Big Brown!
RonBurgundy
Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
Done deal in the Preakness! On to the Belmont, where he will face his stiffest challenge, Casino Drive.
One of two things is going to happen: Casino Drive will be fresher and get him, or Big Brown will prove that he's freak and it won't matter if they send out Pegasus.
Ron
One of two things is going to happen: Casino Drive will be fresher and get him, or Big Brown will prove that he's freak and it won't matter if they send out Pegasus.
Ron
Ron Burgundy
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Dave
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Of course this shouldn't be a huge surprise that it's been this long because before Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973, I didn't Google it, but I think the last one previous to that was in 1948, approximately a 25 year gap.
<< <i>Speaking of Secretariat .....
Dave99, thanks for posting that. Here's a little something in return. I hope you like the Rudy background music.
Secretariat's Belmont
<< <i>Speaking of Secretariat .....
I've read in some books and articles about that mostly forgotten first race of Secretariat. Yes it does say "Impeded" in the form, but I've read some comments of those who saw the race live, that it was one of the most remarkable efforts by any racehorse they had ever seen.
if anyone gets the chance i highly recommend going.....the excitement and the creshendo that builds in a potential Triple Crown winning race as the horses turn for home is unrivaled in ALL OF SPORTS!
<< <i>I will be at the Belmont to Root on the hometown hero....but i wont get my Hopes up....have seen this 5 times in the last 11 years....Smarty Jones was closest getting nipped by a nose...
if anyone gets the chance i highly recommend going.....the excitement and the creshendo that builds in a potential Triple Crown winning race as the horses turn for home is unrivaled in ALL OF SPORTS! >>
I was also at Belmont Park in 1977 when Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown. The two races were interesting, especially the 1978 race, but it was so crowded, that it was impossible from the grandstand floor level to see the race - I had to quickly turn around and watch it on a TV monitor.
Frankly, I guess because Secretariat was a tough act to follow, the two races weren't all that terribly exciting for me...although the crowd was very enthusiastic - especially I guess since the chalk won both times. Horse racing crowds love it when chalk wins. But as stated it's been 30 years now since the last Triple Crown winner and that fact will generate a lot of press and interest.
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When I saw what he did in the Florida Derby, I told my wife that day he was a horse for the ages.
Ron
Buying Vintage, all sports.
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I know the footage you are referring to. That was startling….the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen on the track. Desormeaux finally asked him and off he went. What an incredible burst. I’d love to see the race from that perspective again...
Dave
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
Supposedly they are being banned effective January 1 and he said he'd have no problem with it, his horses currently get one dose per month as part of a vet-recommended medication. I'm not defending that, but the overall issue is medication in general, which has been legal in horse racing since 1978 or 79 (lasix, steroids, etc.). Kind of ironic that we've not seen a TC winner since that happened. The US is the only country that allows horses to be medicated on a regular basis (i.e., other than to treat an illness, disease, or to help recover from injury).
Ron
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GO BIG BROWN WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT
Big Brown good for racing
Dutrow scumbag trainer who got lucky.
Also, the rest of Big Brown's connections aren't that likable either. The 2 owners of IEAH scream "Wall Street blowhard" every time I see them on TV. The minority owner and the jockey seem like nice people. And the horse is fantastic.
Ron
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By RICHARD ROSENBLATT,AP
Posted: 2008-05-26 11:47:02
NEW YORK (May 26) - Rick Dutrow Jr. says he's concerned but confident Big Brown will be in top form for his Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes in less than two weeks.
The trainer of the unbeaten Kentucky Derby and Preakness revealed Sunday that his unbeaten colt has a slight crack on his left front hoof. He quickly added the injury is so minor it will would be treated by hoof specialist Ian McKinlay and Big Brown would return to training this week. McKinlay was optimistic after a brief examination of the horse Monday and said he is responding well to treatment.
"It scares us when something like this happens, but this has nothing to do with his ability to finish what he started," Dutrow said at a news conference outside barn 2 at Belmont Park. "Ian is assuring me and it's going to go down like clockwork. And he's still going to run the same race."
Maybe.
When it comes to Triple Crowns, only 11 3-year-olds have been able to sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont, with 18 others winning the first two legs but failing in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.
Two others, Burgoo King in 1932 and Bold Venture in 1936 won the Derby and Preakness but didn't even make the Belmont because of injuries, according to most accounts.
Can the same fate await Big Brown, who has won all five of his races by a combined 39 lengths?
Dutrow and McKinlay doubt it, at least they did Sunday. They said the injury was detected Friday and Big Brown has missed two days of training and will miss at least three more.
"We're all concerned because there's a big race coming up," Dutrow said. "But Ian has us pretty well relaxed. He's telling me it's nothing and he'll be fine in a few days."
McKinlay treated Big Brown for the five-eighths of an inch-long quarter crack on the inside of his left heel Monday.
"This is a very, very minor crack," McKinlay said on Sunday. "We will put a set of wires in, stitch it up and then patch it."
Dutrow is thankful there's three weeks between the Preakness and Belmont as opposed to two weeks between the Derby and the Belmont on June 7.
"If it was two weeks we would be nervous, but this way I'm as cool as we can be," Dutrow said. "It's bad that this happened, but it's good that it happened at this time."
McKinlay has repaired injuries much more severe before big races, allowing Touch Gold to fight off a leg injury from the 1997 Preakness and go on to win the Belmont and spoil Silver Charm's Triple try.
Best-case scenario, he says, could allow Big Brown to return to the track mid-week.
"The worst case is he doesn't make the race," Dutrow said. "The horse is in great shape. He doesn't know anything is wrong with him. When you touch it and put pressure on it, he's going to give. But the worst possible thing that could happen is he doesn't make the race, and that will only hurt human beings. Not him. He's laying back, not worried about anything."
Dutrow said Big Brown continues to be taken for walks inside his barn twice a day, and is feeling no pain.
"If the race was today, yesterday or tomorrow, it would not be an issue," he said.
A quarter crack is a vertical crack in the hoof wall between the toe and heel of the hoof, usually extending into the coronary band, where the hoof meets the skin of the leg.
For the most part, the injury is fairly common and not considered serious. Healing time can range from a few days to a few months, depending on the severity of the crack.
Foot woes are nothing new to Big Brown. When he first arrived at Dutrow's barn in Aqueduct late last year, he sustained an abscess in the sole of his left front foot, which caused a wall separation and sidelined him for 45 days.
In January, he suffered the same injury to his right front foot and missed another 45 days. Those injuries were called quarter cracks, even by Dutrow. But McKinlay noted there's a big difference.
"A quarter crack is just a split, literally, in the wall and it will start at the hairline and travel down but never reach the sole," he said. "A wall separating is the exact opposite. It starts from the sole and runs to the top. And it's very painful.
"As far as this crack goes, it's very minor."
Dutrow first noticed something was amiss when one of his grooms called him over on Friday after a morning gallop. Dutrow didn't want to take any chances so he called McKinlay.
"I was hoping maybe he banged it on a side of the wall. He's getting pretty aggressive when he walks in the afternoon, and really bossing people around," he said, "But I knew in my heart he was developing something that I didn't want to see."
The hoof was treated with a combination of iodine and alcohol Saturday.
Dutrow is looking ahead.
"I am sure he will be 100 percent, yes," Dutrow said. "If we get to breeze him (next) Tuesday or even Wednesday, we can live with that. Monday would be great as long as Ian can get it done the right way.
"Now if something else happens, then we're going to be in trouble."
<< <i>If Brown goes down in this race, TV might start questioning airing these races. >>
Interesting point. I haven't read as much about Big Brown as others, but didn't they recently syndicate this horse. I would be surprised if the syndication doesn't step in and possibly do something if there is any chance of a breakdown, IE: not rely on Dutrow to make an important decision like this. Frankly, the stud fees would go up if he won the Belmont, but up significantly enough to warrant a possible breakdown? I doubt that. In my view, it would make very good sense to give this horse a few months off now, and perhaps bring him back for a race before the Breeders Cup and point him to a race there.
I tend to think he'll be fine and will run the race, and if he loses it won't have anything to do with this issue. Now, if something else develops between now and then he'll be scratched in a heartbeat.
Ron
PS. His whole story kind of reminds me of Spectacular Bid. Dominant horse, blows competition away in first two TC races, then has foot issue on eve of Belmont. Both horses had obnoxious, arrogant trainers. Hopefully the result is different.
Edited to add: If the unthinkable were to happen, it would crush horse racing in this country. The aftermath would make the fallout from the Eight Belles tragedy look like a blip on the radar screen.
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<< <i>They will not run this horse if there is any chance that he is not healthy and might not safely make the trip. The Belmont winnings and what would be added in stud fees if he won is chump change compared to what they would lose if he went down. Dutrow actually said as much this weekend, something to the effect of "the horse won't be disappointed if he doesn't run, only people will be disappointed."
I tend to think he'll be fine and will run the race, and if he loses it won't have anything to do with this issue. Now, if something else develops between now and then he'll be scratched in a heartbeat.
Ron
PS. His whole story kind of reminds me of Spectacular Bid. Dominant horse, blows competition away in first two TC races, then has foot issue on eve of Belmont. Both horses had obnoxious, arrogant trainers. Hopefully the result is different.
Edited to add: If the unthinkable were to happen, it would crush horse racing in this country. The aftermath would make the fallout from the Eight Belles tragedy look like a blip on the radar screen. >>
<<< PS. His whole story kind of reminds me of Spectacular Bid. Dominant horse, blows competition away in first two TC races, then has foot issue on eve of Belmont. Both horses had obnoxious, arrogant trainers. Hopefully the result is different. >>>
I never fully believed that "foot issue" story with Spectacular Bid after the Belmont. That kid Franklin gave Spectacular Bid in the Belmont one of the worst rides I've ever seen, burning that horse up wide, maybe thinking he had Secretariat under him and could just go full speed all race. Spectacular Bid was one heckuva racehorse but he was no Secretariat.
Of course Franklin was like a son to the trainer Bud Delp and in my opinion Delp madeup that story about the foot injury to cover up for Franklin's awful ride. If I'm remembering right, despite the close ties between Delp and Franklin, Franklin never rode Spectacular Bid again - that certainly says something.
RB
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