Big Brown Heads List of Haskell Invitees
A total of 33 horses have been invited to the 41st running of Monmouth Park's $1 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I), with Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Big Brown expected to head the field in the 1 1/8-mile event Aug. 3.
"This is shaping up to be one of the greatest runnings of the Haskell in the long history of Monmouth Park," said Dennis Dowd, senior executive vice president of racing for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. "The presence of Big Brown in the field guarantees a race to remember."
The connections of Big Brown -- owners IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr. -- announced their intention to run in the Haskell soon after the son of Boundary lost his Triple Crown bid in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) June 7.
The colt has been working for his return at Aqueduct under trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. In his latest breeze at the Big A July 7, Big Brown went five furlongs in 1:01 1/5, which was the best of the morning.
In addition to Big Brown, others considering a start in the Haskell include Atoned, Cool Coal Man, Nistle's Crunch, Tale of Ekati, and Truth Rules.
Truth Rules, trained by Nick Zito, and Atoned, conditioned by Todd Pletcher, finished one-two while just a head apart in the Long Branch Stakes July 12, Monmouth's primary Haskell prep. It was the third straight win at Monmouth for Truth Rules.
Zito may have a pair of Robert LaPenta-owned colts in the race while in search of his first Haskell win. He also trains Cool Coal Man, who won the Spend a Buck Stakes over the track in rebounding from a 15th place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
Pletcher would be looking for an unprecedented third straight win in the Haskell with Dogwood Stable's Atoned. He saddled Bluegrass Cat to win in 2006 and Any Given Saturday last year.
Charles Fipke's Tale of Ekati, who won the Wood Memorial (gr. I) before running fourth in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in the Belmont, is trained by Barclay Tagg. The colt was fourth in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) over a very sloppy Monmouth track.
Ken McPeek could send out Nistle's Crunch, a New Jersey-bred who has raced on turf his last three starts, most recently running second in the Colonial Turf Cup (gr. IIIT). He has won at nine furlongs on the main track, however, and trains on the dirt at Churchill Downs.
(c) 2008 The Blood-Horse, Inc.
Bold Place in History
When it comes to identifying the great Irish stallion Sadler's Wells, it's easy to remember that his sire is the legendary Northern Dancer. But when it comes to naming Sadler's Wells' broodmare sire, it's not that easy for some. After all, he's not the first stallion to play second fiddle in a pedigree to Northern Dancer. More than a few people need help remembering his name and not confusing it with a contemporary bearing a similar name.
So it is probably best just to remember that Bold Reason is the broodmare sire of Sadler's Wells, and Bold Reasoning is the sire of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, and that Hail to Reason is both the sire of Bold Reason and broodmare sire of Bold Reasoning.
Before siring Fairy Bridge, Sadler's Wells' dam, Bold Reason was a top racehorse, best remembered for carving out an enviable win streak after competing in all three 1971 classics and placing in two of them.
Bred in Kentucky by Harry F. Guggenheim, Bold Reason raced for New York textile manufacturer William A. Levin and was trained by Angel Penna, a future Hall of Famer. On his female family side, Bold Reason traced back to Col. E.R. Bradley's blue hen mare Knockaney Bridge, whose importation from Europe in 1924 preceded that of Bradley's greatest broodmare, La Troienne. Closer up in his pedigree, Bold Reason was a half-brother to Guggenheim's 1962 champion 2-year-old Never Bend, who by 1971 had gained international stature as the sire of the great European champion Mill Reef.
As good as Bold Reason became, it's hard to believe that he was one of those horses who went into the Kentucky Derby with only a maiden win and no stakes-placings to his credit. Remarkably, he was not a member of the mutual field entry.
Sent off at 18-1, Bold Reason rallied from 18th after the first quarter mile to finish third behind winner Canonero II and Jim French. Two weeks later in the Preakness, he failed to mount much of a challenge and finished fifth as Canonero II won again. In the June 5 Belmont Stakes three weeks later, regular rider Jean Cruguet kept Bold Reason closer to the pace than in the two previous races, and the two finished third behind 34-1 winner Pass Catcher and Jim French. Canonero II, the early leader, ran fourth as the favorite in what would be his final race of the year.
Penna didn't give Bold Reason much of a rest after the 1 1/2-mile Belmont. In fact, he ran him twice more in June and three times in July, mostly at long-winded distances.
Still eligible for non-winners other than, Bold Reason tried grass for the first time and won against older horses at 1 3/8 miles at Belmont Park to start a six-race win streak. After another grass victory at that distance over his elders at Belmont, Penna returned him to the dirt for the $100,000-added Hollywood Derby at 1 1/4 miles and another try against Jim French.
Under new rider Laffit Pincay Jr., Bold Reason beat Jim French for the first time in several tries as he went under the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front of that rival. The weights, 113 pounds for Bold Reason and 126 for highweight Jim French, might have made the difference as the latter could not match strides with the winner in the stretch.
Bold Reason was back on the turf for his next two starts. He won the $50,000-added Lexington Handicap at 1 3/16 miles under John L. Rotz at Aqueduct and the $125,000-added American Derby at 1 1/8 miles under Pincay at Arlington Park. His Lexington time, 1:54 4/5, was four-fifths of a second slower than the Aqueduct course record. Following the American Derby, it was announced that Bold Reason was being syndicated for $3.2 million.
Bold Reason and Jim French figured to be back in action in the $100,000-added Travers Stakes Aug. 21 at Saratoga, but Jim French turned into a no-show because of ownership problems that could not be resolved prior to the 1 1/4-mile race. Bold Reason scored in front of a record crowd of 30,011 over a field that included Pass Catcher and Queen's Plate winner Kennedy Road.
A bona fide contender for champion 3-year-old male, Bold Reason needed a major victory over older horses to have a shot for Horse of the Year. He never got it.
Penna, who had to contend with Bold Reason's troublesome knee, scratched Bold Reason from the $100,000-added Woodward Stakes at Belmont in October after the colt missed a couple of workouts. Penna hoped to run him in the $150,000 Washington, D.C., International on grass at Laurel the end of the month, but Bold Reason was retired instead. Bold Reason, who had won seven of 17 races and earned $304,082 in two years of racing, missed out on champion 3-year-old male honors to Canonero II, but was co-highweighted with him at 126 pounds on the Daily Racing Form Free Handicap for 3-year-old males.
Bold Reason, who was produced from the Djeddah mare Lalun, stood two years at Robin's Nest Farm near Ocala, Fla., before being moved for the 1974 breeding season to the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky. It was in his first season at Claiborne that he sired Fairy Bridge.
Bred by Claiborne, Fairy Bridge was sold to the Irish branch of the British Bloodstock Agency for $40,000 at the 1976 Keeneland July yearling sale. Sent to Ireland to trainer Vincent O'Brien, she raced just twice for owner Robert Sangster, but was a champion 2-year-old off those two races.
Fairy Bridge's racing career was summed up succinctly in Timeform Racehorses of 1977: "Long odds on when successful twice at Phoenix Park in July, getting home by a head from more experienced Vexed Voter in minor event and beating Mother White by 5 lengths in five runner GBP1,800 race; suited by 6 f; very useful; stud."
In 1981, Fairy Bridge produced Sadler's Wells for Sangster's Swettenham Stud and Partners. After a championship racing career in Europe, Sadler's Wells embarked on an unprecedented stallion career in which he topped the English/Irish sires list 14 times. Sadler's Wells, now 27 and pensioned at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, has sired 297 stakes winners.
Bold Reason sired several other important winners among his 21 stakes winners. Sound Reason was a Canadian champion, and Castilla and The Liberal Member were both grade I winners. One of the top turf fillies in the early 1980s, Castilla scored her big win in the Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) at Santa Anita. The Liberal Member captured the 1979 Brooklyn Handicap (gr. I) at Belmont Park and ran second in it two years later.
After several years at Claiborne, Bold Reason was moved to Levin's Gold Mill Farms near Old Westbury, N.Y. He died there in 1985 when the farm was under new ownership and renamed Samantha Farms.
Bold Reason failed in his efforts to sire a son to help perpetuate the Hail to Reason sire line, but his place in pedigrees seems assured through Sadler's Wells.
(c) 2008 The Blood-Horse, Inc.
IEAH draws praise for drug-free approach
Major figures in thoroughbred racing praised IEAH Stables' announcement Monday that all of its horses will race drug-free, except for the diuretic Lasix, starting Oct. 1. IEAH co-president Michael Iavarone told Newsday Sunday that he wanted to take the first step toward creating a national zero-tolerance policy like those of Europe and Dubai.
Case Clay is president of Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, where Big Brown will stand at stud next year. Clay backed the bold initiative by the part-owner of the Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner. "Our industry is under a microscope now," Clay said, "and I see it as only a positive that the party out in the spotlight is pushing for reform. We're very pleased by what Michael did."
Jess Jackson, majority owner of Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year, testified Thursday at a House subcommittee hearing on drugs and breakdowns. Caroline Shaw, a spokeswoman for Jackson, said: "We think it's a huge positive for the industry. Mr. Jackson has taken a longtime stand in favor of zero tolerance."
Iavarone was gratified by the response. "This really has caught fire," the Holbrook resident said Monday night. "I got some very good feedback from some prominent owners. I'm afraid that at first there will be only a small number of owners doing it, but I think later others will join in."
On March 29 in Dubai, the same night Curlin dominated the $6-million Dubai World Cup, trainer Rick Dutrow won two stakes, including the $2-million Golden Shaheen with IEAH's Benny the Bull. Six weeks later, Dutrow drew fire after saying Big Brown received Winstrol, a mild anabolic steroid, before the Kentucky Derby.
As Clay said, "I think there's a misconception in the public eye about the issue of Winstrol and performance. Big Brown didn't win the Derby because of Winstrol. So if it isn't a factor, why not just don't use it?"
Iavarone agrees. "What's the sense of having a talent like Big Brown," he said, "if when the horse goes out and does it in big races, you have to be second-guessed?"
IEAH leads the nation in 2008 earnings with $5.86 million, and Iavarone fears no downturn. "We'll be fine," he said, "because it's only the lousy horses that need drugs." He said IEAH will pay to test its 50-plus horses before and after races and donate all purse money to thoroughbred-related charities if any drug but Lasix is detected.
Alex Waldrop, CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, also testified at last week's hearing. "The NTRA applauds Mr. Iavarone and IEAH Stables for their commitment to integrity in racing," Waldrop said in a statement. "By voluntarily agreeing to run free of all drugs and therapeutic medications except Lasix, they are removing suspicion that might otherwise overshadow the performances of Big Brown and their other horses. We hope other owners will follow suit."
Clay expressed doubts about that.
"Our industry has been pretty fragmented, and it's no secret that the state legislatures are calling a lot of the shots," he said. "It's state by state, so it's like herding cats. I'm hopeful everyone falls into line, but with state control involved, your guess is as good as mine."
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), a leader of the House subcommittee, was even more skeptical. He called IEAH's move a good sign, but doesn't expect to see other owners lining up behind it. "I'm confident there's not going to be a mass stampede by owners," Whitfield told The Associated Press. "There are owners in some states who fear [by not using drugs]they would be less competitive."
(c) 2008, Newsday Inc.
Wondering if Steroids Fueled a Run At Glory
He blew away the field at the Kentucky Derby. He made the Preakness field look like circus ponies. But on the day that would solidify his legacy and give racing a respite from intense scrutiny, Big Brown crumbled. He crumbled so badly that one could legitimately wonder whether he was nothing but a chemical horse, a paper tiger propped up - and propelled - by steroids. After three months of dominance, Big Brown became the first Triple Crown hopeful to finish dead last at the Belmont Stakes. His jockey, Kent Desormeaux, said that heading into the final turn, when he called on Big Brown to give him that special reserve, he realized, "I had no horse."
The racing public has the right to ask: Did he ever have a super horse?
On Friday, the trainer Rick Dutrow told reporters that he had not given Big Brown a shot of the anabolic steroid Winstrol since before the Kentucky Derby and would not use it Saturday at the Belmont.
Earlier, Dutrow admitted that he gave Big Brown and all his other horses shots of Winstrol on the 15th of each month. He said he did not know what it did.
A day that the troubled racing industry hoped would temporarily focus attention on a historic achievement wound up raising more questions about the horse and the industry.
On the other hand, Big Brown's dramatic fall may be the sobering kick this industry needs. There will be long-term debates about breeding, about racing surfaces, about the age at which horses should race. There should be no debate about drugs.
"The legacy of Big Brown will be a consensus in this sport that it's time to end the use of steroids, to ban its use in horse racing for good," Alex Waldrop, the president and chief executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said in a telephone interview on Saturday.
"This industry understands that the time has come and I am confident that steroids' days are numbered in the game."
After Big Brown's collapse, there were suspicions, fairly or not, that the horse, who looked unbeatable in April and May, was a fraud.
Winstrol, a synthetic steroid used to build muscle mass and promote weight gain and healing, is banned in 10 states, but not in the three where the Triple Crown races are held.
"Anyone who is on the fence about steroids and racing now sees that by allowing the use of steroids, we unnecessarily raise questions about our stars, and that needs to end," Waldrop said.
From the moment Big Brown galloped into national view as the Kentucky Derby winner, the 3-year-old colt shared the spotlight with controversy. He claimed a magnificent victory at Churchill Downs after running the race of his career.
The moment of glory turned sour when a filly named Eight Belles ran the race of her life as well. It was her final race. As Big Brown strutted in victory, Eight Belles, her ankles shattered, crumpled to the track and was euthanized, stunning a national television audience.
Against this backdrop of triumph and sadness, Big Brown took the Triple Crown stage as a potential savior, an almost transcendent figure in a sport that has been forced to examine and, in many ways, explain itself beyond the spectacle of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
Dutrow, whose brash, bragging style and personal history often overshadowed his gifts as a trainer, practically guaranteed that Big Brown would secure the Triple Crown. Shortly after Saturday's stunning loss, Dutrow initially brushed reporters away and went to attend to Big Brown.
There would be no validation for Dutrow, no redemption for jockey Kent Desormeaux. Asked to describe his feeling after the race, Desormeaux said: "I'm numb, really, a little lost. Just feeling no emotion whatsoever. Blank."
The greatest beneficiary of a Triple Crown champion would have been the thoroughbred industry itself. With the deaths of Barbaro, and then Eight Belles, racing needed a great moment, a great accomplishment, an achievement the sport had not seen in 30 years.
In 2004, Smarty Jones was a half-mile from history; he had a four-length lead, but he was caught by Birdstone and lost by a length.
One great day would not have healed racing's wounds, but a great victory by Big Brown could have validated an industry consumed with breeding, but one still unable to come up with a horse fast enough, strong enough and durable enough to win the Triple Crown.
From Barbaro to Eight Belles, racing has endured an arduous few years.
As jockey Edgar Prado said in 2004 as he apologized for defeating Smarty Jones, "This sport needs heroes."
No. This sport needs reform.
(c) The New York Times Company
Big Brown goes after history in Belmont Stakes
Elmont, NY (Sports Network) - Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown is one victory away from snapping the 30-year drought of Triple Crown winners, and on Saturday will start from the inside post position in the Belmont Stakes as he tries to put his name next to the 11 thoroughbreds who have swept the three classic races.
Big Brown has been made the 2-5 favorite for Saturday's 1 1/2 mile "Test of Champions" at Belmont Park. The colt drew post position No. 1 and will take on nine challengers in his pursuit of immortality.
Owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., Big Brown can become the first three-year-old to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. He is the first winner of the first two legs since Smarty Jones in 2004.
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. will again give a leg up to jockey Kent Desormeaux on Saturday.
"I cannot imagine what I'm going to feel like when we turn for home," Dutrow said about the Belmont Stakes. "I just cannot -- I know that it is going to be a beautiful picture for us. I know our horse is just -- he is just in a zone and I see his competition and I just know that (turning) for home, something is going to come over (the crowd), so I cannot wait."
Undefeated in five career starts, Big Brown has earnings of $2,714,500. He has won all five races by a combined total of 39 lengths.
The colt suffered a quarter-crack of his left front foot during training two weeks ago. He has been treated by hoof specialist Ian KcKinlay with stainless steel sutures and a patch.
"I do not feel pressure. You know, when I have seen that little crack on his foot, you know, I felt uneasy," commented Dutrow. "But after talking to Ian on the phone, he even suggested where the quarter-crack was and he said, 'Rick, do not worry, it is just a quarter-crack.'"
Since Affirmed's Triple Crown run in 1978 there have been 10 thoroughbreds that have gone into the Belmont Stakes with a chance at taking the Triple Crown, but all have failed.
Along with Big Brown, the horse getting the most attention for the Belmont Stakes is Peter Pan Stakes winner Casino Drive. Based in Japan, Casino Drive won the Peter Pan at Belmont Park by nearly six lengths and is the 7-2 second choice in the morning-line.
Owned by Yamamoto Hidetoshi and trained by Kazuo Fujisawa, Casino Drive will be ridden by Edgar Prado from post five. Prado was aboard Sarava in 2002 and Birdstone in 2004 to win the Belmont Stakes -- each time denying a Triple Crown champion, first War Emblem and then Smarty Jones.
The winner of both of his two career starts, Casino Drive has earned $185,282. He is a half-brother to the last two Belmont Stakes winners, Jazil and Rags to Riches.
Preakness runner-up Macho Again takes another shot at Big Brown on Saturday. The Derby Trial victor is 20-1 in the program and will break from post three with Garrett Gomez riding.
Dallas Stewart trains Macho Again for West Point Thoroughbreds. The colt was sixth in the Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds in January and seventh to Adriano in the Lane's End Stakes. The colt has won three of nine lifetime starts for $343,761.
"He's doing great," Stewart said. "He's on his toes and looks awesome, so we're just hoping to go up there (Belmont Park) with a lot in the tank."
Denis of Cork, third in the Kentucky Derby, returns from a five-week rest for trainer David Carroll and owners Mr. and Mrs. William Warren. The three-year- old is 12-1 in the morning-line and will start from post four. Robby Albarado will be in the saddle, replacing Calvin Borel who rode the colt in the Run for the Roses.
Denis of Cork was fifth in the Illinois Derby as the even-money favorite after winning the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He has won three of five career starts for $413,552.
The Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher, Tale of Ekati, has drawn post seven in the 10-horse field and is 20-1 in the program. This is the colt's first race in New York since he won the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
Owned by Charles E. Fipke, Tale of Ekati will be ridden by Eibar Coa, who had the mount at Churchill Downs. The three-year-old has earned $869,200 in seven career starts with three wins.
Tale of Ekati is trained by Barclay Tagg, who saddled Funny Cide to victories in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Earlier this year, the colt was sixth to Pyro in the Louisiana Derby.
Icabad Crane, third to Big Brown in the Preakness, is 20-1 in the morning-line and will start from the far outside post with jockey Jeremy Rose. Rose won the Belmont Stakes three years ago aboard Afleet Alex.
Trained by Graham Motion, the colt won the Federico Tesio Stakes in April and was third in the Rushaway Stakes in March.
Owned by Earle Mack, Icabad Crane has won three of five lifetime starts for $235,400.
Trainer Nick Zito has a pair of three-year-olds entered in the 1 1/2 mile race. Anak Nakal, seventh in the Kentucky Derby, and Da' Tara, runner-up in the Barbaro Stakes. Both are 30-1 in the morning-line and are separate betting interests.
Owned by Four Roses Thoroughbreds, Anak Nakal will break from post eight with Julien Leparoux riding. Da' Tara will have Alan Garcia in the saddle and start from post six.
Anak Nakal is still trying for his first good effort this year. Since his victory in the Kentucky Juvenile Cup in November, Anak Nakal was eighth in the Fountain of Youth, seventh in the Rebel Stakes and fifth in the Wood Memorial. He has earned $243,416 with two wins in seven career starts.
Da' Tara, owned by Robert LaPenta, has one win in seven lifetime starts for $64,067. Along with his second-place finish at Pimlico, he was ninth in the Florida Derby and fifth in the Derby Trial. Da' Tara will break from post six.
Zito saddled Birdstone to win the 2004 Belmont Stakes and deny Smarty Jones the Triple Crown.
A new face on the Triple Crown scene is lightly-raced Ready's Echo. The three- year-old is 30-1 in the morning-line and will break from post nine with John Velazquez. Velazquez and Ready's Echo's trainer Todd Pletcher won this race last year with the filly Rags to Riches.
"Definitely, to win another Belmont would be really, really nice," said Velazquez. "I think he has a very good chance."
Ready's Echo is coming off a third-place finish in the Peter Pan Stakes and has career earnings of $67,200 in four lifetime starts with one win and two second-place results.
A late entry into the Belmont Stakes is Guadalcanal, a three-year-old who has yet to win a race. He will start next to Big Brown in the two hole and is the longest shot in the program at 50-1.
Guadalcanal is owned and trained by Fred Seitz and will be ridden on Saturday by Javier Castellano.
The weather forecast for the Belmont Stakes calls for partly cloudy skies with a 30-percent chance of isolated thunderstoms, winds from the south 5-15 m.p.h. and a post-time temperature near 85.
Post-time for the 140th Belmont Stakes is 6:25 p.m.(et). The race will be televised by ABC.
(c)2008 The Sports Network
The Belmont Stakes and Destiny Await Big Brown
On Saturday, June 7 at Belmont Park Race Course, it is all on the line for Big Brown.
Will he become thoroughbred racing's 12th Triple Crown winner or just another footnote in the long history of this prestigious race?
The Belmont Stakes, at 1 1/2 miles, is the last leg of the three-race Triple Crown series and truly American horse racing's test of champions. It is no accident that so few have won this coveted crown. The Belmont Stakes comes on the heels of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and is at the end of a five week grind for the competing 3-year-olds. Thus, only the very good ones win the1 1/2 miles Belmont Stakes and only the great ones win Triple Crowns.
I believe Big Brown is an exceptional race horse and perhaps only one race away from taking his place among the great thoroughbreds of the last 50 years. In his short five-race career he has decimated the competition by winning those five races by a combined 44 lengths. These impressive performances included winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes each by five-plus lengths. He has yet to be seriously tested.
However, his critics (it's hard to believe there are still non-believers) say his competition has been mediocre. Some of these skeptics have been expecting him to regress (bounce) since his Florida Derby win and believe the Belmont Stakes will be the race where this might occur. They point to the expectant entry of the Japanese horse, Casino Drive, who impressively won Belmont's Peter Pan Stakes. They believe that Big Brown will finally have competition that may prove he is not invincible.
Well, these remaining few critics are wrong! Big Brown won the May 17 Preakness with ease. He stalked a fast early pace (1:10 2/5s) by laying two lengths off Gayego and Riley Tucker, the leaders after six furlongs. When Kent Desormeaux asked him to run, he accelerated like no other horse I've seen since Secretariat in the 1973 Preakness.
To put it simply, he ran away from the 11 other horses in the field. He was on top at the mile mark by five lengths and finished the last three-sixteenths of the Preakness eased-up. If Desormeaux wanted to push him, Big Brown could have won by a much wider margin than five lengths.
How good is Big Brown? I enjoyed the quote by Dick Dutrow, Big Brown's outspoken Trainer, when asked if he was concerned with meeting the very athletic/fast/impressive Japanese horse, Casino Drive, in the Belmont Stakes. He comically answered: "they think Godzilla is dead, they're going to find out Godzilla is not dead." That quote says it all about the confidence Dutrow has in Big Brown
I have a final thought...Big Brown is not fashionably bred and his sire, Boundary, is more known for his sprinters and turf horses than for offspring possessing an abundance of stamina for 12 furlong races. However, Big Brown is the exception. He was recently syndicated for a reported $50 million for stud duties once his racing career ends. Believe me, no one is paying $50 million for the breeding rights to any horse unless they think that horse is the next Triple Crown Winner.
If you can't make it to Belmont Park on June 7, then go to one of our nine OTBs located throughout Virginia, or to the Colonial Downs race track in New Kent and watch thoroughbred racing history being made. On June 7, Big Brown will prove just how great he is and win the Belmont Stakes by another widening margin. In doing so, he will be the 12th Triple Crown winner and take his place among thoroughbred racing's immortals.
Big Brown, in a very short time span, has become America's horse. Subsequently, he will be 1 to 10 odds in the Belmont and realistically I would advise against risking anything more than a few bucks to buy a couple souvenir tickets. They will make great gifts for your grandchildren in future years.
Good luck Big Brown, Kent Desormeaux, and Dick Dutrow. America will be rooting for you.
(c) 2008 TriCitiesSports
Big Brown Wins Derby; Eight Belles Is Euthanized (Update1)
By Carol Wolf and Michael Buteau
May 4 (Bloomberg) -- Big Brown delivered at the Kentucky Derby yesterday, winning horse racing's marquee event that ended tragically with the death of Eight Belles.
As Big Brown was draped with roses, Eight Belles, the first filly to run the Derby in nine years, was euthanized after breaking both of her front ankles. It was the first time in Derby history that a horse died.
The three-year old collapsed after placing second, 4 3/4 lengths behind Big Brown. Denis of Cork finished third. Big Brown, a 5-2 favorite, covered the 1 1/4-mile dirt surface in 2 minutes, 1.45 seconds before 157,770, the second-biggest crowd in the race's history, after the 163,628 in 1974.
``He's just a really intelligent horse and a pleasure to ride,'' jockey Kent Desormeaux said in a televised interview after the race. ``He has some power.''
Named after United Parcel Service Inc., Big Brown was the first horse with three or fewer career starts to win the Derby since Regret in 1915. He was undefeated in his previous three races including a victory at the Florida Derby in March. For his owners, International Equine Acquisitions Holding Co., Big Brown earned $1,451,800. His career earnings are $2,114,500. IEAH owns about 80 thoroughbred race horses.
The death of Eight Belles cast a pall over the celebratory crowd with the painful memories of Barbaro still fresh. The injury to Eight Belles is similar to the one sustained by Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro at the Preakness Stakes in 2006.
Both horses had fractures of the condylar, the bulbous bone that connects to the cannon. Barbaro was eventually euthanized because of complications from the injury.
Condylar Fracture
A condylar fracture stopped another horse at Churchill Downs three days ago. Chelokee sustained a condylar fracture of the cannon bone in his right front leg during the running of the Alysheba Stakes. He is expected to recover. Condylar fractures often begin as small cracks on the joint's surface.
Eight Belles was slowing down less than a minute after her second-place run when her jockey Gabriel Saez first noticed a problem.
``After we passed the wire, I stood up,'' Saez said in a statement. ``She started galloping funny and I tried to pull her up, but she went down.''
Eight Belles was trying to become the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby since Winning Colors in 1988.
``Eight Belles showed you her life for our enjoyment today,'' Desormeaux said. ``I'm deeply sympathetic towards that team. I've very sorry for their loss.''
Desormeaux's Third
For Desormeaux, it was his third victory at the Kentucky Derby after winning aboard Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 and Real Quiet in 1998.
Big Brown paid $6.80 to win, $5 to place and $4.80 to show on a $2 bet. Eight Belles paid $10.60 to place and $6.40 to show, with Denis of Cork returning $11.60 to show.
The bay colt also became just the fourth favorite to win the first event in horse racing's Triple Crown since Spectacular Bid in 1979.
Big Brown started on the outside post and ran in fourth place for most of the race before pulling away down the final stretch. Since 1900, the only other Derby winner from the outside post was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.
``He just got into a very comfortable cruising canter,'' Desormeaux said. ``Then he just started stretching his legs and adding power to the stride he has.''
Big Brown will be headed for the Preakness Stakes, the second event in the Triple Crown, on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, followed by the Belmont Stakes on June 7 in Elmont, New York.
Last Updated: May 4, 2008 09:17 EDT
(c)2008 BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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