,750). Won the Kentucky Derby 5/6/1978 on 20 days rest (Value to winner $186,900). Won the Preakness 2 weeks later 5/20/1978 (Value to winner $136,200). Became the last Triple Crown Champion by winning the Belmont 6/10/1978 after a 3 week freshening (Value to winner $110,580). Total value to winner of these 5 races $735,730.

Exhibit A) Big Brown (b2005 by Boundary (Danzig) out of Mien (Nureyev)) raced once at 2. Won an allowance 3/05/2008. Won the Florida Derby 24 days later. Won the Kentucky Derby 35 days later. Won the Preakness 2 weeks later. Did not finish the Belmont 3 weeks later. Total value of these 4 races $5,211,847.

So were these triple crown Champions (other than Secretariat who definitely was) the freaks Desormeaux claims or just the best examples of the conventional wisdom of those ancient times that race horses should actually race. That’s what they do. Instead we coddle our modern champions like we’re socialites pampering our favorite yappy dogs and then act shocked when we discover that when the going gets tough they can’t get going. It seems to me that the only reason horses such as Big Brown have any success at all is that their competition is as poorly prepared as they are. Plus now we know that the myth of the Dutrow Brothers being first class horse people is just a myth. Without steroids their ponies are mere shells of their great ancestors.

Get the Jim McKay VHS “Jewels of the Triple Crown” © 1989 CBS/FOX Company and enjoy the spectacle. You’ll never see such as that again. At least as long as drugs are as easily available as gum balls and even less regulated. As long as horses are expected to earn several million from as few races as possible. Once that’s achieved, don’t risk their breeding careers by actually racing them.

Where are the tough old buzzards of yesteryear such as Discovery, Black Gold, Seabiscuit and John Henry (John, I miss you. The Kentucky Horse Park will never be quite the same). Great champions who could dig deep for that extra ounce of courage Dorothy’s Lion friend was seeking. This ability is not found in the drug vials and bottles of the modern training arsenal, but in the time honored techniques for getting a race horse fit and race ready which have been developed and honed by genuine horse people over the centuries. Folks who understood horses better than they did corporate management and politics.

Suggestions: Ban steroids other than when medically required as treatment for certain injuries and in these cases require that horses get pre-approval from a board of European veterinarians. Ban Lasix and its adjuncts, bute, and all other drugs that were illegal when Dancer’s Image was disqualified from winning the 1968 Kentucky Derby for a doping violation despite finishing first. After all, was he just another drug cheat or a pioneer of the best of modern thoroughbred training technique? And while we’re at it recognize him for winning that Derby though after 40 years it  might be a tad too late. Either that or disqualify retroactively ever horse that won the Derby on Lasix and reward that win to the highest placing horse that ran without it. If no horse raced Lasix-free give that purse money to a thoroughbred retirement fund or a fund for disabled jockeys. All 11 of our Triple Crown champions generated Past Performances that were “L”-free.

Revise the method used to determine the 20 Derby entrants from one which emphasizes earnings at the expense of actually racing. We need a system that rewards horses for being properly conditioned to withstand the rigors of the Triple Crown over those who may have simply got lucky in some big purse stakes such as Wilko who never won another race after his upset of Afleet Alex in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Revise the schedule of Derby Preps to eliminate the big gaps between races. It’s quite possible that the 5 week gap between the Florida and Kentucky Derbies did more harm to Big Brown’s Triple Crown fitness than is thought.

Finally, a sigh of relief. After comparing the records of Big Brown against those 11 racing immortals, it is quite clear that he is not worthy. Just the thought that people were mentioning him alongside the brilliant Seattle Slew has been exposed for the fraud it was. Even if he had won, he doesn’t belong. Unlike them, he’s not a race horse, just another drug addled pampered pet.

Sorry, Big Brown, you are innocent in all this. Like your ancestors, you just want to run. You know nothing about racing politics and greed. Like a true stallion you just want to lead your herd to safe haven. It’s all of us, the fans, the medical experts, the breeders, the auction companies, the race tracks, the owners and the trainers who have squandered your precious gifts from God in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. We are predators that millions of years of evolution could not equip you to handle. Saturday’s shame is ours, not yours.

Does anyone know why during the post-Belmont ceremonies, Nick Zito acted like he had just lost his best friend instead of just engineered one of the highest profile upsets in racing history? If it had been me, I would have shown even more happiness than I did when my famous surgeon said I could go home.

And finally, folks, lay off Kent Desormeaux. Unless his actions at the end of Big Brown's Belmont altered the inevitable purse distribution or cheated any bettors of the meager payouts he promised (I mean at 3/20, why all the fuss?), the racing authorities should just leave it alone. If I am ever so lucky as to own a race horse good enough to actually race I would much rather my rider err on the side of caution in similar circumstances than risk ruining the horse forever. I would hope that my trainer would only hire experienced riders with good judgement. If that rider elected to ease my horse, oh well, he'll race another day. But what if he was unable to race again. Well in Big Brown's case that's probably a moot point now, isn't it?

Not a fan of Dutrow or Iavarone either--but don't knock the horse--he didn't get a say in his owners or trainers.  Also, Kent may not have ridden the best race or made the best decisions in the race, but pulling him up WAS the right thing to do--Kent may have known he wasn't hurt bad, but he knew the horse was not himself--no way to know the reason and he did the right thing to pull him up.  Kudos to Kent for that--if they decide to punish Kent for that, he will take it like a man too--just like he did when he was willing to talk to the media--I never heard any excuses from Kent, so stop bashing him and stop bashing the horse.

All I have to say is that was the most disappointing Belmont I have ever witnessed and I'm just left feeling disgusted with the whole thing.

The precedent has been set. Sir Barton was not recognized as a Triple Crown Champion until 11 years after the fact and we are all really hungry to feast on a new one. Some are even arguing about changing how the races are run in order to make it even easier for our little babies to join the ranks of the racing elite. Those opposed say we can't alter tradition. But there are very few traditions in the Triple Crown races that date all the way back to their origins. Even the distances for all 3 classics have been altered over the years. At one time the Preakness came first. Medications such as Lasix and Bute were prohibited. All those traditions have fallen into a pile of historical trivia. So I propose a revision that will be in keeping with the tradition suggested by Sir Barton - wait until after the fact to declare the Triple Crown Champion. Simply look at all the Grade 1 races for 3 year olds run from January 1 through June 15 in a given year and in those years in which no horse won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, declare the Triple Crown Champion to be that horse which happened to win 3 of those graded stakes. In the event of more than 1 candidate emerging let the tiebreaker be number of wins in the standard Triple Crown races. If there are still ties then use lifetime earnings in a graded stakes. If there are still ties sell the title to the highest bidder with the proceeds split 50-50 between a thoroughbred retirement fund and a disabled jockey fund. So this year, Big Brown would indeed be the winner of the Triple Crown on the strength of his victories in Louisville and Baltimore this past May and his Florida Derby (G1) win. Problem solved. Aren’t you all glad I’m still awake as the painkillers haven’t kicked in just yet? My drug addled brain solves yet another vexing problem of the current state of our beloved sport.

Jshandler, I completely 100% agree with your thoughts and feelings.  I was at the Belmont, sweating it out at 6am to race to the finish line and setup camp.  When Big Brown was pulled up, BIG BROWN WAS PISSED!  He tossed his head all over the place.  He wanted to race.  He was throwing his head so violently that I thought he injured himself.  Needless to say, I felt sorrow when he crossed the finish line.  To think all the people BOO'ing were insensitive but KENT deserves every BOO thrown at him.  I think if the people in the stands knew that Big Brown was pulled up for no reason there would have been a loudest uproar heard in NY in a while.

So Big Brown Isn't so Good with out Storied's Huh But There Will be A Triple Crown Winner and it will Be Nicnor GO!

I am a very avid horseplayer and love the sport - one of the things that upsets me the most is when a horse is distressed or the most horrible situation of all, when they breakdown - I was very cautious about BB winning - did I want him to win, of course, I LOVE horse racing - did I dislike the people surrounding him - of course, I want that Triple Crown to be won but not by those type of connectios.  It was a sad day for Big Brown but was he the same horse as for the Derby and the Preakness?  I don't think so - I would have bet the farm on his as he looked for the Preakness but he look mad and distress for the Belmont and we can only guess why and let's all hope it is not because of a physical ailment.  The people that run Big Brown's life are fools and money-hungry big business just like the company I work for - let's gather around the horse - what a beautiful horse he is! and le us remember HE tired - it was the idiots that surrounded him that failed, not that beautiful, wonderful horse that should have won, only with different loveable connectinos who truly loved and admired this beautiful horse -  I wished I had him!  

I think what happened was correct for Big Brown at the time.Yeah hard to lose after you run your mouth,but that is what makes Dutrow interesting.I was convinced we would have a triple crown winner in Big Brown,but now I will stay with my gut feeling that the next triple crown winner will be Lentenor in 2010.

In my opinion, Kent is a good jockey, but after watching the race, I feel it is his fault Big Brown did not do better than he did. Kent made a judgment in the heat of the moment, and it just happened to not work out in this race.

Big Brown wanted to do more earlier and Kent held him back, I think that deterred Big Brown a lot. All the resisting around the first mile had to be tiring.

More power to Zito, I guess his quote of "they don't race on paper" came true.

Good post Jason.

I agree completely on Kent Desormeaux meriting a suspension. Some reports quote him as saying, "I couldn't be fifth." So it was win or nothing? I don't know if place and show wagering was allowed on him, but if it was, the stewards owe it to the betting public at the very least to suspend him. Big Brown not kicking in with a half-mile to run, after being shut off and shut off, was not reason to assume the worst; it looked like he was maintaining, not going forward but also not dramatically dropping back until pulled over by Desormeaux.  Straightening for home could have revived his interest; if not, okay, ease him at that point if you truly believe running him is physically damaging the horse (not just the horse's value!). Phoo on "Quit" Desormeaux.

the one time your horse really needs you and you don't show up to walk him the morning after the race.SOMETHINGS wrong and "Ricky's" at Acquduct, letting his help take all the flack for the B.S. he's been ladeling out since May.  "Man I love this horse" ...  ya, until he loses.

Big Brown deserved a much better shot at winning this race.  His trainer and jockey failed him.  Rick Dutrow and his big mouth got in the way of preparation--his camera hogging and arrogance was more important than planning to win the race--after all, it's a "foregone conclusion", right?

Racefan66, as far as his trip went--in my opinion, at least, no, Big Brown did NOT have a good trip.  Kent Desormeaux ran him into the ground uselessly trying to get him to go to the outside when all he had to do was stay on the rail, save ground and energy, and go up and challenge Da'Tara directly.  Millie Ball of HRTV commented that KD was too "fixated" on the plan to move BB to the outside. Couldn't agree more! It was obvious that the horse wanted to run right where he was--on the rail.  Pay attention to what your horse is telling you, and the heck with your plan! You remember when Secretariat won the '73 Belmont--Ron Turcotte kept him on the rail all the way, and Big Red did the rest.  In this race, no one challenged Da'Tara--he was left to run at his own pace, he stayed on the rail, and the one horse that could have forced him to run faster and very well burn out, then take over, was Big Brown.  He had the talent to do that, and KD robbed him of that chance.  By the time he was done yanking him all over the place, BB was cooked.  Brownie paid the price for an arrogant trainer and a jock who should have known better.  The horse showed more class than his humans did.  As far as pulling him up, well, KD didn't even let him finish the race.  Forget the stuff about fixing, the weather, the hoof--it was a mismanaged ride that may very well have cost Brownie the race.  He deserved better than what he got.

Kent got in trouble early and it cost BB the race.  Regarding pulling him up - the horse was clearly not himself and I agree better safe than sorry.  Remember Eightbelles - she didn't take a bad step either, until it blew up. Regarding Ricky - well, couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

I watched in the UK and Desormeaux did nothing wrong. What if he kept riding a horse who had nothing left and then broke down. This is what happened with George Washington in the Breeders Cup Classic. American Racing should be thanking him not crtiscising. He was worried the horse was suffering. Desormeaux did the right thing.

Wyoming Wind's comments gives the best explanation of why Kent had no horse left. Just look at the replays.Horses know frustration and futility also. BB was checked and moved completely outside of the battle. Pure futility to keep on trying.Message sent loud and clear to that horse-made only worse by Kent easing him home.BB has never had to be a warrior yet and now never will be given another chance. It all reeks of the smell of sore loser,spoiled brat "I'm going to take my ball home"

Maybe it was supposed to be Eight Belles and Big Brown, like Affirmed and Alydar...

Maybe winning a Triple Crown would have been a tribute to thoroughbred racing and to Eight Belles...

Maybe celebrating a Triple Crown win would have been wrong after racing lost Eight Belles in such a tragic way...

I thought Big Brown was a foregone conclusion...I really believed that.  

I am not disappointed that he was pulled up, I am just grateful that none of the horses were seriously injured.

There are probably many people like me who have loved horses for as long as they can remember.

We're the people who follow racing because it is as close to a real horse as we get.  

We're the ones who wish, and hope and dream to one day be able to own a horse.  We're the ones who would love any rescue horse they could afford to board and feed, and vet and farrier.  

I will follow the summer meets and relish the Breeder's Cup.  Will I  will follow the Triple Crown again next spring?  I don't know how I'll feel on the First Saturday in May 2009.

I do know that like baseball the Triple Crown is one of those rites of spring where hope springs eternal.  

I posted this blog to the Eight Belles memory blog.  That post was carefully prepared and written.  This one is just banged out at 5:30 a.m. before I get ready to go to work.  

In my opinion, Big Brown's loss was similar to the Titanic's sinking.  Boasts were made about Brownie's unbeatable talent such as boasts were made about the great Titanic being unsinkable.  I really wanted to see him win the triple crown, but fate played a different card, or maybe God intervened.  I hope Brown can run again.  The horse and the jockey deserve respect.  I am also sort of relieved to know that Smarty Jones remains at the top of the heap for 21st century runs.  He had a great trainer, jockey, and owners.  I believe Smarty's accomplishments were all clean and honest. I wish the best of luck in the future for Big Brown and his team.

Let's face it, only in horse racing could long time cheats & liars like Dutrow and Ivarone be allowed to participate at this level.  The problem isnt KD pulling up BB, its letting the likes of Dutrow & Ivarone get their hands on BB in the first place and being allowed to race him.

Bring back Kelso now that was a horse 5 successive Gold cups. look at the weight he had to carry. some races 2 miles. Yes im old and watched him race. Horses are soft now days just like the kids

Seeing the look of total dejection on Dutrow's face after the race was the most enjoyable moment of this year's triple crown chase.  Lesson to be learned: When you shoot your mouth off, no matter how talented your horse is, you're invinting fate, the racing gods, whatever, to come in an humble you real good.  Dutrow "guaranteeing" a win in the Belmont?  Are you kidding me?  What a complete intermingling of arrogance, disrespect to the sport and total immaturity.  Then in an additional display of no-class, Dutrow doesn't even show up to the barn the next day.  What a piece of work this guy is.  Anyway, if we didn't get a triple crown winner this year, it's hard to imagine how we ever will.  Let's face it, Big Brown had three elements that really should have played in his favor:   1) He came into the triple crown trail a much fresher horse than most triple contenders do.  He should have been well poised for the three big ones in five weeks.  2) He obviosely had terrific talent.  3) He was facing about as weak a group of rivals as you'll ever find on the triple crown trail.  

I'm just thrilled that we won't have to see any more talk about how Big Brown is one for the ages and better than Secretariat.  Give me a break... that was idiocy even before the Belmont.  He has zero excuses in the Belmont.  So what if he got bumped a little and it was a hot day.  If that was enough to beat him then thank goodness we didn't allow him into the hallowed halls of the triple crown winner.  Big Brown is a nice horse but beating up on bad rivals in slow times doesn't really qualify him for immortality now does it? I guess the most depressing part is that we won't get a chance to see him and Dutrow smashed against older horses in the Breeder's Cup.  We all know that Big Brown will be retired within the next several weeks and that will be it.  Kudos to the Curlin team for running their wonderful horse as a four year old and giving us all a chance to enjoy and appreciate him.  That team is a credit to the sport.  A stark contrast to the Iavarone and Dutrow abomination we had to sit through the past five weeks.    

For anyone defending Kent: he eased a perfectly fine horse up only because he knew he wasnt going to win.  It was a very childish move on his part, considering how long he has been in racing- he should've known better and just given Big Brown the best chance, whether it meant a win or a finish further down the list.

As for those defending Dutrow: the guy is the worst trainer I have ever seen, no matter what credentials he has under his belt.  Great trainers understand their horse and don't brag thier talents over another trainers.  They play the sport honestly, with passion- not by trying to find any way to win and being cocky.  The guy is an *** who has just been lucky enough to train horses that have been good.  But that's all he is- a lucky trainer with a really poor sense of the game.  Rather there were more Nick Zitos, Bafferts or Matzs in the sport to weed out the ones like Dutrow

As for the people that defend IEAH: to them, Big Brown was a cash cow and he flopped in the Belmont.  They will now want their money and be done with him, so I agree with Jason that Big Brown will not race again.  And I will be happy- the horse deserves better than the life he has led now, he has only done what everyone has wanted of him, even though some of it was based on really poor decisions.  IEAH will move onto their next big animal and forget about Big Brown.  They are like Dutrow- not in it for the true spirit of horse racing.

I feel that Big Brown is a great animal, just came around into the wrong hands.  Had he been with connections that really cared for the sport rather than the big bucks, maybe he would be triple crown winner, maybe not.  But we would be able to better handle his loss.

Thanks Jason for being so honest.  Keep up the good work

"Pat: Desormeaux admitted after the race he didnt think BB was injured. He said his horse just didnt have it today. There was no threat of him being injured, therefore, he should have riden the horse to the finish. "

I have to respectfully disagree, although I am far from any kind of expert on racing.  In my mind, the Eight Belles tragedy proved that there is ALWAYS a threat - even after the race is over.  I commend Kent for making the decision he did.

I don't think it was the fault of the horse or the jockey. I  think it was the arrogant trainer and connections. I would never event my horse on a quarter crack, let alone run one.

The old saying goes, "no foot no horse". Horses are prey animals and will run even if something hurts until they can't run anymore. I'm sure BB did all that he could do. Kent did the humane thing by pulling him up.  

A person I know who trades and sells horses on occasion always says, "A horse will make a liar out of you everytime".  Think before you open your mouth again Dutrow!

I agree about KD.  Wasn't his fault. His ride didn't bug me at all. The other jocks smartened up and pinned him in. Good riding. You don't hand the triple crown to a horse. He better earn it the hard way. The jocks rode as to be expected and applauded.

In regard to pulling up, I would have wanted him to pull up my horse too if he felt something wasn't right.  

I would vention most of you aren't riders or have never galloped a race thoroughbred.  Well, I have. Somedays you can just tell something isn't right even though they seem sound. It is usually a wind issue where they are breathing off. You know it when you hear it and it's generally not good. I always pulled up and called it a day.  Heat does tend to do that to certain horses so you would have to get them out super early for training while cool.

Also, he looked uncomfortable and rank the whole race (for the first time)...couple that with a wind issue that only the jock could hear and I have no problem with him being eased. He was eased not totally pulled up. He took care of his horse.

Also, I am curious....DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE WINNER WAS ON STEROIDS? It would be interesting to note for future reference.

I don't think BB being on or not being on steroids lost him this particular race. Nor, do I think it was the lost training, hoof, or a supposed bad ride.

The horse just didn't have it that day. He didn't like being boxed in. Period. People don't realize that some horses can NEVER be boxed in. They can't handle it.  For others, it's never being able to rate or never being able to be eye balled.  This could be BB achilles heel.

Have to say it again..Wasn't the jock's fault. The jock couldn't let him go as he would have run up the butt of the inside horse. Other horses pinned him in. He had to do some good bumping to finding get out a bit. Good riding all the way around from all. He was trapped. It pissed him off and he reacted poorly to not being able to handle the new race environemnt (new meaning never experienced before).  Remember, the horse has only had 6 lifetime starts. He is usually in the lead or sitting off the pace but NOT boxed in on the rail.

A Champion would have overcome all this.

He is not a champion just a very good horse. Nothing wrong with that....

Rick has always put his foot in his mouth. The racing Gods came through this past weekend at Belmont Park. This guy has never had respect for himself, how can he have respect for racing or anything?

So much talk about the ride Desormeaux gave Brownie. Not enough question about the steroids that carried Big Brown to his wins in the Derby and Preakness and were not in his system for his flop in the Belmont. I have studied the effects of steroids on athletes and one thing that is very clear is that they greatly enhance performance and the first performance after coming clean is most often a disaster. This animal ran souped up on drugs and left without them revealed his true class. Faced without his "popeye spinach" for the first time and faced with a little adversity for the first time in the early stages of the race he proved to be less than spectacular. Steroids are an issue that should be raising more questions than I see here. I believe that Desormeaux knew the possibility of the outcome without the drugs in Brownies system and that is a big part of the reason he pulled up when it became evident that without the drugs he couldn't win. It was time to try and hide the real reason and hope by pulling up it would direct attention anywhere but an investigation into the drug use. There should be a complete look into how much and how often those steroids were injected into Brownies system previously. Maybe they were already headed that direction when all of a sudden Dutrow decided to halt the use of those steroids in April. No way to measure how much had been used when the system comes up clean and I believe he was hoping the effects of the drug would carry through the Belmont. Great performances when on the drug and then he falls on his face when taken off them. That raises a red flag and is worth investigating.

The TC is supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. The HARD is what makes it great.

Patrick at Handride suggested the thumps as a reason for the poor showing.  Sounded good to me.

Big Brown looked like he flipped his palate during the beginning of the race.....couldn't get his air..

I am disappointed that Big Brown didn't win but I can't fault Kent Desourmeaux.  During the race, he did not know why Big Brown wasn't running like usual, so rather than risk a serious injury, he eased him back and avoided a possible one.  

As for your comments that we won't see Big Brown run again, I think you're very mistaken.  The connections have stated that they are pointing him to the Jim Dandy & the Travers & finally the Breeders Cup Classic.  I chose to believe that they will do that rather than think that we won't see him run again.  I think it was a combination of things that caused him to run poorly, including the high heat, the 3 races in 5 weeks and being off the Winstrol.  If Dutrow were smart (and we know he isn't) he would never have taken the horse off it half way through the Triple Crown series.  Winstrol in horses is like prednisone in people, it increases appetite, it promotes healing and muscle strength.  The only thing Prednisone in humans doesn't do is promote muscles.  Personally, as a horse woman, I do not see the problem with anabolic steriods in animals that are not going to end up in the supermarket.  It's the less informed public that has the problem with it, they hear the words "Anabolic steriods" and think of the problems that are currently going on in other professional sports and in the WWE and automatically apply that to horses, forgetting that horses weigh over 1000 lbs more than a large human and that it is metabolized differently in horses than in people.

But back to topic, we will see Big Brown again, after he has his much deserved time off.

I'd rather that Big Brown lost than Big Brown risked a serious injury.  

They say opinions are like parts of your anatomy...so here is my opinion! First of all, a grade of F- to ABC and ESPN for the coverage. More viewers tuned in then in previous years to watch and it would have been an excellent time to show off the wonderful sport of horseracing and not to showcase the trainer and jockey's personal lives. Second of all, let's not beat up Kent D too much for the ride. I don't think many of us blogging away here have been up on a horse in a Grade 1 race and had seconds to make a decision about our horse's condition. If you watch the replay you can see that something was amiss with Big Brown from the start of the race. What that something was, who knows. What we do know that is the favorite loses about 70% of the time. Welcome to horseracing, kids. I have to say I would rather see Kent ease the horse and err on the side of caution and not see another tragic accident. Finally, we as a society embrace our winners and discard our losers. Let's not discard Big Brown. He is a nice horse, maybe not the champion the sport wanted, but still an accomplished runner. I bet Michelle the exercise rider and probably the one who knows Big Brown the best loves him this morning as much as she did on Saturday morning! And so do I!

I happened to review the replay. KD tried to get BB around #6 but #7 and #8 moved in on BB in what appeared to be an attempt to box BB in. As KD tried to get BB off the rail, bumped #8. At the time BB was checked, he was dangerously close to Da'Tara's hind end. Could BB have been kicked or did KD check to avoid?

If anything could go wrong, it did.

Personally I cannot blame KD. I think he did as well as could have been expected considering what happened to BB at the start of the race.

First, Congrats to De'Tara and his connections for a great win. To see a horse peak like that at the right time is awsome.

Second, I could tell as soon as the gates opened, Big Brown was going to give Kent trouble. The horse was rank from the get-go. He was NOT happy, jerking his head around, and Kent steering him out didnt help. Pulling him up may have seemed like a humane thing to do, but it was like saying,"If I cant win, why play". At least Desormeaux spoke to the press after words, instead of stalking away like the rest of the connections. Something that bothered me was the abuse that was heaped on Michelle Nevins and the groom's heads from the peanut gallery as they took BB back to the barn. That had to be upseting, not knowing yet if something serious could be wrong with the colt that cause such a meltdown.        

I agree with everything you said EXCEPT one thing. I think Kent did the right thing. If that were my horse-and I owned, trained, rubbed and exercised them for thirty years, so I have some experience-I would much rather a rider err on the side of caution. What would everyone be saying if he kept riding and Big Brown broke down? Maybe Kent felt something that we couldn't see. Believe me, sometimes you can feel that a horse isn't right long before you can see it from the ground. The fact that no apparent injury has shown itself yet doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a problem.

Keep up the good work. I always enjoy your blog.

I am not an expert on horse racing, but these are things I do know. 1. When Kent said the horse didn't give him anything when he asked for it, that is evidence that these horses race because they want to compete and they don't race when they don't want to.

2. Steroids are legal for horses. If they make a difference for human athletes, they make a difference for equine athletes. Make them illegal all over and solve the problem.

3. All the horses made it safe through the race and a long shot won and that is what horse racing is all about.

  It's very telling when most of the comments from the public reveal "sorry about BB losing Triple Crown, but NOT sorry for Dutrow and owners".  We DO follow the human stories very closely, like in other sports, and the people in the industry have to be aware of that image and responsibility, for the survival of the game.  If Eight Belles had been trained by Dutrow instead of Larry Jones, there's no telling what worse consequenses racing might be facing right now.  Last year it was hard to drum up feelings for Curlin- the poor horse had some owners in jail, and trainer had some previous med issues, until Jess Jackson stepped up and really took control of the public image.  His classy speech at the Eclipse Awards went far to show he was very aware of positive public image, healthy marketing of racing, and still considered the horse.  The whole Dutrow story has made the Curlin one look even better. Naftzer and Borel made a great story with Street Sense, and it got Calvin an invite to the White House.  I doubt Dutow will ever make it there- bad associations make bad press- they wouldn't touch it.  

Agree with all who said:  Desormeaux was probably instructed to ease up if any problems arose- that horse has to produce 75 million dollars soon, you know!  What could Kent do?  I'm sure he had more to fear from the Iavarone connections than the stewards.  Knew Dutrow would blame everyone one, especially Kent, on the loss except himself.  It goes without saying that Kent will probably lose the ride on BB, provided the horse races again...Dutrow proved worthless by not addressing press and congratulating Zito publicly.  What a wimp!...  It's not that surprising about De Tara winning the Belmont when you consider BB was out of the race completely.  At that point, who really was the best of the rest that day?  Zito had been saying all week that the horse had been really improving, and was bred for the distance- we all, at least a little, got caught up in Dutrows big mouth...BB is better bred than Dutrow!...Desormeaux did the best he could- and had all the pressure at the time to get the job done. Kent, remember the Derby and the Preakness, and there will be more horses...Finally, get discussion going on marketing:  How does the Jockey Club stand on all the UPS advertising on the starting gate sign, the cap on the jockey, the logo on the jocks collar, etc?  Racing needs sponsers (see recent article-Final Turn in Blood Horse) so how is it to be handled?  

Thanks for reading.

Hi there,

I`m from Europe, so I just followed the TC from the distance. I have to agree, that it didn`t feel right to see BB win the TC. Too many rumours.

To me, I`d be much more excited to 2009 seeing NICANOR (hopefully) race in the TC. That would be an worthy successor of the 11.

I wonder how big the negative place/show pool was if Big Brown comes in. Perhaps given he wasn't going to win they needed him to finish out of the money. Worse yet maybe some "influential' individual needed him to win or fall out of the money to make his day.

Loose lips sink ships.  An idiotic braggart turns everyone off... even if he wins.

Dutrow should be banished to an island with Biancone.  They deserve each other.

I've owned them, bred them, raced them and loved every one of them.  I will always be suspicious of what we don't know about Big Brown's race condition.

Good Luck Mr. Clay.... sure hope you had the right contingencies in your contract.

First of all, I am not a fan of the connections or the jockey, but I was rooting for the horse. I have to say that I don't feel that Kent did anything wrong. I see the jocks at Monmouth pull up horses that arent going to get into the money all the time. Better that then a horse as important as BB hurting himself for nothing. But the only thing I will say is there is a stallion in Pa. who is smiling today. Kent,even though BB is the best horse you ever rode, Real Quiet always showed up!! In the film "A Fish Called Wanda", Wanda got her revenge. "The Fish" got his revenge too!

I am a firm believer of the racing gods and I can't help but think that there is no greater example than the 2008 Triple Crown run.

Did this sport learn anything from Barbaro 2 years ago?  While some small steps have been taken, we continue to get hung up on "studies" and "meetings" while we continue to run our horses on drugs. Shortly after the general public soon forgot about Barbaro (case in point my issues with PETA, only there for the high-profile cases, but no concern when the cameras are off).

So, I wonder if the purpose of Eight Belles short, brilliant, yet tragic time here was to give new life to the spotlight focused on the problems of the sport.  

If it were not for her breakdown, would any of us be talking about Dutrow's long and sordid record of doping horses?  I think not.   Would we be talking about the increasing weakness in the breed, that horses can't run as they used to, that all we focus on is speed, the issues surrounding the auction ring and a multitude of other issues? Doubt it.

(Although one note I'd like to make and hope everyone remembers- winning trainer Nick Zito would not comment on providing steroids to his horses this week, a sure sign that he does and a sure sign the problems go way beyond Dutrow).  

So, for three weeks we listened to Dutrow knock down all the other horses (I have no issues with complimenting your horse thinking he's the best, but why mock the others).  We listened to him mock the training of Casino Drive, tell us all the reasons Smarty Jones couldn't finish the job and then guaranteeing a win, like it was a no-brainer (how long has this guy been in racing???).  We find out the suspect history of the owners.  And we watch a $50 million  breeding contract put in place for a horse that had run 4 times spaced out with bad feet and little history to determine how sound he is (let's repeat the cycle one more time.)

Enter the racing gods.  Seems they self-corrected in so many ways, one can not actually say for sure what happened, most likely a combo of all.

The temps suddenly went from one extreme to another (ironic how it shot up that particular day), the horse is hampered by the problematic hoof issues, his training is disrupted, Dutrow changes everything out of the horses routine (to prove he was right and we were wrong that steroids don't make a difference?).  

I will not blame Kent for pulling the horse up (better safe than sorry at that point as he was not coming close to finishing in the money and I'm sure somewhere subconciously was the reminder about the hoof and Eight Belles)but I will agree that the beginning part of the race seemed to be an example of panic (I just love the Belmont, my favorite of the three as it's amazing how much strategy comes in to play that we never get to see anymore - racing please bring back more 1.5 mile races!).  But I also believe that a horse of BB's calibre can and should come over that.  Now, after sweating in a strange stall for 6 hours and getting worked up may have been too much (I felt that last workout was the tell-tale sign it was not to be).

As much as I've waited my whole life to be there to see it happen, I do feel like it was meant to be this way.  Things do happen for a reason, and I only hope BB will be around for a race or two to redeem himself in the public/betting eye and show that he is a very fine horse. You can't fault the horse for our (the sports) mis-direction or the blatant arrogance of the connections.

shamfan gave a great review of the past Triple winners and it really is amazing to see how those horses ran, not just every two weeks, but every week or days!  Because we now breed horses that are built only for speed and with weak bone, trainers have developed training programs that are just enough to get them through the first two races if lucky, but then they run out of gas for the third (quite obvious this week again).  Or after failing in the Derby they back out only to return in 5 weeks freshened and playing the spoiler.  I say bring back more longer races (with purses to incent entries, give championships to horses that stay around and prove stamina, and the breeding will follow.  

My only other comments is that I've  enjoyed reading everyone's comments, and that I can't believe Dutrow didn't even appear at the barn the following day to check on his horse (you know, the one he bragged about the past two months).

First off, I am so happy for Tiznow as a sire.  He was one of my favorites and he is  such a good source of stamina, he needs to be recognized, maybe things will begin to change.  I knew things were doomed when Dutrow guaranteed a win.  The kiss of death.  If Spectacular Bid can lose the Belmont, than any horse can.  I think that the horse was not fit for the race.  Look at the work tabs for the horses that did win the triple crown, they didnt work once in 3 weeks.  That horse was just not ready for that race. I think he will race again, he has to, or he is going to go down as one of the worst flash in the pan horses in history.  Watch DA'Tara- he is on the improve and developing just like Tiznow.  

THERES AN OLD SAYING IN RACING "THE HORSE CANT LOSE THE RACE BUT THE JOCKEY CAN" KD HAS SHOWN IN THE PAST THAT HE MAKES POOR DECISIONS IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT AKA REAL QUIET'S BELMONT,FPEGASUS;S BREEDERS CUP ETC. THE HEAT,BEING CHECKED,JOSTLED,RUNNING 4TO5 PATHES WIDE NO WONDER HE HAD 'NO HORSE' IN THE STRETCH. THIS ISNT ABOUT BB'S CONNECTIONS OR THEIR ACTIONS ITS ABOUT THE HORSE.I PERSONALLY HOPE BB DOES SHOW UP AT SARATOGA AND PROVE THE NAYSAYERS WRONG!

This was my 15th Belmont Stakes, & probably the least satisfying in my experience.I'm convinced that BB going off steroids is what did him in-Dutrow was wrong for using them in the first place. Shame on him!

Hey Draynay,   Do you have anymore nasty and disgusting comments to say about the great Secretariat now.?  The horse you stated was better and greater than Secretariat was pulled up before the finish and came in last.  Anything else you want to say to me now since I don't know nothing according to you.  This is what I do know,  are you listening.?  Big Brown is in no way in the same category as Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Secretariat and the legenday Citation. To place him in this category or say that he is better than those past four triple crown winners was absurd and you are the one that did not know what YOU were talking about.  I am so grateful that I grew up in an era that produced some of the greatest horses this planet will ever see.  YOU will never see the great horses in your lifetime that I have seen that is why I know what a real champion looks like AND YOU DO NOT.  You should have seen Secretariat during the post parade of the 1973 Belmont Stakes,  that big red horse had the word greatness stamped all over him.  You could see it even if you didn't know a darn thing about a horse, you saw big red and knew that he was a phenomenon.  Just a reminder for YOU,  Big Red won by 31 lengths in a world record time for a mile and a half of 2 minutes and twenty four seconds flat.  Do you got that, and go look up the split times for him in that race and you will soon be amazed and learn what greatness really is. Go educate yourself on horseracing,  because you need it. So, do you have anymore nasty things you want to say about the late great Big Red, or Affirmed, Seattle Slew or Citation. It takes a great horse, and superior athlete to win those three races in a row in a 5 week span, and Big Brown is neither.  BUT, that horse would probably benefit from a trainer switch, definitely someone with some class.  Remember the the nasty things you said about SHAM.  Sham's second place finish to Secretariat in the derby was faster than Big Brown's winning derby time.  Well I have some news for you, Big Brown now has something in common with Sham,  they both finished last in the Belmont while being pulled up. Have a nice day and go eat your crow.

By far the most questionable ride by a jockey I have ever seen. He was yanking on BB from the start and pulling him up BB was still wanting to run. On top of it, the whip never came out on BB. Even if he was having a temper tantrum the whip shirley would have told him time to straighten up and run. The whip was out on him at the derby. I just don't get it. Did Kent ever even ask BB for anything? I sure can't see it. The worst ride ever and in my opinion the number one factor that the race ended the way it did. There is going to be a lot of questions in the very near future that are going to need to be answered. I can guarantee it. We haven't heard that last about this race.

The exuses for BB losing never seem to end! Sham busted two teeth out of the starting gate in the K Derby and STILL ran the third fastest race in the history of the KD even though he lost. Then there are those crying about the quarter crack-LOL- to all that use that excuse- you know nothing about racing. To those that blame the lack of steroids, I can't see how that would result in the finish it did as BB simply was out of gas and you don't have to blame drugs. As he was eating fine- woring out great- and had his triner talk trash for 3 weeks- the horse was in excellent condition. Back to the original post I left here a month ago- THIS WAS THE WORST group of 3 year olds I have observed in many decades! The Preakness was the WORST FIELD in the history of the race. there was only ONE graded stakes WINNER other than BB in the race. The lorse who came in 2nd- Macho Again- was beaten a total of 20 lengths in his only two graded stakes attempts before the Preakness. In the Derby- many wrote that Eight Belles was a great filly- GIVE ME A BREAK!  Rags to Riches won 4 grade 1 races leading up to winning the Belmont- Belles lost 4 of her first 5 races- none stakes, then won a Grade 3 stake against in a small field whose main rival was a filly that hadn't won in 5 months- yet she finished 2nd in the Derby. THAT is how bad that field was. As for the Belmont- that field was almost as pathetic as the Preakness! AS I SAID 5 weeks ago- even Zanjero would have won or run 2nd in these Triple Crown races- that is how bab the fields were. As for BB- stick him in last years Belmont- as I said- the result would have been the same as Sunday- DISTANCED- QUIT.  

Jason-

I am NOT suggesting there was a "conspiracy" among BB's connections to have Kent take a dive in the stretch if he thought BB would not finish in the money.

You miss my point: what I am saying is there is no rule analogous to KY's Rule 14 in NY that I am aware of requiring horses be "ridden out".

As such, I believe those who are argung the stewards should sanction Kent for riding BB across the wire at something decidely less than a racing gallop have no legally sustainable argument, UNLESS you want to argue, and I am NOT, that BB's connections violated NY Rule 4035.4, which prohibits the instruction of jockeys to do anything but race their mounts, period.

In sum, you can be fairly critical of Kent's decisionmaking, which  essentially lead to BB becoming the first winner of the first two legs of the Triple Crown to finish last in the Belmont, but do not conclude in doing so he violated NY racing rules.

Again, unless someone can cite a KY-style Rule 14 governing NY racing which requires horses be "ridden out", the Belmont stewards have no grounds for imposing a sanction on Kent for what he did, or did not do, in bringing BB across the wire the way he did.

Frankly, in the wake of Eight Belles, I would think NTRA and others grateful the entire field made it back to the shedrow in the same shape they left it.

Bottom Line-- just one more reason why this sport requires a unified administartive and sanctioning body.

I completely agree with every word you wrote! I am glad in the end he did not win it.  I don't think it would be "good for our sport" on many different levels.  What is "good" is to see underdog stories and horses/people who have the durability and class to go all the way...even it that means a bump along the road.  We love rivalries (horses)...we love seeing the "average joe" be able to go out there and win a pile of million dollar races with a $17,500 horse!  We love the idea of the american dream...not the american nightmare of watching the animals get hurt.

I agree especially with the fact that Kent should not have pulled that horse up.  I imagine the horse was tired and hot - but he was not the only one of those out there.  The others were tired and hot, too.  That horse should have been ridden out to the wire under wraps.  What's the matter with Kent?  Was he afraid to let that $50 million animal get another "hang-nail"???

I will happily wait another year for a Triple Crown winner!

I DID!!!!

I picked Da'Tara because he was improving on his speed figures each race, he's not bred for "brilliance" he's bred for classics, he's a son of my favorite stallion and Nick Zito ran him to get a paycheck.

Dennis of Cork is a real racehorse and will inprove into a very good racehorse ...

Hey Shamfan49 wicked comments you could replace Jason (just messing with you).Two things I want to address.Smileygirl they did not pin him down on the rail. He was on the rail cause he was in the one hole.KD chose to postion him there as opposed to sending him clear to the front.Anybody read Taggs comments? Tale of Ekati had a ripped heel. How do he get that,he got stepped on by you know who.As for the comment from Cathy about flipped palate,they scoped him afer and he was clean.As far as the dissing of Bramlage I don't think steroids are bad either and that doesn't make me a bad person.He has his opinions but that doesn't stop him from doing his job.Lastly here's the answer to BB's problems. CHANGE THE TRAINER AND RIDER! What do you think?

What is it they say--Payback's a b---h? Rhymes with rich. I felt bad for the horse. I think BB's loss was a combination of things--the grueling schedule, the missed days of training, possibly the quarter crack, the oppressive heat and humidity. I also think he is not a stayer--the distance found him out. I also don't think the security barn did him any good. Yeah he was bucking and Bob Baffert said he's feeling good. But I personally think you take an animal out of a familiar environment and put him in the close confines of the security barn in that heat, and he would naturally act up. I think he left a good part of his race in that barn.  And then did not having his usual steroids have an adverse effect?

As for Dutrow, I was glad to see him have a gut-wrenching reality check. His whole behavior during the Triple Crown was arrogant, pompous He had no class whatsoever. he had the gall to criticize John Servis for his training of Smarty Jones. Well, what goes around comes around. There will be a lot of people questioning his horsemanship in his handling of Big Brown's training for the Belmont. As for his sportsmanship--it does not exist.

The owners are just as classless. No words of congratulations to the owners? No words of praise from them or Dutrow to acknowledge the tremendous training job Nick Zito did to get Da'Tara to the winner's circle? As far as I am concerned, BB's owners and Dutrow are a disgrace to the sport I love, and I hope they never have a horse of BB's caliber again--they don't deserve one.  

I completely agree with everything said in the original article.  However, these things should and could have been said 3 or more weeks ago - Dutrow has and always will be annoying and condescending.  It's a shame, 'cause I would have rooted for Big Brown if it wasn't for him.  

I also think it's funny how people will say that such-n-such horse cut Big Brown off or was trying to "box him in".  I guess it is illegal for jockeys to try to run the best race for their own horse instead of what they need to do to make Big Brown's race easier.  Big Brown just didn't have it - it's as simple as that.  

Congrats to Da'Tara (although I wonder what else he'll do this year...?)

What can I say after touting the Big One so much?  He proved himself to be mortal indeed and is certainly no Secretariat.  This is why Draynay should come to this forum and repent for attempting to reduce the accomplishments of the immortal Secretariat with his snide "Onion" remarks.  In the wake of Big Brown's Belmont flop "Big Red's" triple crown conquest and indeed those of Affirmed and Seattle Slew (champions of my lifetime) need to be revered even more.  I still maintain that Big Brown is a very  special horse.  For some mysterious reason he was not himself in the Belmont Stakes so I am hoping that we get to see him later in the season against the mighty Curlin.  In the context of the Eight Belles tragedy and Big Brown's quarter crack problem I believe that Kent D's precautionary easing of this special horse is forgiveable.  Dutrow was obviously in a state of disbelief at the inexplicable non-performance of his charge but I agree that he should have composed himself after it was clear that the horse was fine and congratulated the winners.  He still is learning the late Jim McKay's concept: "The thrill of victory and the AGONY of defeat."    

They don't call these jocks "pin heads" for nothing.You never pull a horse up because he was tired.If kent said he thought something was wrong (bad step etc.) thats one thing.But to pull him up

and say nothing was wrong, but he was was not going to win is beyond belief. The right thing to do was wrap up on him and gallop to the wire.It happens every day of the week in horse racing.

To MonicaV.......the jock and incident you spoke of was in the 2003 Kentucky Derby when Jose Santos was accused of "carrying a device" to goad the gelding. Accusation was made by a reporter from the Miami Herald, who "saw" something in the photo of Funny and Santos winning the race. That "something" in Santos' hand turned out to Mike Smith's silks, as seen through Santos' open hand. All it took to determine the BS of that allegation was blowing up the photo to check what, if anything, Santos held. YUP, good call from that oh-so-observant reporter!

NO WAY do I engage in this debate about Big Brown and his "connections", and I use THAT word loosely. The ONLY one not at fault for this PR debacle and resulting storm that will last a long time, I think, is Big Brown. TB's run. That's it.....they run. The horse tried to do his job; everyone else connected with him failed to do theirs.

SAD DAY.

Cheers.....

If Bellwether's prediction is right, I hope it's Nicanor, Lentenor or an as yet unborn brother of Barbaro.  The Jacksons, Michael Matz, Peter Brette & Edgar Prado ARE class acts!

Jason, I have a lot of respect for what you say and a few of your regulars are pretty sharp too.

However, I have to disagree with a few now and then. In particular, I strongly disagree with the idea stated above that you "Either you suspect the horse is hurt...and pull him to a complete stop, forfeiting the race...or you ride him as best you can to the finish." First of all, slamming a horse to a complete stop can cause as many problems as finishing a race can in some situations. Secondly, just because the horse wanted to run, doesn't mean he was fit to run. As I have mentioned earlier, this is not a machine that gives his rider detailed information about his well-being, it is a horse. As a rider it can be very disconcerting to be on a horse that suddenly feels very different than his norm. That doesn't mean you definitely know if he is ok, or if he is in imminent danger of breaking down. We will never know what might have happened if KD had ridden that horse to the wire. For all we know Big Brown might have broken down if he had pushed him, or he might have been pushed too close to collapse from the heat if he was in fact washing out. KD felt something was not right and he eased him. The horse came home safe, that was the primary job, even before winning the race. Come on guys, we just lost Eight Belles a few weeks ago. Heck, we lost a horse at Belmont two days before the big race.

Another statement I disagree with is that there would be no racing without the betting. Would anyone ever say that Football or Baseball would cease to exist without betting? No. In fact they do exist without sanctioned betting on site. For those of you who are at the races only for the gambling, then yes, racing as you know it would cease to exist, but only for the bettors. The horse owners and trainers will continue to own, train, and compete with their horses. If betting on horse racing is outlawed around the world, there will still be horse racing. Example, look to the state of Georgia, where betting is illegal, yet they still have racing in a very different form, but it does exist. Better example, there is no betting in Dubai, yet they seem to enjoy horse racing quite a bit. Horse people will compete with their horses for simply the right to say they have the fastest horse, they do not need the betting to compete. They can run for ribbons, trophies, and prize money.  Just go to a horse show with multi-million dollar horses competing for $3 blue ribbons if you doubt it.  Horse racing will only cease to exist when there are no more horses and horse owners. When the betting is gone the horses will go back to the little county fair tracks and they will see a change in the safety of their running surface, but not too much else. There will be fewer horses living in luxury, and more horses living at the edge of poverty. But it will continue.  

The betting feeds the infrastructure of the big business that surrounds the gambling. Obviously this builds the lovely facilities the bettors enjoy, and the running surface, the horses don't have a say in any of it, they just lay their lives on the line to  keep up the business. And then the bettors get mad when one doesn't finish a race because a jockey thinks something is not right with the horse.    

FIRST of all, Congratulations to the connections of DA'Tara, Alan Garcia who rode a beautiful race and Nick Zito. Why they didn't get the recognition for the win they deserved is beyond me. I have to commend Eibar Coa on Tale of Ekati for keeping Desormeaux wide all the way down the backside, great riding! I'm also surprised by Tom Durkin's call who not once but twice called Tale of Ekati "Tale of Itaki." An unescusable gaffe by one of the supposedly best race callers in the country.

    I'm not surprised 'Splotchy" lost, There are four specific reasons I believe led this outcome. 1) "Splotchy" missed three days of training coming up to the Belmont. 2) he was given a Bad ride by Desormeaux who up unitl this point always liked but now I can see why the California trainers got tired of him. Why would a rider fight a horse ( I think "splotchy" might've gotten hit in the leg by another horse on the turn)to go wider, outside and lose ground in a mile and a half race when he was given a clear path on the rail, since the rail wasn't bad all day either? Desormeaux should be fined and suspended for not riding out his mount to the best of his ability, he should give the bettors their two dollars worth at least. 3) "splotchy's" breeding suggest he is only a miler at best. 4)last and most importantly 'Splotchy" didn't get his monthly dose of Cintrol. He was finally exposed as the miler he really is. What was it Dutrow said when he learned that Casino Drive scratched? 'The hits just keep on comin.' Well don't they they now Rick!

If only - My wife kept yelling at me that Da'Tara was the most focused, best looking horse entering the gate - She, also was concerned about Big Brown not looking good heading for the gate - Kept laying his head on the post parade pony.  But, I sat on my hands.

However, really do not understand this repetition of the losing lengths in March - So, what!  Young colts from March to June mature rapidly - One can not stamp a loss in March in stone and expect the same outcome in June.  Plus, Big Brown had two hard races in May and was being asked to run beyond his miler pedigree.  Da' Tara is out of Torchera, a full sister to the granddam of Denis of Cork - Lots of Northern Dancer.

Plus, as a vastly improving horse, his Beyer had gone from an 81 to a 91, then a 107 in the Barbaro Stakes, while on the engine to the wire.  This was second, that day, only to Big Brown's.  In addition, the Barbaro is the former Sir Barton, which in '02 was won by Sarava, who then shocked the world by winning the Belmont.  Zito, to his credit, realized that this was a vastly improved colt.  Wish I had, also.

I'll keep my comment short, but I want to go on record as saying Kent broke the rules by failing to finish a race on a sound horse. He should be penalized. What would it do to racing if a jock can just decide to quit riding a race anytime he wants? Heck, he better watch his back leaving NY. I smell a rat with this whole thing. I look forward to seeing how this all plays out.

What a great article. My sentiments EXACTLY. Thank you for spelling it out.

Agree with most everything written here, who knows if it was the right thing to ease up or not, but just a note to those who say because BB was fighting it meant he should have been left to run. Does anyone remember the Ruffian match race, how hard she fought not to be pulled up? Rearing afterwards, Frank standing there holding her leg, blodd dripping off his hands?? Go for Wand running on her own with her leg hanging by a piece of skin, literally??, barbaro fightin hard not to be pulled up as his leg was dangling around? was anyone else around and didnt notice these things? again different situation and I hate being so graphic, but just because a horse fights being pulled up doesnt mean everything is all right, and he should just keep running,  even with nothing to our eye being wrong like in these tragic instances, ( and I loved all those horses), kent may have never done this before, as someone mentioned, but he hasnt ridden a horse in that situation with a 3 week old 50 million price tag on his future either, you know? If something had been and/or gone wrong, KD would have been crucified even worse than now.  who knows what really went on, but at least the rider cares about BB, as no one else connected to him seems to really care enough to even check up on him the next day. How sad:(

Kent rode BB terrible, he has never been a favorite jock of mine - Dutrow is a hog, so glad he didn't win and I am shocked that such a classy man as Robert Clay of Three Chimneys invested in BB so that he would stand stud at Clays farm, can't believe that even as good as BB looked that he would want to be invested with such people.  I think they will race at Saratoga this summer, they have to redeem the horse and he likes it at the Spa, (won there last summer) its a magical place.  BB should not of been eased - he should of been hand ridden through the finish - by him being pulled up it just made the loss that more "shocking".

"Pride cometh before a fall."

Tough lesson to learn, isn't it Mr. Dutrow!

i take offense at everyone who is bashing bb for being a'steroid freak'. as an hands on owner i know first hand  what happens on the backside of a race track,and while i dont agree with alot of it i do control what my horses have done with them. i only allow my horsrs to run on natural ability and that is not the popular outlook,but insaying this it is not the horse that is responsable but the owner,trainer,ntra etc. it comes down to ethics... who has and has not?

I have to agree with those saying they don't believe BB will race again.  Iavarone is more than welcome to prove me wrong, but I am taking the cynical path on this one.  BB is still a beautiful horse.  He may even be a great racehorse, but I still need further proof.

Congratulations to a deserving winning trainer, Nick Zito!!  Now there's a trainer that deserves a Triple Crown.  I have been a huge Zito fan since I started watching racing.  My most prized possession is a set of pictures from Storm Song's BC win, signed to me from Nick.  There couldn't be a classier person!

As for the Belmont, it's now Monday, and I'm over it.  Bring on the Breeder's Cup!

I definitely think that all of the connections of Big Brown be investigated. I've watched thousands of races and I've seen races that were fixed. This race had every sign of being fixed. Add to that Dutrow's attitude before and after the race, it was like he was forced to lose the race. And Kent's ride was so obvious to NOT let the horse run. I am so mad I could spit horseshoe nails!

Congrats to Nick Zito and his fine training job with Da'Tara.

Kent spent so much time trying to get BB to the outside, that he ensured him a loss,he should have just rode it out until he could get his bearings then let him loose, at least given the horse some leeway to get it together, win or lose!Who knows! he should have allowed that horse to go on,because of that, the jockey easing him up,he made BB look terrible, which I don't think he is, I hope he runs again and rectifies his Belmont run.As far as M. Dutrow, because he was a sadsack, don't take it out on the horse

If nothing is determined to be wrong with Big Brown, Kent Desourmeaux should be punished as mandated by the racing rules for not riding out his  horse.  Ask Kent why  he's no longer riding in California.  Trainers shied away from Kent, who had a reputation for not riding out his horses.  There were plenty of times when he could not win, that he pulled up his horses to "save them", and in the     process lost 2nd or 3rd placing.  

In the Belmont,he never went to the whip on BB.  If he  is not punished, this would be bad for  race players and owners.  Any  jock with a solid favorite could "pull" his horse in the name of "saving  the horse."  This coud severely hurt the integrity of the  betting public.            

What a bunch of whinners!  BB lost thats horseracing folks..  It wasn't his time.  Stop your sideline bs and micro analysis and get over it.  Dutrow & Co. did an awesome job with BB.  Just becuse he didnt address the media doesnt mean he's arrogant.  He was busy checking BB.  Dutrow is a fine trainer and has BB best interest. Even if he did address the media right after the race some of you would still find reason to knock him.  I remember when you all were on his side before the Belmont, now that he lost your a fickel bunch.  

1) Sir Barton (b 1916 by Star Shoot (Isinglass) out of Lady Sterling (Hanover)) raced 6 times as a 2 year old, Won the Kentucky Derby 5/10/1919 (not the first Saturday May), won the Preakness 5/14/1919 on 4 days rest. Won the Withers 5/24/1919 (just 10 days later) and the Belmont 6/11/1919 on a whopping 18 days rest. The total value of these 4 races was $77,000. Awarded the Triple Crown afterwards as it was not even a concept until someone noticed during Gallant Fox’s run that Sir Barton had accomplished the feat 11 years prior.

Sir Barton was NOTHING under an honest owner named John E. Madden. He lost his first 6 races- of which- he was badly beaten 5 times as he would always go for the lead and quickly fade. Madden then sold SB on the cheap to Ross- one of the leading owners of the day. Ross intended on using SB as a spead horse to set the races up for his better runners. Bedwell started training the horse- with "hop" (cocaine)- it was so bad that even the jockey- Johnny Loftus stated that the horse couldn't run a lick without hop. Anyhow- it was a huge surprise to both of them when SB didn't stop running in the Derby- his first time racing on hop was exactly what he needed. Amazing how many still look at Ross as a great trainer- pathetic.

Just a thought ... if every jockey that knew his horse simply wasn't going to win the race pulled up, might that not create even greater chances for injuries to their mounts?  Imagine the chaos of seven or eight horses all throwing in the towel at the top of the stretch.  I had thought KD quite the tactical rider in the Derby and Preakness, but from watching replays of the Belmont, he appeared to be unable to make those "split second decisions" with any certainty.  Let's face it ~ every horse in the race ran under virtually the same conditions so the excuses regarding the heat, the track, the detention barn, etc. just don't fly.  Dutrow gave Big Brown the kiss of death with his arrogant comments and owes all the BB supporters (as well as anyone he slandered along the way) a huge apology.  However, I don't think I'll hold my breath for that if and when he does resurface!  And, by the way, shame on Three Chimneys for not setting their PR machine into overdrive immediately following the Preakness!  They needed to put their mouth where their money went instead of letting Dutrow run his.

Just like everything else in Dutrow's past as well as the penny stock crook, its about ego.  The jock was told if you cant win dont run second.  Fake it.  Much better to bow out with an excuse than to evidence the true breeding of this horse.  Dont get me wrong he showed brilliance in the Fla Derbt, Derby, and Preakness against a subject crop of three year olds.  I take nothing away from Brown.  I do encourage an investigation into the handling of the animal and would also like to see the state securities filings for IEAH.  With the current management I am sure they are in default.

Good peace ---

Rick Dutrow and IEAH showed their "REAL CLASS" after the race.

All they did was talk the talk before the race, but they were poor sportsman after they lost.

Be a man and face the public.Tell the public the better horse won.

ps

I wonder if the juice had worn out

As  a horse owner & breeder I was not surprised at what happened People in the press theses days compose story lines that they would like to see come true and many believe these fanticies to be true  Enter the story lines of the people Then almost trying to make Big Brown a human   None of which is reality or based on facts  Big Brown is from a line of sprinters and a sire with very bad feet Yes he over achieved in the Derby and Preakness but he is far from a Champion  I like him as a horse but the storty line that has deveolped is unrealistic We all would be better off to report facts and leave made up story lines where they belong in novels

The result shouldn't be that shocking to people who did their homework.  DaTara ran on the Preakness undercard and eventhough he didn't win, his fractions and the final time of the race projected out to a time that would challenge Big Brown's Preakness win.  Even though he had been beaten by Big Brown and Macho Again in his last two, it was clear to see the horse was on an upswing.  Getting loose on the lead gave him the window he needed to upset.

Thank you for saying what needed to be said about this race.  I am not directly involved in racing, but I have been riding horses, mostly dressage, and mostly thoroughbreds off the track, for 17 years.  In my opinion, Kent's decision to ease Big Brown was a really bad call.  If he felt he was off, then yes, pull him up.  However, it appears he eased him back since he didn't think he was going to win.  That is just absolutely ridiculous.  A true sportsmen rides his best until the race/competition is over.  Even if BB was having an off day, run the race like you mean it.  He wanted to run, and yes with 1.5 mls to go you don't want to wear your horse out early on.  At the same time you lose energy fighting a horse that wanted to go.  It seemed to me that after fighting Kent BB was just waiting for the signal to go, which just never happened.  So what, if he needed to tap him on the shoulder.  He should have pushed him, if he felt no injury, and dealt with the PETA nuts later.  It's the triple crown at stake, and with the scratch of Casino Drive he was the best horse out there by far.  Every horse has his day, and Da'Tara ran his best, and deserved to win.  Maybe it was Kent's instructions to ease him back, and if that is the case then it just adds to the list of why Dutrow is not a true sportsmen. I understand with the tragedy of Eight Belles, everyone is on edge.  This is a high impact sport, and accidents and injuries are inevitable.  Look at the eventing world for the past year.  Horses are fragile creatures.  I know personally that thoroughbreds have more heart than any other breed.  They will do anything you ask of them.  Big Brown was no exception to this.  He probably wouldn't have won, but to deny him the chance was bad form.  I think if this horse had been in different hands, both trainer and rider, the outcome would've been different.  Though, if Kent truly felt the horse was not physically sound, then I apologize for my comments.  I know in competition you have to make quick decisions under a lot of pressure.  However, he is a veteran jockey, and has made those calls before.  Lastly, I agree with the comment about the exercise rider.  He is still a horse, and I bet she still loves him the same without the triple crown.  

Steroids work on a bio-feedback need.  If you add more than the body needs, the body shuts down natural production.  When you abrubtly withdraw them like they did with Brown, it is going to take the body some time (depending on how long the body has been shut down) to get back to producing them naturally.  Sometimes, the body never recovers and that affects them in the breeding shed.  What you had was a horse running on "steroid withdrawal" which will cause loss of strength and endurance.  Quit running and selling horses that look like the "hulk" that have been "pumped up".  It is hurting the sport!

yo draynay nick zito has an onion for you.

If Big Brown is going to race again, he needs to learn how to handle pressure. In his last races he had a great trip, got out onto the lead and went on to win by decent margins. I hope that if he does come back again, he'll be more determined to win like War Pass was after he was defeated, and not just think that if he runs, he wins. He has to have more tenacity and really try for it. He just needs more experience. Personally I just think the race was too long for him and he wasn't happy at all. Winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness already means he out ran his pedigree, but perhaps the Belmont was just a bit too much for him.

When a Horse like Big Brown who had never won a race by less than 5 lengths isn't giving you what he normally does...the right thing to do was pull him up and ease him out of the race. Apparently he wasn't himself so why jeopardize the horse??? Maybe he wasn't the same horse as he was in the first 2 legs of the crown but truth be told...there was no way any of those horses can even be mentioned in the same breath as Big Brown.

Yes, SHAMFAN, thankx for summing up pretty much everything I was going to write, and doing it for me!

Bad ride-no horrible ride-but that happens to every jockey once and a while so I will second guess Kent, like everyone, but say he still is a great HOF rider.  I don't think anybody mentioned that years ago Kent got days "twice" for not finishing out on horses that weren't going to win, killing a few exactors and tri's for punters. My gut, although like mentioned on top and after it in posts, his loss could be a lot of things or combinations but the 1st 1/8 mile the race was lost. Horses are not machines and he was not allowed to run and BB basically said F-U to Kent, and wouldn't run after that.

THAT being said I am OK with him easing up a multi-million dollar horse when it was obvious it not to be his day and he was out of the top 5. If I was on what was supposed to be one of the greats and he was spinning his wheels I would think there might be something wrong as well. It also saves face--sort of.

To all the other comments above, all are true. You wanted to root for Servis, and Smarty's owner who was dying, and Afleet Alex, lemonade or not, hard working trainers with clean records, didn't bump their regular riders for a big name (AA almost did) all would be nice stories.

Now for a reality check!!!!!!!

Any impressive maiden winner nowadays big outfits are going to throw millions at-off one win and all that can happen, someone would stupid to turn it down unless rich(and stupid repeated) beyond normal means-so you are going to get horse sent to trainers with high win percentages that might be taking an edge.

Feed and shipping have doubled, keeping a horse in a big track is extremely expensive, so you are going to get partnerships like IEAH more and more. Personally I am out of the game since last Sept. when I lost a horse for $15K that I claimed for $8K and he made $41K in purses showing a whopping $4300 in profits after vets, shipping and training. Hardly worth the risks and downsides. Since I left the area for a job where I used to be able to do my own track work and cut a trainer in for having his name on the program and cut costs.

It really is the "SPORT OF KINGS" and only they can afford it now. The reality is unless we have a group like the ones with Funny Cide that got very lucky we are looking at more of the same "Big name owners and trainers year after year after year. The days of the little guy that got the "Big Horse" are gone. You pay millions for a horse-you want him to win "at any cost" so if you have a trainer that has suspect methods that produce??? Ricky D is not alone-get use to it-the "Game" is now a "Business".

I'm listening to Race Day Las Vegas, and Ralph Siraco just talked with Dutrow. Dutrow said his only complaint was a bad ride!

I just want to make one more quick comment -- it is possible that racing does has a bright future, judging from the number of well thought-out, passionate, yet logical arguments listed on this blog. These are the kinds of forums we need, and if this year's Triple Crown races resulted in the fans finally having a little bit of input, then terrific. Please keep it up!

and around the final turn, here comes Big Brown, but close behind him is his pedigree!!  They are now neck and neck and Big Brown has been Overtaken by his pedigree!  It finally caught up!

Well this is living proof that THERE IS  GOD!  It was really bothering me to think that a guy like Rick Dutrow would win the triple crown.  He hasn't showed any appreciation for the other owners and trainers who have campaigned their horses and has insulted them everytime he would say 'foregon conclusion' or 'guarantee victory'.  I know he isnt smart but could a person be this dumb to be this pius while talking about one of the last sacred feats in all of sports??  I think the racing boards should hold high ethical standards before they allow classless people to participate in the sport as thru the many interviews dutrow gave he kind of represented the game and it was certainly in a tasteless way.

So many comments - all with opinions - but I'll add my two cents nonetheless:

Karma works - Big Brown's connections were bitten by their own mouths.

Jason - all you wrote I agree with - couldn't say it better - and so won't try to!

I actually contacted Steve Haskin about Da'Tara in one of his February TC blogs - I'd seen him break his maiden and thought he looked special.  Plus - I truly believe Tiznow has the makings of a great sire - and what a racehorse!  I didn't pick him for the Belmont, even though the signs were there - I just thought they were using him as a rabbit for Anak Anal.  But boy - did I feel great when I watched him roll home!

Finally - for all the bloggers who keep saying Desormeaux "eased" Big Brown - study your racing terminology.  

To "ease a horse" is to wrap up on him and not ask him for more run than he is currently giving.  That's what you are legally bound to do as a jockey.  

To "pull up" is exactly what Desormeaux did - he pulled Big Brown so hard to slow him to a virtual canter that you can see picture after picture of Big Brown fighting for his head.  This was wrong - wrong to do to the bettors, the wrong perception to give the public (who only saw a potential injury scenario unfolding) and wrong to do to the horse - who was clearly not in distress.  He was simply not firing.  

I've shown Quarter Horses my whole life and watched Thoroughbred racing just as long.  I know a distressed horse when I see one.  He just didn't want to be embarrased finishing last.  Pure and simple.  He should at the very least be suspended a few days.  What - should any rider who doesn't think his horse is firing just stop on him and walk home?  THAT seems like a plan! (insert sarcastic note here.)

If anyone caught the quotation from Penny Chenery - it said a lot.  Asked prior to the race what she thought of Big Brown, she said she'd love to have the two of them run against each other, because she knew Secretariat had more stamina, speed and was more stoutly made.  Secretariat - she said - "was bred to be a race horse."

That comment and the between the lines subtext speaks volumes as to what's wrong with today's horses - including Big Brown.

I am sorry for Big Brown not winning the Belmont S, but I am glad Rick D did not. Now Rick D knows what is the feeling of John Servis when Smarty Jones lost to Birdstone.

How can Rick explain what he says last time about John S when SJ lost?

Also, Kent D should be suspended for foul riding, it is against the rule that you pulled up a horse when he still in contention and not injured. Not because it has no chance to win,they will take out the chances of the betting public?

Illegalized all the performance enhancing drug in horse racing, that is the only time we can see another triple crown champion. It will show what the horse capable of.

One last comment that I haven't seen posted and just needed to add.  My understanding is that Kent has stated, in not so many words, that he did not think anything was wrong with the horse.  If this is not the correct interpretation of the situation that my comments are unfounded.

Yes, I want to know more than anything that the horse is okay.  But here's my main issue - this can't be okay because that means it can be okay in every race, every day (emphasis added).  I'm probably going too far with that but I agree with those who said, if you think something is wrong with a horse, you pull him all the way up.  Otherwise, you ride him (or her) out.  And that doesn't mean you have to whip them or cause undue distress.  But that's what racing is all about - competition and finishing the race.  Not at all costs, but when we are talking about a sport that is financed by betting this is the way it is.  And I don't bet much ($2-$5 a race) and I don't care about the money I lose.  That's not why I watch racing.  But I really have a bad taste in my mouth after this race and as these posts show, so do a lot of other people.

I feel bad for Casino Drive's team.  They must feel they had the runaway winner based on the way the race unfolded.   That would have been "better" for racing, because it would have shown the valuse of breeding for stamina (Jazil, Rags to Riches, Casino Drive) rather than pure speed.  

Maybe we'll see Casino Drive and Big Brown finally get it on in the Travers.  

Look.  The other two legs of the the triple BB had an easy, unbothered trip.  In the Belmont, he got the rail.  He definitely was going to have to hustle out of there to get to the lead.  He was out hustled, and got himself boxed in (which was the plan).  By the time the jock got him out of that mess, BB used himself up.  He got free to the outside, but he was out of gas.  NEVER in all my years have I ever seen a jock pull a horse up like that.  There were only four horses in the first part of the race, and BB was one of them.  The rest of the pack was well back.  To be honest, it looked like the jock threw the race, making sure his horse was never going to get 2nd or 3rd, thereby all the exotics went right out the window.  The jock should definitely be sent down for not continuing on with the race.  

To protect the horse !!! HE WASN'T INJURED !!!  Every owner of a horse in that race values their horse (not just BB connections).  If BB connections were more worried about the $$$ value of the horse then they shouldn't have entered him in the Belmont.  Bottomline is that it looked like the jock threw the race to me.  He could have kept the horse back out of the gate and then swung around to get an unbothered trip - but he didn't, then add the pullup!  if BB himself couldn't win the race, his jockey made certain of it.  

I feel that if BB didn't get bumped at the start and stumbled, he would have won going away. That took a lot out of him and kent knew it. I give Kent a lot of credit for getting BB to the outside and then easing him up in the stretch. He knew Big Brown didn't have anything left but hopefully he can come back in the Travers(if he is still racing) and then possibly the Breeders Cup in November.

aspralding: I would have to disagree with you. If kent would have Let BB go, no telling what would have Happened. BB was boxed in, and would have hurt another horse in the process! i've seen it happen. Getting BB off of the rail settled him down quite a bit. As BB was pushing the horse on the outside aside, BB must have clipped Tale of Ekati's back hind (tell me if i'm wrong) because Tale of Ekati came out of the race with a gash on his leg. That is the only time that Ekati has anyone close to his hind legs. It doesn't look like BB clipped heels, because nobody went down or stumbled, but his front hoof could have caught Ekati's cannon area and you wouldn't see a stumble or anything.

good blog.

First Dutrow - classless people need to be ignored, they self destruct as evidenced.

Second IEAH - see above, except for Paul Pompa, and who can blame him for keeping minority interest?

Third BB - the horse is still great, but did not have the foundation. this was his 6th race. Affirmed had about 16 by this time, as did Secretariat. His pedigree was light, although some cases could be made for stoutness on the female side.

Future Races - i've got to disaggree that he won't race again. They have to reestablish his credentials to get the minimum $100,000 stud fee they need to justify the syndication. If he raced more, he would gain experience, and we would have a chance to see the brilliance of the first 5 races.

Fifth - Three Chimneys - first class. They will want the shot to stand him after the Jim Dandy, Travers double. To beat Curlin, he'll have to pull those off then take the lead in the match race and prove he belongs at $100,000, or more.

In response to Kent being criticized, and the blog that said he would have been run out of town years ago.  First off, I wasn't a big BB fan before the Belmont.  Second, this isn't years ago, this is today, where the industry is in shambles, attendance is low, tracks are closing, drugs are rampant, and horses are becoming more and more fragile and breaking down.  Kent absolutely did the right thing.  He took care of a Champion horse.  In this day and age, more riders should take notice and put the horse before the sport.  What a concept!  I've been a fan for 40+ years and have seen the best win and LOSE.  

Thanks for your time and effort re this Triple Crown blog. It was really a great deal of fun and relly good for the sport.

Think about . . . there has to be a reason that horse can only get to the races five times bdfore the Belmont. This horse had bandages "all around" and needed help to get into the gate. Supposedly, the greatest trainer in North America cut back on the electrolytes and continued to administer lasix

on a day that exceedingly hot and humid. Big Brown is a great example of the speedy, delicate and fragile thoroughbreds of today: breed speed to speed and pump them full of "bute", lasix, and steroids.

You stated that in the '60's,70's and 80's the jock would have been run out of New York. The trainer would have been too. The race according to my non-racing friends has a "smell" to it. I don't think that the "fix" was in, but I do feel that the Racing Commission should investigate this whole situation.

I am so dismayed by all of you finger pointers and fault finders.  Where is your humanity?  You just can't wait to find fault with anyone and everyone.  Perhaps you should all look very closely at your "OWN CARD"!

Have any of you ever had the worst day of your life????

I, for one, support everyone involved with Big Brown, the mangnificent horse himself and all of the connections.  I feel like they all did the very best they could!  I'm so thankful Kent Desormeux thought first of Big Brown!  We have a sound horse that just might go down in history as one of the Greats even yet.  He is in my mind already.  

It is amazing to me that everyone has just now come out of the woodwork to criticize Mr. Dutrow and IEAH Stable. It seems that everyone was quite content to sit back and be silent when there was a good chance of there being the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.

The truth is that what these connections represent is not new. They are simply Exhibit 'A' in the case of everything that has been and is wrong with horse racing, in general.

A stable run by so-called businessmen whose sole interest is making money from the horses they invest in. "Businessmen" who have been involved in many questionable transactions in the past. A stable that says it "loves" Big Brown, but then again, who doesn't love an investment that makes you millions for a small capital outlay. What they mean is, they love the money. How do they feel about the other horses who haven't done as well. Businessmen don't love their assets, they spend them.

A trainer, who aside from his addictive lifestyle and penchant for expensive fast-living, has been involved in many "doping" incidents, been suspended, and talks about giving his horse steroids as if it is the most normal thing in the world. Which it is in many racing jurisdictions.

I remember back to Saint Liam being run at Santa Anita by Mr. Dutrow when the champion was at less than his best but that didn't seem to matter. What he has done with Big Brown and his attitude is simply reflective of a sick industry that allows this type of behaviour. Mr. Dutrow is not alone.

It is not his competitive nature, his outspoken views nor his brashness that bothers. It is his obvious attitude of win no matter the cost to the horse that does. And he is but the most recent visible example of many that exist in horse racing who do business on this basis.

An industry that continues to put the emphasis on speed and early starts to racing careers at the expense of the horse. Breeders that play the game and continue to use the services of stallions that display conformation and soundness issues and unfavourable physical infirmities. An industry that continues to push the "numbers" game and produces many more horses than can possibly make it to the races and then the excess are subjected, in many cases, to lives of cruel treatment and untimely, horrific deaths. Horses who have made their owners and trainers money and then are lost in the shuffle to endure untold hardship and ignominious ends because no one if forced to ensure a good life after life on the track. All of these issues are beginning to sound the death knell for horse racing.

An industry that continues to pay lip service to all of the problems that exist without addressing them is doomed for extinction. And I can't help but think that this would be justice.

First let me say how much I have enjoyed reading all the comments posted here. I have always loved horses and followed racing from afar. Never been to a track. I bless computers for letting me feel a little closer to your world.

Sure beats the pablum you are fed on TV.

Just thought you'd like to know that some of us outside the racing world are enjoying the blog and learning from it, too. Frankness and clearly written opinions are in short supply today so you are a breath of fresh air.

Desormeaux did the right thing by pulling him up as he could have been bleeding. Maybe the horse just got ticked and quit him.  Maybe he didn't like being taken ahold of like that and going wide did help either. Maybe he just soured and spit the bit. Maybe New York's drug testing is a little more thorough than others and he didn't get a certain vitamin. Maybe he didn't get the training time because of the crack. Maybe when people open their big mouths and say they are going to win - they get bit in the ...

I will not blame Kent for pulling the horse up (better safe than sorry at that point as he was not coming close to finishing in the money and I'm sure somewhere subconciously was the reminder about the hoof and Eight Belles)but I will agree that the beginning part of the race seemed to be an example of panic (I just love the Belmont, my favorite of the three as it's amazing how much strategy comes in to play that we never get to see anymore - racing please bring back more 1.5 mile races!).  But I also believe that a horse of BB's calibre can and should come over that.  Now, after sweating in a strange stall for 6 hours and getting worked up may have been too much (I felt that last workout was the tell-tale sign it was not to be).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WOW- The excuses just flow now! We can list excuses for many horses in any race if we so decide! He pulled BB up because he himself said that there was no way he was going to be in the top 5 and loved the horse too much to; 'Do that to him'. Well....with that logic- every horse that doesnt cut the purse strings should be pulled up in every race! KD should be suspended, though he won a great temporary excuse that afternoon that the horse might be injured so initially all were worried about BB and it stole from the actual winner. There was so much talk after the race that he may be injured....blah blah blah- we were told that it wasn't his fault he lost...blah blah blah.....The field for the Preakness so was bad- the word pathetic doesnt even do a service! Only one graded winner besides BB was in the race- as for the Belmont, amazing how Rags came into the Belmont winning 4 grade 1 races in a row, yet this collection of misfits come into the Belmont looking like allowence horses. I stated on these boards many times how weak the field was even at CD. Belles lost 4 of her first 5 races, none stakes- then won a G III stakes against a small field and her main rival hadn't won in 5 months, yet she finished second in the Derby. We had a trainer that talked so much trash- he made many core racing fans have mixed feelings as to his horse. I don't blame BB for beating weak and pathetic fields, but the excuses for the Belmont fade should just end. Sham could have had the best excuse in racing history for the Triple Crown- bust two teeth leaving the gate a have a mouth full of blood the entire race- yet finish in one of the best times in KD history. Let's stop with the excuses as to why BB lost- it absurd to say that being in a strange place for hours was the reason, or the heat, or the crowd- it is racing- you win or lose. Will you use those same excuses for the horses he beat? Maybe Col. John would have run better had he done this, or that, or not done this, or that hadn't happened, or before the race, or this workout, or maybe the jockey, or you know.....it could have been the start- excuses are like a rash- once you start at it.....it spreads.        

Shamfan49 I also was impressed by your post but a note.

DANCER'S IMAGE-I don't subscribe to allowing bute to race on-and his disqualification when positive I have no problems with-

I do know it was a mistake-or it stayed in Dancer's Image system longer than normal. His trainer Lou Cavalaris Jr. was "not" a friend of mine. Personally I did not like the cheapskate, crybaby bas-rd, but that being said he was a great, hard-working horseman that didn't cheat. I don't like RD and I didn't like Lou C (we had horses in the same barn and later I was a clocker for the OJC (Lou after he retired from training was a Race Secretary for the OJC)some things just are legitimate mistakes and saying he cheated with my first hand knowledge I know is wrong. Vets came only when absolutely needed (did I mention he was cheap?)ice buckets ruled the day. I suspect Dutrow does, along with some others that dramatically more up horses from established knowledgeable trainers but I have no proof, so can't or won't say.

Strange I would stand up for someone I did not like, but I thought your post was great although long winded, but wrong and unfair on that note.

Monica V, you asked about the device that a jockey was accused of using on his horse. Jose Santos was wrongly accused of carrying a device in his hand when he rode Funny Cide in the KY Derby. Santos was a great jockey and totally innocent of such ridiculous and unjust charges.

As far as changing the spacing of the Triple Crown races, I wouldn't be against the idea if we were doing it for the right reasons. I feel now that to change the spacing, to make the Triple Crown easier, is resigning ourselves to having fragile horses that can't handle the rigors that their predecessors did. Instead of changing the spacing to accomdadate fragile horses, let's have sturdier horses with more bone and stamina and leave the race spacing alone. It's a bit amusing to me that in today's reality where soundness, and I suspect stamina, is sacrificed for speed, we get so exasperated at not seeing a Triple Crown winner in 30 years (31 now). Yet, I don't know if horses have the same durability to withstand the rigors of three races in five weeks at considerable distances. And by the time a horse has raced in the first two contests, if he gets to the Belmont Stakes, it is an extremely grueling race to run in, let alone win. How many horses have actually run in all three of these races? Probably very few. And if we think we've been in a drought, the English haven't had a Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky (later Nijinsky II) won it in 1970, although the dynamic and incentive for their races is different than ours.

The 5-week spacing hasn't always existed, as someone previously pointed out. However, if you look at some of the other horses that have won the Triple Crown, they not only started in more races prior to it, but some of them ran in an extra race "during" the Triple Crown. For a time the KY Derby and Preakness were also only a week apart. Omaha, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault, and Citation all raced more prior to the Triple Crown, and/or raced four times within the Triple Crown spans that they competed in.

Big Brown, in my opinion, faced a considerable dilemma in the Belmont Stakes. Much that has been suggested here as to what went wrong has merit; however, none of us knows for sure, and I think his failure to perform well may have been a combination of factors, including his precarious foot problems, his light training leading up to the Belmont, and possibly the discontinuation of Winstrol which could have affected him physically and emotionally. On top of these possible factors, Big Brown was the only horse to run in all three races, the temperature was over 90 degrees, his trip was compromised (not blaming Kent here), he was rank, which was a trait he had never exhibited before, and perhaps within a horse's ability to perceive human emotion, there was tremendous pressure on his equine psyche, if there is such a thing.

I feel bad for Big Brown. On another forum, I mentioned this and somebody asked me why I felt bad for the horse, and she gave her reasons for asking the question. I responded by saying this isn't just about racing, but about love for the horse. Even though a horse might not fully understand or be aware of human sentiment on a very sophisticated level, we have a connection to the horse and we feel empathy with the animal. Without our feelings, why be involved in the sport in the first place?

I like your posts, Monica V. Keep them coming.

Pardon my below post- I didn't have my glasses on and couldn't proof the words as I sent them. I did so below........

The excuses for BB losing never seem to end! Sham busted two teeth out of the starting gate in the K Derby and STILL ran the third fastest race in the history of the KD even though he lost. Then there are those crying about the quarter crack-LOL- to all that use that excuse- you know nothing about racing- he was in excellent condition. To those that blame the lack of steroids, I can't see how that would result in the finish it did as BB simply was out of gas and you don't have to blame drugs. As he was eating fine- working out great- and had his trainer talk trash for 3 weeks- the horse was in excellent condition. Back to the original post I left here a month ago- THIS WAS THE WORST group of 3 year olds I have observed in many decades! The Preakness was the WORST FIELD in the history of the race. there was only ONE graded stakes WINNER other than BB in the race. The horse who came in 2nd- Macho Again- was beaten a total of 20 lengths in his only two graded stakes attempts before the Preakness. In the Derby- many wrote that Eight Belles was a great filly- GIVE ME A BREAK!  Rags to Riches won 4 grade 1 races leading up to winning the Belmont- Belles lost 4 of her first 5 races- none stakes, then won a Grade 3 stake against  a small field whose main rival was a filly that hadn't won in 5 months- yet she finished 2nd in the Derby. THAT is how bad that field was. As for the Belmont- that field was almost as pathetic as the Preakness!  As for BB- stick him in last years Belmont- as I said- the result would have been the same as Sunday- DISTANCED- QUIT- out of gas. Stick him in the Preakness last year- AT BEST- BEST CASE- BB comes in 3rd- TOPS! His greatest strength was the fact he has talent in a year of a horrible three year old divion.  

Robert in Houston 09 Jun 2008 10:32 AM

Observations about stewards.They are a different animal,kind of demi-gods.If you hold a licence anywhere from Belmont Park to  Marias Fair(Shelby MT) you must abide by the rules of racing at that jurisdiction.Saying that stewards can call anybody in for anything they feel isn't in the "best interests of racing". Believe me I've been on both ends of that snappy little phrase.To sum it up they have every legal right to talk to KD.They can and will make any call they want to make.Sure you can appeal it and people do but they have alot of power on the racetrack itself.

If steroids don't help a horses performance then why does every big trainer have their horse on a steady regiment of them? Also why do most racing jurisdiction want to or have banned their use?They all play dumb including the vets.

Belles08: Unfortunatley the fact that BB didn't have it isn't quite as simple as that. There is nothing against a jockey trying to run the best race for his horse but if you watch the replay, Da'tara and especially Tale of Ekati came right into the rail into BB which caused Kent to pull BB up even more than he was doing already. Tale of Ekati supposedly has a ripped heal. That is not a jockey trying to give his horse the best ride. That is a jockey trying to cut off the potential TC winner and almost caused an accident doing it. There are many factors that can be contributed to this loss. In my opinion, and of course it is only my opinion, Kent's ride was the worst I have ever witnessed from start to finish. He caused BB to run out of steam. I'm not sure I understand the concept of everyone saying he couldnt handle the distance. I believe he was done at the mile which he has already proven he can run and run well. When Kent went wide to get out of trouble he ended up 5 wide around the sweeping turn. He supposedly asked BB and he didn't respond. Well, he used his horse early and in the heat it was detrimental. The goofy thing is the whip never came out on BB. I would like to get others thoughts on this. Shouldn't he atleast popped him a time or two to see if he could get his head back in the game if at all possible? Perhaps Kent pulled BB up because he knew what was going on with BB was caused by him. There is no doubt he loves the horse but something doesn't make sense.

I would also like someone with a medical background to maybe enlighten us on the steroid issue. He tested clean at the derby. He was also training fantastic, wasn't depressed and hadn't lost any weight. Are the issues with the steroids really an issue?

jshandler, I didn't time myself, I was just inspired by Desormeaux's comment about the Triple Crown winners being freaks and thought I'd try to see if there was an explanation or a common thread in their racing and training that is significantly different than the way Big Brown and other contemporary horses are prepped. I found that they all raced without Lasix. I have no idea as to whether or not any of them were routine steroid (ab)users like Big Brown. The fact is that if Rich Dutrow had done the impossible, keep his big yap shut, none of us would have known about Big Brown's drug problem. If Rich had simply adhered to the caution penned by the late Frank Zappa in his 1967 classic "Call Any Vegetable" that "No one will know if you don't want to let 'em know. No one will know 'less it's you that might tell 'em so," we would be ignorant on this matter. Just like we know nothing about whether or not horses were routinely doped in bygone eras as that information was not available to the public. Even today there is no "S" for Steroids used in the medications / equipment column of the Past Performances. All 11 followed well thought out 2 year old campaigns. After taking a winter break, many made their 3 year old debuts the following April. Once back racing, they raced often and well, frequently on short rest. It looks like their trainers preferred racing them to working them. I have read, though I don't recall where, that the only way to get a horse race fit, is to race him. Works just don't provide the fine edge needed for racing success. None of the Freaky 11 became instant millionaires, but even if they achieved exalted millionaire status, they only did so over a span of numerous races. Consider the following table:

Champion Career Record Career Earnings EPS1

Sir Barton 31:13-6-5 $116,857 $3,769.58

Gallant Fox 17:11-3-2 $328,165 $19,303.82

Omaha 22:9-7-2 $154,705 $7,032.04

War Admiral 26:21-3-1 $273,240 $10,509.23

Whirlaway 60:32-15-9 $561,161 $9,352.68

Count Fleet 21:16-4-1 $250,300 $11,919.04

Assault 42:18-6-7 $675,470 $16,082.61

Citation 45:32-10-2 $1,085,760 $24,128.00

Secretariat 21:16-3-1 $1,316,808 $62,705.14

Seattle Slew 17:14-2-0 $1,208,726 $71,101.52

Affirmed 29:22-5-1 $2,393,818 $82,545.44

Big Brown 6:5-0-0 $2,714,500 $452,416.66

1 Average Earnings Per Start

(Hmm, my nicely formatted table doesn't seem to be compatible with this blog's format.)

This suggests to me that we now emphasize earnings at the expense of fitness, which is a troubling trend, and why I think the rules for selecting the Kentucky Derby 20 need to be revised in favor of fitness. 6 starts and Big Brown’s the leading money earner on the table, and none of his earnings came from that most recent start. I’m not suggesting that purse money be reduced. My personal philosophy is that if someone wishes to write me a check for a cool million simply to do what I plan to do, the correct response is, “Thank you!”

Maybe the painkillers and all the excess free time I have during my convalescence will afford me the opportunity to dig a little deeper.

humans love to rag on each other...

Ranagulzion: I agree. It would have been nice to see Dutrow congratulate the winners. I didn't mind his confidence but being a poor sport is another issue all together.

I would also like to say that I was impressed by Nick Zito. His comments were perfect after the race. He indeed indicated that had BB been himself, they would have never beat him. But everyone knows anything can happen in racing which is why they enter. I don't bet but when Nick has a horse running in the Belmont, it would be a wise decision to rethink your picks.  Denis of Cork hasn't really been spoken about but its hard to ignore his second place finish. He is a real nice horse and will probably only continue to improve. He is a tough one. I don't bet but my friend in Colorado called me and asked me for my numbers. I told her BB, Denis of Cork and Anak Nukal. Two out of three aint bad.

Thank God all the horses came back to the barn safe.

Having said this, I have never seen

a more disgusting race.  I had people who do not know horse racing ask me "what just happened" because they could not figure out

that ride.

I think Big Brown is a really good

horse who had a bad ride that was

combined with bad training up to the Belmont because of the quarter

crack.  Secretariat might not have

won with this training.  The race required stamina because of its length.  I think management thought

BB could win on talent alone.  Boy

were they wrong!!!

It would be good to see BB run at least three more times to redeam himself.  I would think his stud fee probably went from at least $100,000. to $10,000. based on this

race.

Give him a new trainer and jockey

who will let this intellegent horse

"run his race" and stay out of his

way.  With all his foot problems I

feel he should have been pulled like Casino Drive.

And by the way, Mr. Servis I hope

you got a good chuckle off this

idiot running off his mouth.

It's the fates folks.  It was bad racing luck which started before the race when Big Brown missed some days of training.  He needed some good long gallops b/c  he looked like Azeri - he was too fresh and rank, would not settle, and was not trained up to run that distance.  And, to boot, the #1 hole complicated his situation b/c he was bouncing around like a pen ball while being manhandled by the jock.  What we normally do in Europe in a race of this distance is to let the horse go on out fast the first 1/8 and then bring him back to you and settle them in to relax until that sprint the last 1/8th.  As Zito said post-race, many U.S. trainers do not know how to train up to a distance race such as the Belmont, and why should they, there simply aren't that many of them here in the U.S.  A 1 1/2 mile race in Europe is middle distance.  I've had the pleasure to race ride in France and watch a 13 yr. old gelding race over brush box jumps for three miles, and win.  Now THAT's stamina and THAT's training.  Enough said on that subject.  Then, the factor that Dutrow was as obnixous as Asmussen certainly didn't help Big Brown any.......disappointment for horse racing all around.

I know they say the horse is healthy. But I'm still betting he will be retired in the next few days. With Da'Tara shooting for the Travers, BB's people are not going to risk another defeat. I don't care what they say about keeping him in training. Mark my words--something will turn up in the next few days that "our initial examination of the colt missed, and we feel it is in his best interest to retire him. We could give him time off, but then we could not get him ready in time for the Breeders Cup, and he really has nothing left to prove, blah, blah, blah..." I can't help feeling glad that the owners' "portfolio" took a hit.

Everyone wants to know why. Everyone wants a reason or an explanation. Secretariat lost 3 races as a 3 year old and never had to deal with injury or nearly 40 other horses. They had the perfect plan against Big Brown and executed perfectly. Da Tara and Tale of Ekati bolting out and boxing in Big Brown seemed to shock Kent D. and instead of breaking with Da Tara he chose to get boxed in and then taken 6 wide by Tale of Ekati as he drifted him out wide in the back stretch. An injured tired Big Brown in 94 degree heat facing fresh horses had had enough. It appears that as long as Big Browns feet are healthy he is unbeatable but when damaged he is mere mortal. The greatest golfer in the world is Tiger Woods but even a slight injury to his knee has made him too mortal. Great athletes come and go and there accomplishments are later looked upon and discussed and debated.  I have seen a few truly gifted athletes in my time in various sports all around the country and I can tell you they all have something in common. The ability to amaze us with their special gifts and talents and the heart and drive to be the best even when following defeat. I hope we have not seen the last of Big Brown. He is a very special athlete and I look forward to seeing him run again rested and healthy.

on a much lighter note, you have just got to love Tada's comments in regards to coming back for the Breeders cup. I loved it!!! Now that is light hearted sportsmanship at its best!

Billy: how can you commend Eibar Coa's ride on Tale of Ekati? Is that how horse racing is suppose to go? Cut off the favorite, almost causing an accident and causing Tale of Ekati a ripped heal? Is that what caused Tale of Ekati to not win the race? We will never know.Not exactly stellar riding techniques.

we are for any rules that will level the playing field for all...

i really enjoyed your last post...great viewpoints and enjoyed them all...not sure if NYRA will have the guts to suspend desormeaux, nor do i necessarily think they should, but i am no expert here...sad part of it either way would be...we won't see his wife on tv any longer:)

If a horse is hurt or the rider/jock suspects that then i can understand it if the horse is pulled up.You will see this in the morning as well as during races.To pull up a horse because he wasn't going to hit the board is bush league. Was Robero Duran up?

Great postings by all. Wonderful observations based on horse racing experiences shared by all on this blog.

I believe I can sum it ALL up in just 5 words. Big Brown, and Smarty Jones, and Real Quiet, and Silver Charm, and War Emblem, and even little Funny Cide all lost in their bids for the Triple Crown for EXACTLY the same reason:

Because it is really hard.

It is nothing dramatic or sinister or bad luck or this or that or the other. It is just because it is really, really hard. To me, it is that simple.

i cannot believe i am even thinking there might be a point to this but wanted to ask--i know several people who find kent's ride fishy and espec since zito's horse won and the legends fund is announced featuring zito--friends think it was rigged by desormeaux and others involved in this fund(even tho kent is not involved in this fund)--pls pls say that can't be!!! horse racing has enough problems without that. personally i did think it a terrible ride but never thought about it being rigged until friends pointed out this new fund that zito is a part of--they think the fact he won belmont helps the fund--i trust you jason--what do you think and is there anyway for any of this to be looked into? thank you

Re: Kent D, I understand the rule and need to make reasonable effort to finish a race; however, in this particular year, with the spike in audience, interest, and criticism from outside the hard-core racing world, I vote Kent D made a politically wise, perhaps audience sensitive, choice to ease to avoid yet another hour of commentator analyses/critical letter writing campaigns second guessing race horse safety--if the horse was done he was done--I wasn't aboard.  If Kent does get fined/suspended, this is one case where I'd be happy to chip in a couple bucks!  I think it was a "politically sound" choice to reduce some negative perceptions by the general public--which is still an important market.

Robert in Houston, Sham ran the second fastest Derby in history unless you have access to research I don't which I wish you'd share. According to William Nack in his classic "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion” © 1975, 2002 William Nack and published by Da Capo Press, Nack credits Sham with a time of 1:59.8 (p. 268). But he is silent as to his source.

Using the old rule of thumb that a length equals a fifth (0.2) of a second. Sham by finishing 2½ lengths behind Secretariat, finished ½-second later than the 1973 Derby Champion which is a time of 1:59.9. Using the more modern thinking that a thoroughbred covers on average 6 lengths per second, Sham’s time that day would have been 1:59.87.

This conversation is made more difficult by the fact that only the times for the leading horse at every call are recorded and official. So we don’t really know what Sham’s actual time was. Only someone who hand timed Sham specifically that day might know.

This issue is further complicated by the fact that we don’t even know for sure what Secretariat’s actual time was. In those ancient days, race times were rounded down to the next fifth of a second. Many of today’s race announcers such as the great Tom Durkin still give the splits of a race in that format during their call.

Expressed in decimal format the range for 0 fifths of a second is .00 to .19, for 1 fifth .20 to .39, for 2 fifths .40 to .59, for 3 fifths .60 to .79 and for 4 fifths .80 to .99. So if Secretariat’s true time had been as slow as 1:59.59, Sham’s time could have been as slow as 2:00.09 which would move him behind Monarchos (2001) who ran the race in 1:59.97 and Northern Dancer who set the old Derby record in 1964 with a 2 minute flat clocking which might have been as slow as 2:00.19. The 1991 Derby is the first that was timed to the 100th of a second.

When I visited the Kentucky Derby Museum two years ago, I beat their Derby Trivia game by answering the question: “Which horse ran the 2nd fastest Derby?” with Sham. But the truth is it could have been the 4th fastest time. Maybe some of those with experience timing in fifths can shed more light on this topic. Possibly there will be some lively debates in the future if a horse comes along and clips the Derby electronic beam in 1:59.51. This would also round down to 1:59.4, so would he break the record or not? Don’t know. Do care. Maybe someone with the required computer hardware and software can determine the correct times of these old races.

As a AVID BB fan ( and still am ) I would love to point out to all those "naysayers" that They *All* get beat..... That said I have been hoping for this entire TC trail That Dutrow shut his mouth,that behavior is usually left to the backstretch workers and before ANY one gets out of sorts I will tell you I spent 7 years as a groom with SB's in the 80's and know how each groom would talk so much garbage prior to a big race that many of the trainers would try and stop that type of trash talking ( with little luck I might add ) I know I spent a year on the grand circut with The groom of Seahawk Hanover and let me tell you I used to think He was the king trash talker ( Woody dear may you rest in peace ) But Dutrow maid my jaw drop with all his trash talk!! WOW is all I can say

As for Kent well if he gets a suspension that would be a shame he put the horse First in my mind and my hat is off to him !

It comes down to this,

Big Brown was not up to a mile and a half or Da' Tara on the day.

Dutrow forgot there is no horse that can't be defeated, And a master trainer in Mr. Zito gave him a Classic lesson.

Triple Crown 2009 - Nicanor ridden by Edgar Prado owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson and trained by Michael Matz.  What a classy group of people.  We need another year of TC races with classy people in the spotlight.

Robert Houston, TX, If you are simply going to copy and paste my work, I would appreciate acknowledgment. Representing someone else's work as your own is plagarism. Also would you please reveal your source of your cocaine charge against Sir Barton's trainer for those of us who have not read it before. Also, if you have documentation that any other trainers routinely used controlled substances in lieu of proper training methods, please share it with us. It does help shed light on the Big Brown steroid storm to place it in a historical context.

A lot has been said so far and I agree with most of the original post. I think the only thing I disagree with from the comments is the critique of the ride. It looked to me like BB wasn't happy or comfortable before the race even started. Then he broke poorly (huge veer to his right at the break), didn't like someone in front of him and tried to run them over. It didn't seem to me that Kent tried to get far outside until BB tried to run through Da Tara. I think with BB being so rank, moving him outside was Kent's best chance at having any chance at the race. Plus, if KD let him run as he seemed to want to and BB stopped at the 1/8th pole, everyone would've been all over him for not keeping a reign on him. I don't see how he could've ridden much differently given BB's behavior...

I'm torn about KD pulling him up. BB looked like he was done and had no interest in running anymore. I can see the issue with him not trying, but at the same time, on national TV 5 weeks after a horrific breakdown, with a $50 million horse under you, you have to be cautious. Might not make everyone happy, but it might be the right thing to do. What would be the benefit if the heat was a factor and BB had suffered heat exhaustion or worse later...

I have never left a comment on a blog before.  I along with everyone else wanted Big Brown to win the Triple Crown. It is hard as history proves.  When Big Brown went to the gate he was upset, you usually can tell when a horse is upset when he is lathered between his hind legs.  He got further frustrated when he couldn't get up front or on the outside where he wanted to be.  He was fighting Kent the first quarter of a mile.  He also was the only horse that raced in all three races. Also, it was over 90 degrees with humidity over 60% humidity and the heat index over 100.  Maybe he was just hot and tired and had a bad day.  I give Kent a lot of credit knowing his horse had nothing left to push him and had no chance of making any money and eased him up. This shows compassion.

As far as Dutrow goes he reminds me of my brother and his attitude covers up a lot.  He brags about his horse because he is proud of him.  Of course he should think before he speaks. He probably is a nice guy deep down but this is his personality.  I hope this isn't Big Brown's last race because I think he is a great horse who had a bad day.  If he races again we should know later if this is true.

Maybe Breeders Cup with the best in the World and then maybe we can see what he can do.

Jason, sorry for the ambiguity, I didn't mean to imply that the quote was made by you, it was from one of your bloggers, Pam, on June 8th. I did a poor job of explaining myself. I just didn't put a name because I didn't want to make that person feel attacked. She certainly has a right to her opinion, as do we all, and I was just expressing my own for whatever pittance it is worth. As I said, I think you and several of the regulars in here are spot-on.  

Although I am on the record as mentioning Dr.Fager, not Secretariat as the greatest, and not knocking BB

----draynay comments ----???????

Would you reply to  

" C/O Robinson Family and Dr.Smith (and Robot)"

Somewhere Lost in Space,

Outer Galaxy

Universe 66635

if you sending him a message

Bla bla bla, Rick Dutrow this, Desormeaux that, bla bla bla. Yeah, they both made a shameful mess of this.Bla, bla bla. But they were not the only ones.

What were the rest of riders thinking, riding 6-10 lengths behind the 1st group? Didn't they notice the slow fractions? Were they at a tea party instead of riding their horses?

But most important: Why hasn't anyone mentioned the ride by Alan Garcia? A 22 year-old kid that does not go crazy like 30-something Elliot on Smarty Jones nor does he fall asleep on the lead like 30-something old Desormeaux on Real Quiet, but instead has patience, patience, patience...and then, in the right moment runs away and doesn't let the horse distract when running alone. What a lesson to the old guys! Congratulations kit, and congratulations to Zito too.

I'm not going to lie I never liked Big Brown. Though as the triple crown was coming to an end I felt the need to at least hope he'd win the Belmont but what I saw was completly puzzling. I was so baffled. And me being a die hard fan of Curlin was a little appauled that they were already setting up a race to race against him! Yes, he didn't win the triple crown but come on! He's proven himself. Big Brown is good obviously but to compare them already to me is dumb. I've moved on and am excited for the fresh set of two year olds and possibly the return of War Pass! Anyone else? Come on, who doesn't love Nick Zitos horses!

Sally F. - Thank you, Pollyanna, for showing all who question a questionable race the error of our "own cards" as you put it.

We should just happily bleat along and never use our insight and brains to discuss and opine on a supposed "mortal lock" who - instead of ascending to the pantheon of greats - instead just turned out to be plain old "mortal."

Thank you for saving us from ourselves!

Now to the real world:  No one is slamming Big Brown - I've read each of these posts and I don't see a one that said the horse is a bum.  What people have done is enjoyed a little schadenfreude at the expense of the connections - and do you blame them?  Dutrow called other horses not worth the money to enter them against BB, Iavarone certainly didn't reveal his own shady past until the reporters dug it up, and both guaranteed a Triple Crown as soon as BB crossed the Preakness finish line.  They could not have been bigger braggarts or more obnoxious.

If people didn't say as much prior to the Belmont - it might have been out of respect for the obvious talent of the colt - not because they didn't think the same things before his loss.

Desormeaux's ride - IMO - was not that bad until the end.  He got boxed (hey - they don't hand you the TC, you know)by some smart race riders and had to pull BB off of Da'Tara's heels to prevent a spill.  The fact he found a seam to get to the outside was admirable, I think.  But....he never went to the whip - not even once on that horse.  Other than a tap on the shoulder and a little cross and some scrubbing - nada.

How could he know for sure BB wasn't just sulking after having been bullied for the first time in his racing career unless he actually gave him at least one smack with the whip?  

And at that point, the pull up began.  It was obvious and so wrong to do - and I don't care what the PETA types say about "he was thinking of the horse."  He's a professional rider, for heaven's sake - he knows when a horse is wrong versus just not firing.  He admitted it - the horse was not in any distress!  And you still think it's good to pull up and walk across the finish line when you KNOW THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE HORSE?  

It was a shameful choice.  Basically, he said "If I'm not winning any piece of the purse - I'm taking my marbles and walking home."  

Big Brown is a good horse, Pollyanna - and its wonderful that you have enjoyed his career and are a fan.  But time to take off those rose colored glasses and accept he's just another also ran in the path to greatness.  A good horse with a sprint pedigree and shelly feet that caught overall weak competition he could beat up on.  

Big Sandy weeds out the good from the possibly great - that's why there's only 11 Triple Crown winners.  Just pull out that tape of Secretariat to see what real equine greatness looks like.  Note: It doesn't look like Big Brown.

I also wouldn't hold my breath that he'll race again.  Saratoga in August is a lot like Belmont last Saturday.  If he doesn't like oppressive heat, humidity and a deeper track - he might lose again.  Da'Tara's going that route as is Colonel John - who is a much better horse than his Derby run showed(talk about a bad ride!)  A couple of Tiznows waiting for the next dance.  

My guess?  The "phantom injury" - much like was found on Smarty Jones when the Chapmans decided to take the money instead of a chance for their colt to achieve real greatness by running against older horses another year.  If BB were to lose again, his value would plummet to the point they could never charge enough to recoup the syndication cost.  

His breeding is average - Boundary only produced 16 stakes winners in his 10 year career - so is it worth the risk running him and getting him beat again?  I'm betting he never returns to the track to race - he'll come up with "something" that makes training him or racing him further this year impossible.  Then off he goes to the shed.  Not a bad end for him, at least!

And even if he does go to the Spa - a real monster is waiting for him down the road at Santa Anita - one named Curlin. He gets no stamp of value without beating him.

They don't ALL get beat, Brokentree.  Hungary's Kincsem went undefeated in the 1870s in her 54 race career, which saw her race in Hungary, Austria, France, Germany, and Great Britain. Britain's Eclipse, St. Simon, and Ormonde all went unbeaten.  So did Italy's Nearco and Ribot in the 1930s and 1950s, respectively. And most recently, America's Personal Ensign went undefeated in 1988. So, no, they don't ALL get beat. Some of the immortals remain perfect, and sadly, on Saturday, Big brown proved he was a mere mortal.  

Shamfan49 horses are put in dention barns all the time, it is a way of making sure they aren't tampered with prior to racing, in an earlier blog a person mentioned how they had raced BB twice and mentioned milkshakes, one thing that detenion barn makes it impossible to do although is illegal.

I agree with EP! It is REALLY hard, and with Jason, no evidence of any fix!

Anyone who knows Zito will tell you that he is for real. He is at peace with his place in this world, and he is not going to jeopardize everything he has worked for by getting involved in some kind of race fixing. The fact that he and Baffert and D. Wayne are starting a new ownership group has nothing to do with how this race was run. They are all three excellent professionals with years of hard work behind them. They have all succeeded because they are all talented and they are all very dedicated to this business. It is bad enough that Zito takes heat for winning the Belmont fair and square just because it happens to spoil the triple crown plans of the public. It goes way beyond reason to suggest he only won that race by fixing the race to benefit a new business venture. Zito should be praised for running a great race, Big Brown wasn't right, end of story folks. Come on guys, isn't it wise to assume the best of people until proven otherwise and not the other way around?  

Marc W.,  Dr. Fager was a great race horse and Damascus could never beat him without a rabbit.  I remember. It makes me so mad when anyone says anything bad about Secretariat or Sham,  it really irks me. It's unfortunate that many of the younger racing fans had no opportunity to see them in their racing days.  Those horses were a sight to behold. Big Brown is a nice horse, and I honestly feel with no 2 year old foundation, the quarter crack, lost training and 3 hard races in 5 weeks, was too much for him.  Plus he really is not bred for 1 1/2 miles.  It was just too much,  give the horse a break, and a new trainer.

I don't understand your feelings toward Big Brown.  You don't like his connections.  Fine.  But transferring your negative feelings toward them to Big Brown is ridiculous.  Please let me remind you, Big Brown is a horse - not a human being.  He is as pure and innocent as the driven snow and as honest as the day is long.  He did not choose his connections nor is he responsible for their antics or their "past performances."  Big Brown is a champion.  Have you so quickly forgotten what he has accomplished in such a short period of time?  He has turned in a "wow" performance every time he has raced until last Saturday.  I have no idea what was wrong during the Belmont Stakes, but I, for one, am very sad that he did not win the crown and, even if he never races again, I will always think of him as the champion that he is.

It's amazing how a "refreshing but brazen"  Dutrow (after KD and Preakness wins) is suddenly held to the fire as a "boastful, got what he deserved trainer" when his horse loses.  People who thought he was a candid, honest interview are now turning their backs on him.  I strongly believe he did his part.  Kent Desourmeaux needs to answer the tough questions, KD pulled the horse up.  Racing fans, do you honestly believe Rick Dutrow didn't want BB to win given all his "honest" opinions about BB and the competition?

I'm confused about some of the comments.Tale of Ekati running interference for who? The horse is sore on his RIGHT hind heel from getting stepped on by BB.Someone explain to me please how Tale of Ekati is responsible for this.I'm serious sp'lan it to me Lucy.

I don't think KD rode a horrible race. BB got outrun to the first turn -- Da'Tara simply was faster and didn't cut him off. Where KD got cut off was when Tale of Ekati (or according to Durkin, Tale of Etaki) moved over. Too bad. Tale of Ekatit got there first. But, that forced KD to yank on BB to keep from running up Da'Tara's heels. If anyone has a complaint it should be the connections of Anak Nakal, because BB bulldozed him aside. Now if KD made that move because BB can't run comfortably surrounded by other horses, that sure makes the colt one dimensional. As for KD continuing to hold back BB, what else is he supposed to do with a horse not bred to go that far. I didn't think KD should have pulled up the horse given that he felt no distress. He should have simply stopped urging and let BB gallop home at his own pace. Btw, I knew it boded well for Tiznow's son when he looked for much of the race as if he were on a Sunday gallop -- his ears were pricked.

The tragedy of the Belmont Stakes this year is this.  Kent rode a awful  race.  His shenanigans at the start ended Big Brown's Belmont.  Nothing else matters.  If he had let BB gun it to the lead instead of pulling him up INTO the box, we would have had a TC winner.  He took the fight out of a talented horse.

My hat off to Nick Zito, again the wiley NY'er is the spoiler, except this time I'm not too bummed.  Good  for him and the connections of Da 'Tara.

I have watched the replays as much as I could and if there nothing phsically wrong with the horse, then I believe there was a possiblity he flipped his soft palate, he certainly looks like he needs a figure eight to keep his mouth shut,when jockey took hold of him,he threw his head all over the place,mouth wide open, still say jockey definitely got out ridden, his head was on a swivel,he definitely panicked, knew he was in a bad position, thought I was in Ocala wacthing a bunch of two year olds going through their traing lessons, Poor horse was behind the 8 ball with this group.His human connections leave a little to be desired. I imagine Three Chimney is squirming a little, when infom was made public that his BB's dad had bad feet also.Nice horse

The bottom line is big brown quit.   HE had nothing left, kent d stop riding him because he knew it.  He did the right thing.He could have whipped the horse hundred times, It wouldn't of mattered. don't get me wrong kent blew the race that's obvious. Big brown was a good horse but way overated. I just hope dutrow goes away now. Hay rick hows your foot taste?  

I HAD been a BB fan despite his "classless" connections, maybe he was a "freak" and COULD of been something special in the right hands. We'll never know if BB actually lost the race, KD lost it for him.

Interesting discussion. Is it my imagination or is the Kent did the right thing/Kent should be disciplined argument come down along gender lines. Seems mostly women are glad he did what was in the best interest of the poor horsey. Men believe he was negligent in following racing rules and disrespected the bettors.

Draynay should cut back on his steroids if he thinks BB will ever be considered more than a glorified allowance horse. He will be forever known as the biggest Belmont failure in history. He quit in the face of adversity.

The race also gave me a sick feeling, as if I had just been conned. Francis might want to use this story for one of his novels. Hedgefund investors, drug violating trainer and a cocky jockey with no qualms about doing whatever connections ask help pull off the greatest Triple Crown scam in history. There are so many possible scenarios and shady characters that it would surely be a best seller.

Let me just ask the rest of you who got the same sick feeling, would we feel this way if the BB's connections were Bob and Beverly Lewis, Bob Baffert and Gary Stevens?

Tiznowbaby: BB got outrun to the first turn???????? Can you be serious???? Please, watch the replay. You will see Kent was all over BB and didn't ALLOW him to run. Had he let BB go, he has enough tactical speed to get to the front of that pack. All Kent's error.

john, I am aware that many tracks use detention barns and I know that there are allegations of shady pre-race activities these barns are meant to discourage. Thanks for your clarification. However, as I watched the ESPN video it was clear to me, Gary Stevens, Randy Moss as well as everyone else in the world watching that Big Brown did not like the place. When he went off camera, nothing more was mentioned about the situation that I heard. True, I was constantly being disrupted by nurses wanting another sample of my blood, my vital signs, or to inspect the surgeon's stitches (though I did enjoy all these women asking to see my rather abless belly), so I may have simply missed it. That said, I find it most puzzling that such critical information to those handicapping the race might be suppressed. Wait! did I just answer my own question? Possibly, but I would still like to know how long it took for him to settle down and using this knowledge hope that some of our horse-expert fellow bloggers might enlighten us as to how much impact this behavior might have had on his race performance. If Big Brown became so unsettled simply moving to another barn, I have to think that other horses respond the same way. If this is having a negative impact on those horses, maybe a better method of discouraging the cheats needs to be found. One possibility might be a track security guard assigned to each horse.

On another note, Bill Nack was a guest on Blood-Horse.com's Talking Horses some months ago, and I asked him how he calculated Sham's Derby time at 1:59.8. I believe that he replied he simply used the old rule of thumb that a fifth of a second equals a length. But, if he used that shouldn't Sham's time have been 1:59.9? The answer is "no" because when times are rounded to the next lower fifth there is no .9, the next lower fifth is .8, the value Nack used. Once again, my hydrocodone befogged brain solves a great horse racing mystery. Now if it could only solve the 6th tomorrow night at Prairie Meadows.

I just love reading everyones different opinons, the best one I believe I have ever read is by SHAMFAN49, my hat is off to you sir, tremendous article, I am old trainer and get so upset when everyone thinks a horse has to have all this time off,way thay train them now adays they never get their legs under them, alas BB

Wanda: This is what I see when I watch the replay. It seems very clear to me. Not so much Da'tara but Kent was on the hip of Da'tara and in route to move up beside him when he was abruptly cut off by Tale of Ekati when he veared in to the left to close the hole for Kent. He almost caused an accident. Here is where I need some help from the educated race fans on this board. Isn't it illegal to pull a stunt like that? I have seen inquiries posted on far less offenses. Am I missing something here??? Please, watch the replay and give me your opinions. Tale of Ekati has a ripped heel from the obvious impact from that move. Did that cause Tale of Ekati the race???

just one more thought and I will just read from now on, best thing to happen to this horse is to change trainers, get a whole new fresh approach if they are going to continue to race him, horses change barns every day, jockeys every race, it is not the end of the world, more like a new day, this is a very quality horse, who handled right will show it.

Those exotic payoffs looked low to me for the longest shot winning with two other longshots running third and fourth. I haven't seen the pool numbers from the tri or super but the pays seem very low even with a super paying 47,000. I wonder who cashed those tickets? Pretty smart huh?

Trotter: Its awfully hard to blame the horse for his finish. Kent eased him up all the while BB was fighting him and wanting to run. He was being ridden by someone who made the decision the race was over. Perhaps Kent will be known as the biggest Belmont failure but easy on the horse. He is as innocent as the day is long. "this is a recording"

I guess we saw a good example, that no matter how good a horse is you can't just jog them a mile one day and then hobby horse gallop a mile every once in a while and get fit to go a mile and a half. He worked once at five furlongs on wednesday, and that is about how far he ran in the Belmont. Dutrow screwed up. His confidence in the horse and the bad foot caused him to quit conditioning the horse. If you noticed BB after the race he was heaving. A tired horse.

It is too bad that the Belmont was a staggering contest. The last half in 55 seconds. Harness horses go that fast. I guess someone had to get there first. I do not think any of these horses will have a plaque at Saratoga.

Janesville Liz, here’s another to add to your list of unbeaten race horses. The 5 year old Desert God mare Peppers Pride won for the 16th time from 16 starts when she took the $75,000 Russell & Helen Foutz Distaff Handicap at 6½ furlongs April 26, 2008, at SunRay Park and Casino in Farmington, New Mexico. She has been overlooked by many racing fans because New Mexico is not the center of the thoroughbred world and most, if not all, her wins were earned in state-bred restricted races. Still, a perfect 16 for 16 is quite an achievement and she deserves our respect and applause when she goes for Number 17, maybe this summer at Ruidoso Downs or Zia Park. For those seeking more information about her, visit www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx

God Speed, Desert Goddess!

Now I read Dutrow is putting the blame on Kent.  Why was I rooting against Big Brown?  Slap-Slap.  Oh yeah because his trainer is a jerk.  Perhaps the owners will wise up and get a first class trainer for a first class horse...

Trotter you forgot to add the conspiracy to make sure there was no water to wet down the track. Just ask anyone using the women's restroom. There will be plenty of witnesses.By the way, do think think KD would do something that would affect the memory of a son going blind? Give me a break!

A Tale of Two Cultures

The Japanese brought Casino Drive to the United States in hopes of winning the Belmont Stakes.  The plan was in the works for at least a year and a half and the connections from Japan felt they had a horse that could successfully compete against the Americans on their home ground.  They proved that their horse was capable by winning the Peter Pan which has been used as a Belmont prep before.  

They ignored the braggadocio of Big Browns obnoxious trainer (you can just picture the “ugly American”) and treated his dismissal of their horse with good humor.  When Casino Drive suffered a minor injury, a stone bruise on his left rear foot, they knew their dreams of defeating Big Brown in the United States was gone and reluctantly scratched the horse in order to prevent any serious injury that may have occurred during the running of such a strenuous race  

On the other hand the trainer and owner of Big Brown ignored the injury to the animals left front hoof, patched it up, and subjected him to the rigors of running in a race without sufficient training to back up their boastful claim that nobody could defeat their horse and to insure that his stud value in the ensuing years would earn them a fortune beyond their wildest dreams.  

We have seen the results of this dreadful decision and despite claims by these two deceivers to the contrary, the horse was obviously hurting whether or not the quarter crack got any worse.  Both of them have been guilty of indiscretions before but this one in unforgivable. The horse should have been scratched.

Trotter: I would've felt the same way if it was Bob Baffert and Gary Stevens in command; by that point Gary Stevens would've proclaimed Big Brown 'the best horse he's ever ridden.' Baffert is like an annoying D-lister - just keeps coming back for attention ... and in the past couple years he's been nowhere. Sure he's still winning races but he isn't what he use to be.

Bob and Beverly Lewis wouldn't have retired this horse as a 3yo like Iavarone ... I WISH they had had this horse ... he would've gotten to really show us his ability.

I would feel the same way if it was anyone who owned the horse ...trained the horse ... but if it was still Desormeaux in the saddle, I'd still be criticizing him. If it was Edgar Prado, on the other hand ...

Your comments on Big Brown are simply tired, old, and just plain sophomoric. Trotter make sure you are around this board to run your mouth when the Breeders Cup comes around.  I am sure you are such an expert on horses that you can enlighten all of us with your handicapping skills.

To respond to the comments about Zito not being more celebratory in the winner's circle: I remember Zito & Birdstone getting booed after the 2004 Belmont because they spoiled Smarty Jones' Triple Crown. Nick was quoted in the paper the next day as having said he understood everyone's disappointment about not having a TC winner, but that he wasn't going to apologize for having won the race. I think the 2004 experience & the uncertainly regarding Big Brown's condition made for a low key celebration.

Shamfan--I did forget about her. Pepper's Pride is quite a remarkable mare. She deserves the highest respect for her performances.

Please forgive me if I am repeating something already said, but my eyeballs are hanging out on stems from RE-reading this entire blog. WHEW!!

It appears there are a few contributors who don't know the difference between "easing up" and "pulling up", and that is not a condemnation....it's an observation. For the record, there is a HUGE difference between the two. Barbaro was pulled up, Ruffian was pulled up.....both after catastrophic breakdowns. Big Brown was eased up to jog out the rest of the race. BIG DIFFERENCE! Yes, BB was fighting Desormeaux as he was eased, but the jock NEVER pulled the horse up.

Curiouser and curiouser......

Has anyone really watched this replay? I thought when I watched the race it was a horrible ride, but if you watch it over again, it was the only ride available to Kd that day, maybe he didnt ride it well, but thats the way it is. Within breaking, he was obviously going right for the 2-3 path, you can actually see BB going for it, but it rightfully, and happens all the time in racing, got closed QUICK. You see him pull a little, he had no choice, but then TOE came over so quick if KD hadnt pulled up as rude as he did, it sure looked to me like some one was going down, during the actual race and during the replay, no matter how many times you watch it. He actually kept the very rank BB from hurting himself and others. If this horse was a superhero, this would have been nothing to him. Still, Kd did jerk him, but it's the way it is, no one is giving you a triple crown, and it wasnt anything worse than a horse goes through in a claiming race. But if anyone does the math, before the quarter pole, within 20 seconds, KD and Bb were on the proven path for them, close to the leader, and BB was running fine, no pulling, no fighting, so maybe 20 seconds of a 2/30 race he was moved around?? This is not a fixed race, this is racing, and BB was not up to it no matter who rode him. He was done way before his Derby distance. This horse had a quarter crack, that, bottom line, did him in by not allowing Rd to put in any training in this horse in 3 weeks. I dont like any of his connections, but this is horse racing, there wasnt any "fixing", taking a horse off his "medicine", in the middle of a triple crown, which is legal right now, and probably other horses are on, while not hardly training in 3 weeks is a recipe for a loss. The bottom line, which no one seems to address, is the hoof. He missed days of training for the longest race of his life, he couldnt be worked like he needed to be for fear of injury, and actually missing this race, and he was taken off steroids. It doesnt matter who rode him Belmont Day, or what happened, this colt was not in condition for this race, and on the far turn, you can see KD moving the hands, for all those who say you cant, and even before he eased him, 7 horses went by him. Whats the point, at that point, in even bothering?? I think KD knew, the horse didnt have his drugs, he hadnt been trained at all because of the crack, and the heat had already caused trouble for a couple of horses. What is he supposed to do?? Bad finish for the Belmont Stakes? At least the horse is ok, which we all knew he would be. His connections just wont admit that he wasnt ready for a variety of reasons, most which they will blame on the ride. I'm not saying it was a pretty ride, but rough stuff over in 20 seconds in a slow quarter, KD is not the reason this horse lost. He wasnt right, and the reality that his trainer didnt even come check on him the next am, I think speaks volumes  to the "real reality" of this sad day for all of racing

Shamfan:

If you took that mare and ran her in a claiming race at Saratoga this summer, she'd lose. :)

Sherry, I agree that the Belmont was a stagger fest and this truly does seem to be a weak bunch of 3 year olds.

However, I could not disagree more about your comment regarding Dutrow and the training during Belmont week.  If you were the trainer what would you have done, scratch the horse going for historey? Big Brown is an awesome horse that was in the best shape of his life.  The connections had to worry to not over-work him as many trainers mistakenly dio.  Three races in five weeks, fitness was not the issue darling.  You are splitting hairs if you think his bad performance was because he missed a day or two of training. I guarantee you that is not the case.

If anything, he just got worn out from the grind.  More works during Belmont week would not have changed anything.

No steroids for B.B. in the B-mont. He had them before so why not this time? The jockey jerked B.B. hard right and he did it early on. B.B. does not need to be manhandled and he did not like it. Treating a horse in a manner he is not accustomed to in a big race makes NO sense to me. B.B. was held back and it was apparent the jockey was up on him and not letting B.B. run his race. There are too many questions that are not being asked and if not asked there will be no answer. The questionable conduct of the jockey and the non-use of steroids troubles me. The best horse lost and the longshot won. Makes me wonder......It should make everyone wonder. I think sporting events are "fixed" more often than we will ever know. At the very least the jockey should be spending some time staring at "bright lights" while answering a few questions.

If you have not been directly involved in horse racing or veterinary care of race horses, you have no business commenting on the use of Winstrol or Equipoise.  They are used in minute doses given the size of the animal, and simply keep them on their feed and their mind on training.  It's not like the effects on humans and as Doc Bramlage stated on ABC, they are not used to muscle horses up.  They are quite therapeutic and there are countless other veterinary practices that are much more suspect than trace amounts of steroids.  

This brings to light one of the major problems facing horse racing today.  Very little is known by the public of how the walking wheel turns, as we say.  They get snippits of information and take it and run completely uneducated to the whole picture.  Until horse racing receives equal coverage with other sports, it will continue to be misunderstood.

I am not defending Dutrow - in my mind he is just the East Coast version of Cole Norman and probably does do some really questionable things.  But, Winstrol and Equipoise have helped many a horse and the majority of race horses in North America have at one time or another received their fair share of one of them.

Wanda,

I'm sorry but I went to the Horse Park 19 years ago so I'm sure he wasn't there.  How wonderful you knew that horse!  I love them.

Johnny,

Thanks for remembering the deal with Jose Santos.  I remember how horrible it was for him to be accused of something he didn't do and was vindicated after he had been trashed.

This is a really good blog.  Let's see what unfolds with BB.  I still think he will be retired but maybe not.  We all think differently about things but that's what makes it interesting and fun.

And I agree that Kent should get days for his actions.  He was protecting his future interests in riding other horses for Dutrow and Ivarone.  Any one who thinks differently doesn't know Kent, or horse racing.  Kent is a businessman first and foremost and he has never for a second stopped thinking about how to get that next mount.  

The Rules of Racing in any state will dictate that the jockey must give his full effort through the wire.  I have seen many a jockey given days for standing up on his horse just before the wire, beaten or not.  Racing has to protect itself against the appearance of impropriety and any action contrary to that will raise suspicion of race-fixing.  Ask Donnie Meche....

Here is his story and it gives some of the language from the Rules of Racing in Louisiana regarding a similar instance:  

"Stewards at Delta Downs handed jockey Donnie Meche a six-month suspension on Saturday for his ride aboard Cleaning House on Jan. 23 at Delta. Cleaning House, a heavy favorite in a trial race for the Graduation Futurity, finished third, and Meche was penalized for not doing his best to win the race.

Stewards, who held a hearing with Meche on Saturday, cited Meche for two rules violations, one that stated he didn't use his whip "in a manner consistent with using his best efforts to win," the other a more general racing rule that forbids a rider from doing anything "that has the effect of diminishing the chance of the horse winning any race". "

Does anyone know if Pyro is still in training?  I fell in love with him as a 2-year-old, and I was disappointed by his Derby effort, but I would love for him to come back into form and have a successful fall.

Sham-Nice comment on Peppers Pride.  She has gotten somewhat overlooked since she is not in the "big" races, but 16 straight is an accomplishment no matter what level.

Trotter-I resent your comment that women are the ones concerned about "the poor horsey," although I see where you're coming from.  Here is one woman that believes it was a disgrace to racing.  It's one thing if there is a question of distress or if the horse has been outrun by 30 lengths, but to do it just because you don't think you're going to finish in the purse distribution?  Maybe this will be the next trend.  From now on, only the horses still with a shot at money entering the stretch need to finish the race.  Everyone else just pull up and see who can get back to the barn fastest.  They could start a new gimmick bet on who will be back in their stall first.  :)

Marc W, In your comment posted at  2:41 PM today, you give me the impression that you think I was accusing the trainer of Dancer’s Image of being another drug cheat. That was not my intention at all, and if I caused you or any of Dancer’s Image’s connections any distress, I sincerely apologize. I was attempting to point out that Dancer’s Image was disqualified for a drug violation, I think specifically traces of Phenylbutazone (Bute) which is used as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for the treatment of chronic pain, including the symptoms of arthritis. (en.wikipedia.org/.../Phenylbutazone). However, nowadays the administration of this drug is so routine that it is frequently not recorded in the Past Performances.

Everything you wrote is in full agreement with my drug-impaired memory cells, and I truly respect your intimate knowledge of these events.

My point is simply that fair is fair. If Kentucky Derby winners are no longer forfeited for use of this drug, then neither should Dancer’s Image have been and his purse and especially his title should be restored. If his disqualification is allowed to stand, then it becomes part of the sacred tradition of the Run for the Roses and every horse since that ran on that drug or any of the others banned back then such as furosemide (Lasix) should also be disqualified. After all, according to the results chart published in the Kentucky Derby 131 (May 7, 2005) Media Guide by Churchill Downs, Bute and Lasix were not allowed until the 113th running of THE DERBY in 1987, at least that’s the first year that they are charted. In my opinion 112 drug free years is quite a tradition and should still be respected by the Kentucky State Racing Commission.

Alysheba has the distinction of being the first Derby Champion to win with Bute, but we all know it was really Dancer’s Image. The next 3 finishers that milestone year: Bet Twice, Avies Copy and Cryptoclearance raced drug free. Might one of them have won with a level track? We’ll never know. Winning Colors won in 1988 on Bute. The highest drug-free finisher was Proper Reality who ran 4th. The great Sunday Silence won drug free in 1989. His great rival Easy Goer also ran drug-free. Starting with the 119th running May 1, 1993, the ‘B’ for Bute is no longer listed on the results charts.

The owners of the Kentucky Derby scream “Tradition” whenever they reject changing the format of the Triple Crown races. But from Aristides in 1875 through Ferdinand in 1986, 112 years of tradition dictated that THE DERBY Champion should be L and B free. This was tossed overboard in 1987 in a spasm of corporate greed hard to imagine from CDI. So I would like them to either restore the drug-free tradition or Dancer’s Image’s proper spot in the racing pantheon. Else they should concede that Tradition is simply a nifty song from “Fiddler on the Roof” and be more open to change.

By the way, Alysheba was also the first Derby winner on Lasix.

There are so many versions here of one simple thing as a horserace...no wonder people thinks this world is complicated...everybody is living in their own...

We should always look at facts not perceptions, analyze not speculate, discuss but listening, so at the end we could possibly outline the sequence of events that triggered the observed performance…or better in this case…the apparent lack of.

The facts, in order:

The quarter crack, BB missed training...BB had a work of 5f in 60" and not in 58" like before derby day...BB did not go out the day of the race contrary to the two previous races…The heat wave, BB and most horses in the Belmont had not faced these conditions before...The detention barn, BB and the rest had not faced this environment before…At the starting gate, BB had to go first into the gate by the first time since his first race on grass, and did so somewhat reluctantly by the first time (I did not watch his first two races)...When the gate opened, BB hind legs skidded (there is a better word that escapes my mind at the moment)…In a couple of strides, D’Tara was almost a length in front (obviously about six lane wide) with Tale of Ekati being ridden to follow him…As in the Preakness, it took a while to BB to get in his galloping stride…With more than a length in front, AG moved D’Tara quickly to the rail while EC was leaving TE wide…Entering the turn…KD started to ask BB pointing him to the outside of D’Tara while EC on TE is closing the gap abruptly…At this point, it is difficult to differentiate if it was BB not wanting to bump TE and keep the gap open, or KD pulling him up…Now BB is boxed, so KD has no option but to put the brakes and BB did not like it in contrast to what we saw in all previous races…KD opted to try to get out at all cost and bumped into AN…At the clubhouse turn, EC with TE pushed BB and KD six wide…BB appeared to be under more restrain than usual…BB only got relaxed (tired?) in the middle of the backstretch…AG hold D’Tara for a little breather…TE and BB appear to be closing ground (both very wide)…AG ‘said‘ to D’Tara ‘time to go’ at the beginning of the far turn and started to open the gap on both TE and BB…KD started to ride BB…KD shrugs BB twice…no response…TE and BB are losing ground quickly to the leader that appears comfortable on the lead…the rest you all know….

Based on what I just outlined, I have a couple of simple observations:

BB was not the same horse as in the previous TC races or the FD for that matter. He was ranked and did not look comfortable anytime during the race.

KD acted too cool in the first strides of the race knowing he was already a length back, while all the riders particularly EC rode aggressively from the beginning to box BB. KD appeared to be programmed to ride similarly to the Derby and Preakness day…

Now to my opinions,

About BB, there were many changes and circumstances, training, feeding, etc,  that could have affected the performance, only his connections know the real facts…

About KD, I had to be a little hard him on two things. His coolness during the first strides, and his decision to run wide knowing BB was not the same (early rankness). Since the post positions were drawn, they all knew BB was going to be boxed. Even Gary Stevens acknowledged that the plan was going to the lead. The misstep BB took at the start should have made KD to decide to rush him to the front, not to get in front of D’Tara but to be in front of TE, TE should have never been in from of BB…Eibar Coa did all he legally could to make BB lose, that is his job. In the far turn, KD should have brought BB inside, BB has always jumped to the rail during acceleration. No way he was going to beat the leader by accelerating 7 wide…Just check with the experts in geometry how many lengths BB conceded running that wide…But again, only KD knows what he was thinking...

Like many, I am disheartened and sad to the point of tears…but only for the horse…I think BB is a very good horse…and although he was not himself on Saturday, KD decisions did not help him to finish the race as he should have done…as a race horse.

I apologize for the long lines…but we all should start looking for the next crop and the 2009 TC…that is what horse racing is about…

Although I have immense respect for the great race horses of the past. Sham, Secretariat, Dr. fager,Damascus etc.... they are not in the here and now. Everyone is so busy living in the past, no one remembers to enjoy what we have today. Great: Jay Leno is all over this BB story. Just like the comment I read earlier. The public gets little bits and pieces of this industry. Jay said BB came in dead last and the speculation is because he was off steroids. That is what the public hears and that is what they remember. Forget the fact that Kent eased him up and was the reason he was dead last. Forget the rest of world knows nothing about the legal use of steroids in horses. Shame for our industry.

Just want to say that if Da'Tara continues to run on and well, we might start seeing more horses with more stamina influences on the track in a few years. Congrats to his connections!

The horse flunked when it mattered most, the jockey miscalculated everything, the trainer ate his words, and Big Brown's owners are scratching their heads. The end.

I understand that many of you don't want this race to have been fixed but to get me to believe it you would have to explain why somebody hammered the tri and super pools. The 1.00 tri paid 1977.00. You can get that any day at any dog track in America and most horse tracks in much smaller pools. The numbers don't add up for large national pools. Discussions about who was best that day make no sense without being able to see that the exotics were hit hard by someone.

Thanks for responding Monica V.Anybody else go to the Horse Park and see Two Step when he was there? I'd sure like to hear if anyone saw the old horse.

JJ, I don't recall that there are any claiming horses at any track anywhere with 16 straight wins. So what if there are other horses that can beat Peppers Pride? 16 in a row is an amazing accomplishment no matter the venue. If it were so easy, then it would happen much more frequently. If the trainers of your marvelous claimers could find a spot for them where they could win 16 in a row, then why aren’t these horses running there? After all, an important part of a trainer's job is spotting his charges in races they have a chance of winning. If I were lucky enough to own a horse like Peppers Pride, I'd much rather she whomp New Mexico breds until they scream for mercy, then leave home only to face defeat. After all, the winner's share of a 75k race is treated the same by my bank whether it's from a Saratoga claimer or a New Mexican state bred stakes. You probably don't respect Russell Baze either, since most of his 10,000 and counting wins were earned on the Northern California circuit. Better to be a big fish in a small pond than lunch meat anywhere else.

Draynay,

Once again you've noted that Secretariat lost some races.  Well, BB just lost as well and if he were to race 21 times I'll bet he will lose another 2 or 3 times maybe more.  Has had a total of 6 races, won 5 an lost one.  I do believe Smarty raced a bit more like 9 or 10 times and lost 1.  Does the loss of BB diminish him in your eyes?  It shouldn't. Every horse can lose.  They are animals not machines, things happen.  Secretariat was brilliant.  His first race was lost because he was crushed between 2 horses coming out of the gate and shied from jumping out after that.  No matter how much you don't like Secretariat, he will always be held in the highest esteem in horse racing and even in all sports.  His Belmont was voted by sportswriters to be in the top 5 greatest moments in sports history.

I'm sure other people don't like him either but you can't argue with what he accomplished since it hasn't been duplicated since.  Not even close.

TIZNOWBABY: you obviously need to rewatch the race. BB wasn't outrun until the stretch, and Tale of Ekati almost got RUN OVER by BB! Tale of Ekati actually came out of the race with a gash from the encounter.

As for a post above that said they think BB will get better and go down in history....he'll go down in history all right....for losing the bid of the TC. Most likely, he won't be the same horse. He'll race in the dandy or Travers and make a complete fool of himself....... Some horses never recover from a race like he went through, emotionally. After that, Three Chimney's will put an outragous stud fee on him. People will hustle and pay it....

oops. excuse me. I'm getting carried away, lol. =)

NYRA's 2009 Belmont Stakes Ad Campaign Slogan:

"BYO Bathroom!"

And who looked worse, Microsoft's big-mouth CEO, Steve Ballmer, in Hungary running away from an egg attack,

Or the current biggest laughing stock in America, Rich Dutrow, now on the lam?

Cowards.

God bless John Servis.  Now, THAT was the way to handle adversity.

BCRacefan, I was merely pointing out that the character of the connections will make people question their motives and actions, Kent would not even have to have knowledge. The unsavory background of certain owners and trainers make for a fertile field of suspicion. Races do not need to be "fixed" in order for those in the know to profit. You just need to take advantage of the situation in front of you and have the resources to capitalize. The Belmont is a major race with large betting pools. The minimum bet in the super for this day will be a dollar not a dime so full field boxing and wheeling will be harder for all but the very well off. You have the odds on favorite and the second choice has to withdraw so now if your horse fails to hit the board all other payoffs will be huge. Your horse has foot problems and may even be skittish inside of other horses(you chose the 20 post to keep him on the outside before) and you have drawn the rail. You keep insisting the foot is no problem to the public. You won't admit it because your horse must run for the TC and scratching any horse that can walk would be heresy. Scratching would take integrity and courage and these are traits you do not possess. You tell the jockey to get him outside as soon as possible and let him run his race. You tell him the foot should be fine but if he has a problem don't push him too hard if it doesn't feel right. You plants some seeds, Eight Belles is still fresh so the jock will be looking to pull up at any sign of distress. The jock does not have to know anything about the insurance you take out in the form of an all horse box in the super. For every $1 this costs $1680 (less if you kick out the maiden). As hedgefund guys you can easily figure possible payoffs and a minimum of $20,000 for a dollar would seem pretty close. You know that if your horse wins your purse will be $600,000 more than enough to cover $30,000 (20 dollar box) in super bets. If he can't run well because of the foot he will be out of the money and you will collect at least $400,000 most likely more and you might even bet more since large amounts have never stopped you in the past. You see this is what hedgefunds do, they try to make money on every situation with just a matter of how much for each outcome.

Am I giving them too much credit, maybe, but if I can think of it, why couldn't they? The circumstances came together for the perfect storm. Eight Belles covered all the outrage at pulling up the horse. No heavy second choice helped create outrageous payoffs. The foot may have made them think that he may not run his best so why not hedge. Do I think that the race was fixed, absolutely not. Do I think that the circumstances were right for a hedge, you bet? At the very least it would make for a nice story plot don't you think?

JJ, my point with the connections I mentioned is that they did not have questionable backgrounds due to past actions and no one would have the suspicions I have mentioned.

Draynay, I would not venture to handicap the BC (or at least share them) because synthetic surfaces are a mystery to me right now. However I believe you are referring to how the Pooh will dominate but I very much doubt we will see him run again. I never claimed to be an expert but I have seen great horses and this was not one. Great horses give their all, they don't quit at the mile pole.

Kelly S, I respect your comments and thank you.

On Desormeaux:  If he says he can put this race behind him and not think twice, he's just trying to save face.  The beginning was a preconceived nightmare that got the horse hammered for no reason, and the end was a disgrace that the horse will have to bear through no fault of his own.  Desormeaux was pulling him over before the last turn was finished.  Whether there was nothing in the tank or not, you can't blame the horse for finishing last when he's not allowed to be ridden out, and headlines should state the truth. He was pulled up; where else can a horse finish when he's pulled up?

On Big Brown:  The horse has run six races, five of which couldn't have been better.  But the last one, however, after suffering a quarter crack, missing training time, not being given his shot (ugh), and then being ridden like a clueless kid on his first pony ride (in record sweltering heat), he lays a big one, and a lot of folks want to write him off like any golfer not named Tiger Woods.  Was it dirt in his face, a hellacious ride (my guess), pedigree, steroid bounce, the anti-Dutrow gods or all of the above?  I don't know for sure, but Big Brown had no sayso in any of that, nor can he help that he may only run six times.  In his first five races he looked like he had the making of a champion, could outrun his pedigree, could inject racing with something good in spite of the tainted trappings,and when it didn't happen (and in the fashion it happened), for many he's a mediocre knew-it-all-the-time not good enough.  Well Big Brown still won the Kentucky Derby in a manner that hadn't been seen since 1929 and followed it up with a smashing Preakness Stakes.  A bad Belmont doesn't erase those facts.  

On steroids:  I don't hear anyone griping that Barclay Tagg gave his horse the steroid, and for that matter, how many more Belmont entrants got a shot from their respective trainers?  Why is Big Brown singled out?  Why didn't any of those other juiced horses run away with the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes?  The only real talent shot is already in the horses' blood, doled out by Mother Nature, and Big Brown got his fair share of the real thing to get him where he got.

I just hope he gets the chance (with another rider) to earn at least an ounce of redemption.  Without that opportunity, there'e just more questions with no real answers.

The connections of the beautiful and noble champion Big Brown can take a lesson from California trainer Doug O’Neill and California champion Lava Man. At Hollywood park yesterday, the same day as the Belmont stakes, O’Neill and jockey Tyler Baze let Lava Man run HIS race from gate to wire. He broke “fast and fresh” and was allowed to take the lead and he set the pace and led up to 7 and 1/2 lengths and led for most of the race in his second from his first layoff in a career in which he had lost the last 3 before the layoff and achieved only a lack luster third in his first race after the layoff. Yesterday Lava Man ran like the wind from the break, with game fractions and ended up a really triumphant and feisty third. He regained his self-respect and his dignity and next time out he will win if they again let him run HIS race. He showed all of his former feistiness and competitive spirit which he had lost before the layoff. Big Brown needs to have the same treatment or he will lose his confidence forever. He has been kept under wraps too long.He needs to run HIS race and run like the wind. if he had been allowed to do so in the Belmont, he would have won.

He also broke fast and fresh. Every photo of the horse in the race shows him under some kind of restraint. It broke his spirit and he just gave up exhausting himself trying to run free, to run HIS race. Have some respect for the horse and LET HIM RUN!!!

The great horses from the past?  

Live in the now?

Here's the now:

Compared to last year with Curlin, Streetsense, Hardspun, etc., the 2008 3 year old crop stunk it up.  All BB did was beat a bunch of bum horses in the Derby, bum horses in the Preakness, and then couldn't beat the bums in the Belmont.  That's why I was glad he didn't get the triple.

After reading the blog posting, I agree with most of it except for the opinion on Kent Desormeaux and his ride.  I've been following horse racing closely for 20 years and it was obvious that Big Brown was not the same horse we saw in his previous 5 races.  A combination a factors led to his defeat, including his trip, but I don't see much fault in the rider.  When it's all said and done, Big Brown was not ready for the 1 1/2 mile distance.  Even if Kent sent the horse, how many people would be wondering/complaining about him getting into a speed duel with a 40-1 shot?  When a heavy favorite like Big Brown loses, the jockey always becomes the scapegoat.  He's in a no-win situation.  This horse had only one 5F workout in five weeks during the Triple Crown.  He missed 3 days because of his hoof.  Weather also played a factor on days when he was scheduled to gallop but jogged instead.  Things didn't go smooth after the Preakness and his preparation was compromised.  He was a short horse no matter how you look at it.  For those who argued that Kent should have ridden the horse out, consider that every horse was passing BB around the far turn prior to Kent easing him up.  He was already last or second to last at that point.  The only "forgone conclusion" at that point was that he was coming in last.  Let's remember for a second the 2006 Preakness when Barbaro broke through the gate prior to the start.  The vets at the gate looked at him and gave the go ahead, Prado felt nothing was wrong and we soon saw what happened shortly after the start.  It's only speculation if the trouble before the race had anything to do with what ultimately happened to Barbaro but it didn't help.  I'm not blaming anyone in this circumstance but it should be an example that vets and riders could sometimes be wrong about a horse's condition.  Kent did the right thing easing up on the horse because who knows what can happen to a tired horse in 90 degree heat and humidity.  When a horse does something he never did in previous races, in this case throw in the towel, Kent errored on the side of caution.  The horse was already going backwards.  As for some of the examples some have used about riders being suspended for failing to ride a horse out, it appears those examples involved horses who were finishing in the money.  The fact that Big Brown was going finish last regardless what Desormeaux did to me makes the topic moot.  Who cares if he finished last beaten 25 lengths or jogged to the finish.  Last place is last place.  It's one thing when you have horses battling for purse money or protecting the betting public, but let's look at reality in this situation.  Big Brown was DONE!  At the end of the day at least the horse is still alive, regardless whether he races again or not, and frankly isn't that the most important thing in this whole situation?

I think that Big Brown is a great horse. The jockey is another story. Before the race KD said "BB is a push button horse" He pulls on his horses to hard and fast. Horses are not push button cars they are horses! Look at the Ky Derby of last year. KD was on Stormello. Same story there, Stormello started strong with KD standing up and pulling against him and jerking on his mouth. When the horse got confused and started to slow the first thing KD did was to ease him up and he came in last. There are a lot of similarities there, a fast horse that loves to run, KD pulling to hard on him and changing directions, then the horse can't figure out what the rider wants and it was to hot, so he started to slow down. Instead of hand riding him and urging him on KD eased him up.

Give the horse another chance and another jock.

i agree with most of what you said, except i really think kent desormeaux, at the time may have thought he had an injured horse. after 2 days of scrutiny by vets, they couldn't find anything physical, but while going 40 mph, i think he probably thought he had an injured horse, and made a decision to be safe rather than sorry.

GREED? I hate to say it, but greed is the driving force behind BB's ownership. An equine hedgefund owner? give me a break, it is all about the M-O-N-E-Y. It seems to me that horse racing just keeps shooting itself in the foot, trying to win the public over, but not doing the things it need to do to right the ship. Get all the drugs out of racing. Does one think that BB would eat a pile of WINSTROL if put in front of him, I think not. It has to be administered via syringe. Racing needs to get back to the way it used to be, run by racing people, not lawyers and bean counters, charlatans and crooks. Slot machines is not the answer to save racing, it is just an influx of cash. Horse racing needs to put on a show that people want to see and be there to experience all that happens. I remember as a kid going to Saratoga with my father, hanging around the starting gate, Chicken Sadie, Jockey boxing at night, fights in the barn area. It was a big family, everyone knew each other. Today it is all about the M-O-N-E-Y. Do I wish Big Brown had one the triple crown? Well in light of the owner, and the past of the trainer, I guess maybe the horse knew that GREED was the driving force and he wanted no part of it.

Hey shamfan I agree with you Lasix and bute should be banned,especially lasix, but I doubt it would ever happen. Steroids should also be taken out of the equation, especially in the weanling and yearling stages, If horse racing is really interested in cleaning up its act and image, all yearlings should be accompanied by a clean steroid report, as they are with coggins, pin hooking is one suspect area where they are used. How anyone can go and pay big money for pinhooked yearlings is beyond me, yeah I know there are exceptions to the rule, but majority of the high expensive ones go down the tube,rememmber Green Monkey?

Folks, you can speculate all day about it being too hot or quarter cracks or steroids or the track too deep or no water in the ladies bathroom.  The bottom line here folks, is that the jockey on BB DID NOT LET THE HORSE RUN.  You can't win if you keep holding the horse back.  Maybe I'm a fool or just plain stupid, but it was SO CLEAR to me during the race and after watching the replay numerous times, that the jockey on BB was not letting that horse run.  Whether that was intentional or just bad racing, it was so clear why BB did not win the race.  I don't think that any other reason caused BB to lose the race.  Someone needs to find out from Kent D what his ride was all about, then we will have the answer.  This is just my opinion and I am not accusing anyone of something sinister, I am just saying what I believe is the reason BB lost that race.

Those who have complained about the boxing of a favorite, must have bet on Seattle Slew when he went to Hollywood Park following his victorious Triple Crown wins.

There, he was boxed in and the race was won by J. O. Tobin.

This is race riding - No different than the infamous forcing out of Winning Colors in the Preakness - Woody Stephens ordered Day to force Winning Colors wide - Also, did anyone ever see Cordero playing bumper pool with some named So Cal shipper, while allowing some Belmont based horse to slip by them to win?

And, if you really want to knock Kent, look back at the Japan Cup, when he stood up too soon on the greatest animal, Kent has ever ridden.  Kotashaan, not Big Brown, is by far the greatest horse flesh, Kent has ever ridden.  Kotashaan almost pulled Kent out of the irons at Del Mar, twice, in the Breeder's Cup at Santa Anita, and in the Japan Cup.  When asked by Kent, Kotashaan came home in elevens, far faster than any move by BB.  Perhaps, the Hedge Fundies money have confused Kent, but, Kotashaan, by the great Darshaan, was far superior - However, as he was not precocious for the American set, no one wanted him for stud - Look no further than that incredible last half mile duel with Bien Bien in the 1 3/4 mile San Juan Capistrano for sheer greatness.

But, thanks to the many for sharing your knowledge of past greatness on the track.  And one last point, although Charle lost the Belmont with Cannonero II, don't believe he would have put all of those long gallops into him prior to race day.  But, then how can one really compare a Giant with a slug.  

Karen,

Your insistance that Desormeaux eased Big Brown and that is the only reason he finished dead last is clearly refuted by Desormeaux's comments posted today. KD clearly states that he did not ease or pull up Big Brown until AFTER he was passed by ALL the others in the race. He was running dead last before eased up.  Desormeaux said that he pulled up only after all the other horses passed him. He said he did not feel the need to preserve on the horse, because he wasn't going to finish anywhere but last." The only horse going for the Triple Crown to ever finish dead last in the Belmont, that's his legacy for now.

As for the race itself, Big Brown spit the bit the first time he had ever encountered any adversity in a race. Up to this point he had always been kept way out of trouble and not been bothered. This leads me to believe his connections were aware that if bothered he is a very different animal. I was glad to see the comments made by Hank Goldberg yesterday that match my thoughts to a T. If Big Brown runs again there will never be a time when he is allowed to run free and clear but will face some kind of pressure the whole way. That's horse racing and the great ones can overcome that. So far Big Brown has only shown he can beat up on one of the weakest 3 yr old classes in history only when allowed to run free on his own. Faced with adversity he crumbled like a $2500 claimer. This horse reminds me more and more of War Emblem who actually posted higher speed figures than Big Brown but could not win when put under pressure.

I predicted Denis of Cork to win the Belmont, but I feel sorry for the ride BB got in the race, that was pitiful.  Anyway, did you see the weight assignment Curlin got in the Stephen Foster?!!  128lbs is absurd and not good for the horse.  That is one of the things the safety committee should be looking at to make racing safer.  If I was asmussen, I would threaten to pull Curlin if the weight assignment is not changed.

I don't agree with those who say the race was fixed.  These guys are under the microscope of the century with a TC on the line and they will somehow manage to arrange for their $50 million horse to LOSE?  Why?  He's worth double if he wins the TC.  Three Chimneys has said there were "incentives" (meaning more $$$$) if he wins the TC.  Why would they fix it?  For the $79 win bets?  The dead-heat for 3rd cut the rest of the Tri/Super pools down - so I can't conceivably think these guys would pick gambling winnings over another possible $50 million in value of the horse.  C'mon, guys, be realistic!!!!

BB's loss makes me appreciate those others since 1989 (and I was an Easy Goer fan to the end) who have done the Derby-Preakness double and lost in the Belmont.  Guess those horses don't look quite so bad (okay, War Emblem probably looked nearly as bad).  A horse like Silver Charm never would have quit.

Jockeys give bad rides sometimes - I am still sore at Gary Stevens for his ride on Silver Charm in his Belmont AND his Breeder's Cup Classic.  Maybe we can forgive Kent for his lapse in judgment...then again, maybe not.  Just read Dutrow's comments this morning on the subject!!!!

If you really watch the break from the gate you will see that BB tried to gun it out there, and more then likely would have gotten clear but Kent pulled him back, thus allowing the other riders to box them in.  Watch it again.  This race is all about rider error people.  Kent is a good jock, but he rode a just terrible race.

I'd like to see BB under maybe Prado against Curlin in the Travers or the Breeder's Cup.  If he fires then we'll all have a really exciting race to watch....

Regardless of the connections I do think the horse has talent.  I think a bum ride cost him his desire to run and the Belmont Stakes.  I'm a woman and I think Kent rode horribly.

One comment on Bute Shamfan. It is a legal pre-race med in most if not all states and provinces in North America.Some are same day others are one day,here in Alberta it is 48 hours. Saying that, there are threshold levels that they cannot go above.

It strikes me as odd that there are persons who are here debating that this race was fixed. If you actually believe that, why are you wasting one second of your time or one penny or your money in this pursuit? The only logical response for any reasonable person who believes that a race as important as the Belmont was fixed would be to immediately leave the world of horse racing forever. Those of us who know better will never notice.  

I thought it was obvious in the opening quarter that KD had the horse all over the place, switching lanes a few times.  He never should have pulled him up, but the jock is partly responsible in this case for BB not having his best possible ride.  It's too bad in such a long race KD "freaked" that early.  Also, anyone saying KD was "right" to pull up the horse has zero knowledge of the sport.  It's laughable to even argue this point.

Kelly...Does anyone know if Pyro is still in training?  I fell in love with him as a 2-year-old, and I was disappointed by his Derby effort, but I would love for him to come back into form and have a successful fall.

Status: A strong contender on the Derby Trail, it was announced in March that Darley had bought the breeding rights to Pyro and he will stand at the Lexington farm following his racing career. Pyro is scheduled to run next in the G3 Northern Dancer on June 14 at Churchill Downs.

On June 3 I posted the following on one of the blogs:

"Over the past 30 years I have seen many Belmonts that had a chance to have another triple crown winner.  The last one was 4 years ago with Smarty Jones.  Each of the horses lost the mile and a half Belmont for one reason or another.  Everyone gets too caught up in the possibility of a triple crown winner that there is a good reason we have only had 11 triple crown winners.  It is very difficult to do.  Big Brown may very well win the Belmont this year because of the lack of competition he has faced.  I have watched all of his five races and he has never really been tested.  The Belmont is a very different race from the others and no one knows if he will want to go a mile and a half.  He has already accomplished a lot and no one should be surprised if a horse that no one has ever considered steps up and wins the race.  A lot of horses have won the Belmont that were very mediocre horses and some horses actually need that extra distance.  The most important thing is that every horse makes it back to his barn safely and we can consider the race a success."

I think that Dutrow and the owners of Big Brown are some of the sleeziest people in horse racing.  I cannot believe the way the handicappers and professional horse racing analysists were buying into Dutrow's comments before the Belmont.  All of the analysts on HRTV and TVG and the ones on ESPN and ABC were saying that Big Brown would definitely win the Belmont.  I guess they were living on the same planet as Dutrow.  

I immediately disliked the Big Brown connections after the Kentucky Derby because of the way they were jumping up and down and celebrating in the winner's circle after what had just happened to Eight Belles.  They could have shown a little compassion but they did not.  I think they eventually got what they deserved.  

Dutrow had no respect for the other horses Big Brown ran against or their trainers.  He had no respect for the great difficulty of the Triple Crown or the 11 horses who accomplished that great feat.  He seemed to think winning the Triple Crown was as easy as  brushing your teeth.  I may be wrong but I don't remember that he ever had a horse in any of the Triple Crown races before this year.  I have nothing against Big Brown but with his connections this Triple Crown was just not meant to be.  If we are ever to see another Triple Crown winner we need it to be trained and owned by people we can be proud of and a horse that the public can really get behind.