Belmont Pick 4 Selections

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Big Brown at Belmont — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:14:51 GMT

I saw the picture of Big Brown's shoe hanging off. Did this happen because the maiden horse step on his hoof?

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Karen — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:13:00 GMT

GSO Badger, you can say that again. I couldn't agree with you more. Afleet Alex should have been the triple crown winner but his horrible trip in the Derby did not allow it. He was a great horse. One of my favorites.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

GSOBadger — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:43:34 GMT

One of the oldest sayings in racing is "There's no such thing as a sure thing". Every now and then we need to be reminded. If this were not so, Damascus, Spectacular Bid, Risen Star, Point Given, and Afleet Alex would all have been Triple Crown winners.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Geri Ann — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:51:05 GMT

Just to correct myself, it looks like Sir Barton, the first TC winner, had four DAYS between the Derby and Preakness (when Sir Barton won it, the Preakness was run at 1 1/8 miles and not 1 3/16). And then the colt ran in the Withers later in May before running in the Belmont. What owner or trainer today would permit that kind of schedule for their horse? Times have sure changed!

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Geri Ann — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:39:18 GMT

Actually, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, all the previous 11 horses who won the Triple Crown did NOT run on the same schedule as exists today. From Sir Barton through Assault, there was ONE week between the Derby and Preakness, not the two-week turnaround we have today. Citation was the first TC winner to have a two-week break between the Derby and Preakness. So it could be argued that today's three-year-olds actually have an EASIER TC schedule than the great ones who accomplished the feat prior to Citation.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Karen — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:03:15 GMT

Flyinhome: What in the world have you been smoking? are you looking at the same replay I am looking at? Apparantly we see things just slightly different. No surprise. I see Kent holding him from the get go. If you will see, had he let BB go, he would have went right up beside Da'tara. That seems to me what would have likely happened. I'm not trying to make excuses but what I see is what I see. Perhaps BB didn't like the rail but he ran into traffic problems because Kent held him back. Kent had the stragedy that he would come out, let the others run ahead and he would go to the outside and settle. BB had a different idea and all the riders were ready for whatever stragedy Kent had. Kent should have let BB go straight to the front like he wanted to. He then could have put him wherever he wanted. He would have been in control of the race.

I will agree 100% that BB was off yesterday. That was clear. I hope they do continue to train him and run him. He nees a chance to redeem himself, but in my opinion the jockey played a big roll in the way this race unfolded. Everyone knows the Belmont is a jockeys race. All greats face defeat. You can't dismiss him based on this performance. That's like saying the Patriots suck because they lost the superbowl. There was a road traveled to get to this level and BB was superior!

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Karen — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:00:13 GMT

Actually, it wasn't just Da'tara, it was Tale of Ekati who cut BB off. Kent was going to go on the outside of Da'tara and Tale of Ekati closed the hole. BB got squeezed out. I guarantee you folks, that cost BB the race. Kent was holding him back right out of the gate. That was the fatal mistake.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Karen — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:55:40 GMT

I would also like to add that Da'tara cut BB right off at the start of the race. Had Kent let BB go and settle into stride he would have been either next to Da'tara or close enough so that he couldn't take BB out. He basically cut right in front of him to go to the rail and Kent was forced to put on the brakes. I didn't think you could cut a horse off like that. I thought you had to be clear of the horse to make a move. I've seen inquiry's come out on far less obvious things than this.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Citation — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:46:20 GMT

The Racing Almanac contains the rules of racing. It states very clearly that all horses shall be ridden out even if there is no apparent chance to win prize money. Of course,a horse can be pulled up when injured or so far out of the race that it has no chance to improve position, but Big Brown did not fit either of those conditions, so Kent Desormeaux broke the rules by pulling him up " without reasonable cause ".

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

MikeM — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:39:52 GMT

The state vet said the horse had no physical issue that he could see. That was real bush league by Kent D pulling him up like that.He should have wrapped up on him and ridden him to the wire.The horse stood there while being unsaddled like a statue.No heat stroke, no lameness.He just wanted no part of it today.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Flyinhome — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:38:19 GMT

Karen: he didn't break beautifully! He ducked and pushed the maiden! Kent wasn't the problem. BB oviously does not like the rail. it looks like he fereaked and faught Kent. If kent would have let him go, BB would have practically caused an accident. Kudos to kent. He got BB out of there, even if it meant making the outside horse check hard. BB didn't slip that much.....you can't even see it in teh replay! I've watched the replay over and over. Brownie has ALWAYS gone to rail and finished his race. That is pretty much the key. He saw teh rail, wanted to go, and beat the other horses. HE didn't settle, he didn't slip, no physical damage. no excuses. Good horses overcome slips.....Look at Rags anyone!!! She pretty much kissed the dirt.

Joe:He's a very competetive and agressive rider- That's why only certain horses have him on their backs. Tara Could take him. Tara himself is a very agressive horse; Zito explained that after teh race in an interview. That is why LaPenta and Zito picked Garcia.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

wista — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:14:43 GMT

Some thoughts:

Just a personal opinion from someone who has been an observer of horse racing for 50 years;Big Brown looked uncomfortable to me . . . in the paddock, in the post parade, and while getting into the gate. I don't recall that he had to be pushed into the gate at the Derby or the Preakness. After the race he continued to seem irritated - not really sore, just not himself.

Should someone ask John Servis his opinion about Big Brown's preparation fot the Belmont?

Big Brown was not bred for 1 1/2 mile races!

Racing officials have to put an end to steroids in the sport.

If he was sound, Casino Drive would have easily won the Belmont . . . and what a story that would have been( a broodmare foaled 3 consecutive winners of the Belmont)

This is a really weak crop of 3 year olds!

Do we all now have increased respect for Secretariat? What a horse.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

joe — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:45:14 GMT

Safe to say, Big Brown is not that good of a horse. Had his way in the Derby and Preakness. For once, he had a few obstacles to over come, and look what happened.

And again, Kent "no ride out" D. lived up to his name.

Denis of Cork showed up as predicted. Tale of Ekati did not.

The racing gods blessed the sport yesterday. Had Big Brown won, the last thing the sport needed was arrogant connections tarnishing the sport.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

Slew.em.All — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:08:49 GMT

The Racing Gods have spoken! It's funny,BB ran exactly the way I thought he would,in the Derby though.So I was off by 2 races.Never the less,justice is served..Imagine if he'd had won the TC,and us having to hear Dutrow,Draynay & ALL the other BB Yahoos go on & on about how Great he is,yada-yada-yada!..He is what I Always thought he was: a talented individual who just had an easy/lucky path to the TC.Now that the Roids' are out of his system,he fell back to earth.Like I've mentioned b4,every horse/human deserves a Mulligan,BB notwithstanding.But,darnit,it feels Sooo good in knowing that "these shady connections" wont have the priviledge in having a TC Champion in their hands..In due time we will have a deserving,true Triple Crown Champion,unlike the flash-in-the-pan Upstart that is BB.

re: Belmont Pick 4 Selections

jshandler — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:04:36 GMT

To Draynay, Wanda and everyone else: Thank you for blogging with me and helping make this blog very successful. I enjoyed all of your thoughts and comments.

This blog is continuous and will run as long as I am at Blood-Horse. Sometime soon it will switch over to the name "Breeders Cup Chat" and we will start focusing on the second half of the racing season. I will have a post-Belmont blog later today. Thanks again and let's keep a good thing going.