Big Brown down and out for good

The dream matchup between defending Horse of the Year, Curlin, and three year-old sensation, Big Brown, will now be an everlasting "what if" after Big Brown was retired this morning after sustaining an injury to his right front foot (not the same hoof pictured from Belmont Stakes in photo) during his Aqueduct turf course workout. Furthermore, it seems just as doubtful as to Curlin's status for the Breeders' Cup Classic with trainer Asmussen awaiting his final workout this afternoon before the race entry deadline tomorrow. My gut is that this will give Team Curlin an easy "out" for the race, opting instead for another Grade I dirt race (possibly in Hong Kong, an international mecca for thoroughbred racing) prior to retiring as the richest of all time. The general consensus is that the vast contingent from across the pond will have an advantage in the big race due to their grass/synthetic emphasis, which translates to success on the Santa Anita polytrack.

How quickly things can unravel such a promising event (kind of like the stock market these days). Of course, I probably jinxed this race after my wife asked this weekend the chances of an injury to Curlin or Big Brown. I was getting ready to book my accomodations to Los Angeles for next weekend. I thought at this point, perhaps one of the entrants would be injured in their final workout and scratched from the Classic, which translates to less than 15% that it would happen to either of these.

As a whole, the Breeders' Cup event is shaping up as a true international event with many super-talented horses. I will have an overview of key races after the entries are established mid-week.

Eric


Horse Racing

Curlin surpasses Cigar's money record in Gold Cup, Big Brown next?

Move over Cigar and make way for the first $10 million purse winner in North America -- Curlin. Steve Asmussen conceded that this record was his #1 priority in bringing back Curlin for his 4 year-old season, not quite as altruistic as the reasons majority owner Jess Jackson stated for bringing back the champ. “I want to establish Curlin for what I think he is,” Jackson said. “He’s one of the horses of the century.” Trainer Steve Asmussen challenges industry peers on Mr. Jackson's decision to bring Curlin back as a four year-old, stating, "I want to meet the person who would leave so much money on the table for the sport of seeing what their horse could accomplish." If these statements were not just fanciful fodder (all too common in this industry), there is only one choice Team Curlin is left with... face Big Brown mano E mano in the Classic.

Timeform Global Rankings of Great Britian list Curlin as the top rated horse in the world, with Big Brown at #3. They comment on the two American standouts as follows, "Big Brown returned after an eight week break at Monmouth Park and showed plenty of determination to win the Haskell Invitational (gr. I). Whether the much-anticipated meeting with Curlin ever takes place seems doubtful, but there’s every chance that Big Brown will be right back at his best with that run behind him and that would be good enough to make Curlin have to pull out all the stops."

More on that likely date in the Breeders' Cup in future blog entries. I want to remind folks of the monumental record that Curlin took away from the great Cigar. Most remember Cigar for his 16 consecutive wins, tying Citation's North American win streak in major competition. In Cigar's first of two champion seasons (1995-1996), he was a perfect 10 for 10 with eight of those victories coming in Grade I races, facing the best of the best. Coming back to the track as a six year-old (yes, you heard that right...6!) he won the inaugural running of the Dubai World Cup in thrilling fashion. And while probably a little weary from the travel to and fro, managed to win several more graded races before the streak ended, routinely carrying more than 130 pounds. Cigar's last two career defeats were mostly chalked up to him being past his prime. I would argue that poor racing luck and career performances by Skip Away (carrying 5 fewer pounds and the controlling speed) in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Alphabet Soup in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Classic (Bailey again had Cigar extremely wide on the turn, yet lost by only a head in a 3 way photo) were more probable reasons for defeat.

Skip Away and now Curlin have also carried 130 pounds or more, with Curlin topping that impost in each of his two victorious Dubai races this spring. It's no wonder then that these three horses are the top money earners of their generation. Although, Curlin now has an opportunity to put some daylight between himself and the rest of the field in this category, just as he routinely does on the racetrack.

I'll have a Breeders' Cup preview in the next week or so. The big dates for Breeders' Cup 25 are October 24-25 at Santa Anita race track in the Los Angeles area.



Horse Racing

Can Big Brown put his best foot forward?

With a victory Sunday in the $1 Million Haskell Invitational, Big Brown can put his troubled past behind him and leapfrog Curlin to become the "it" horse again. This seems likely after a steady foundation of improving workouts, especially against his projected competition. While Atoned and Fountain of Youth upset winner Cool Coal Man are legitimate threats, the better lot of three year-olds wrestled in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga this past weekend. One time top sophomore Pyro couldn't quite catch Macho Again (2nd in Preakness) for the win in that race, while Belmont Stakes shocking winner Da'Tara was a factor again on the lead, before being pressed and finishing last. Tale of Ekati and Anak Nakal were also off the board finishers, but any of these would have been a strong second choice if entered in Sunday's Haskell.

In the other top race this weekend, Tough Tiz's Sis tries to finally get the better of undefeated (6 for 6)Zenyatta for trainer Bob Baffert in the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Handicap over Del Mar's Polytrack surface on Saturday. Many of you based at Oaklawn Park will recall the incredible performance by Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom Handicap (Grade I), while blowing past defending Breeders' Cup Distaff winner and Eclipse Mare Champion Ginger Punch. The latter mare strolled to another Grade I vicoty in the Go For Wand at Saratoga last weekend. Thus, these two are set for an epic rematch in the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita this fall.

And to finish with Curlin... still no definitive word on his next start. This leads me to believe they are re-thinking the European foray and trying to map out the best three race sequence possible which ends with a Breeders' Cup race (I'm just not sure which one!).

Happy Racing,
Eric


Horse Racing

The UNluckiest horseshoe on earth???

There have been several significant stories (some largely unnoticed) on the national and international racing scene that are worthy of mentioning.

1) Spike Lee, aka Mars Blackman, coined the famous Nike ad with Michael Jordan, "It's got to be the shoe." The "shoe" now in the limelight is Big Brown's back right shoe, which as photos captured came loose towards the beginning of the Belmont Stakes. Many have authoritatively claimed this as the excuse to why Big Brown ran so poorly, while others discounted the importance of a loose shoe during a race, especially when the horse shows no inflamation in that area following the race. It's too bad for IEAH et al that all of Brown's shoes weren't glued on, like the front hoof getting all the special treatment with the quarter crack. One thing for sure, this shoe saga is now every bit as famous as the safety pin incident with Spectaculat Bid in 1979.

2) Jeremy Rose of Afleet Alex fame (2005 Preakness, Belmont) and Eclipse Award holder as top apprentice jockey has been suspended for six months for "extreme misuse of the whip" in a race yesterday at Delaware Park. Rose struck his mount, Appeal to the City, on the face which resulted in bleeding around the left eye. Certainly not a positive for this sport that is under attack on all fronts (see next point). I have yet to see the replay but I would like to give Jeremy the benefit of the doubt and hope this falls under the "accident" category. Which still leads you to wonder why these wire bound "tools" are permitted if something like this could EVER happen in a race. While I can understand the value of using a whip (keeping horses straight in stretch, telling a horse it's GO TIME), perhaps the nature of the crop should be given a gentile makeover or eliminated altogether (it's a level playing field if no one has one, right??).

3) Thoroughbred industry leaders reported for testimony last week in Washington at the House Energy and Commerce Committee's commerce, trade and consumer protection subcommittee. Congress basically reminded our sport that they gave horse racing the legal right to broadcast races and take bets across state lines, and now the industry needs more regulation. Rep. Ed Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky's 1st District said that he expects to introduce legislation to ban the use of drugs in racing and require uniform collection and disclosure of medical information and injury and fatality data. He said that given the small amount of time left in this Congress, the legislation was likely to be proposed next year (seems like I've heard that one a few times!). However, this will not address the issues in breeding (or should I say, inbreeding) for SPEED, SPEED, SPEED leading to a more fragile horse running fewer races, all topics discussed by Arthur Hancock, a lifelong horse breeder.

4) A Queen is back in the winner's circle at Royal Ascot for the first time in 9 years. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her first victory since 1999 at the famous English track when her horse Free Agent won the Chesham Stakes. "The queen was absolutely thrilled, and after they passed the post she said, 'I've done it!' " reported her racing manager, John Warren. And we were led to believe that racing was the Sport of Kings...

No Brown Crown... Curlin to the Turf

Now that the Belmont dust has settled, it appears that it simply was a bad day at the track for Big Brown, who's stock has dropped as much as his corporate namesake, UPS. Rick Dutrow is pointing the strapping son of Boundary for a new campaign to include the Haskell Inviational at Monmouth Park in August and perhaps the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. If Brown again has his way with these nominal three year-olds, he will perhaps get the chance to go up against older horses in the 25th rendition of The Breeders' Cup Classic to be held at Santa Anita Park in late October.

One horse that is on quite a different path is Curlin, the recent winner of another Grade I race in the Stephen Foster Handicap, where much was made of the excessive weight assigned to Robby Albarado's saddle (128 pounds including the jock). Although the 10 to 15 pounds Curlin spotted his foes never factored into his four length victory, Steve Asmussen was quick to generate an excuse, if needed. He knows the burden of carrying even a few extra pounds, especially if the race were to unfold unfavorably for Curlin. In Cigar's penultimate performance in 1996, he finished a nose behind Skip Away after falling prey to very soft fractions (1:11 2 and 1:35 4) and being forced wide on the clubhouse turn. Although he nearly made up the difference in positioning and pace, perhaps the five pounds he was spotting the younger and highly talented Skip Away was too much to overcome. Asmussen knows (take note, Dutrow!) that things can -- and often do -- go wrong on the track and that every disadvantage can lead to defeat.

So rather than lobby weight assignments the rest of the year, Steve and majority owner Jess Jackson will pursue a brief turf campaign prior to retiring their champion, hoping to extend Curlin's win streak of five races on the lawn, while increasing his value at stud. For those of you who question or even criticize this decision, we must recall another chestnut horse some decades ago who finished his career with two impressive turf victories after proving dominance over dirt tracks. That horse's name, anyone? Secretariat.

Dutrow sweating Big Brown's loss

Dutrow is proving exactly why the pulse of the racing public was against this Triple Crown bid. Missed press conferences, finger pointing and excuses have emerged from "Camp Big Brown", now being led by IEAH co-President, Michael Iavarone. Here's a guy who's lied about a degree and phantom employment at Goldman Sachs, instead working at three penny stock pushing investment firms I've never heard of. He's been fined and censured by the NASD, sued by an Atlantic City casino and the Kenneland Association horse sales for not paying for horses bid at auctions... talk about a scumbag!! Even Big Brown wants nothing to do with this dude -- see picture at left.

For all the sports journalists out there who were on record as saying they didn't want this horse to sweep the Triple Crown, there is a collective sigh of relief. I must admit, on the far turn I was giddy with joy myself as I knew Big Brown was running out of steam, although I didn't care for Kent easing him with two furlongs remaining. Many bettors are demanding a refund (no chance), but more likely what may happen is jockey Kent Desormeaux being fined by the NYRA stewards for "competition infractions" by pulling up a non-injured horse prior to the race order being determined.

"I'm sure he didn't have any idea what the hell was going on going into the first turn the way (Desormeaux) was switching him all over the damn track," Dutrow told the Daily Racing Form. "I don't know what he was doing." He went on to say, "I feel like a loser right now, and I don't know why. Usually when I get beat I can handle it the right way, and I've handled this the right way, but I just feel like something's not right." What world is this guy living in? The only thing I've seen him do "right" is soil a shirt more than Bruce Pearl could on his best day!

So what did happen to Big Brown, people keep asking. Theories abound about the quarter crack, missed training and especially the steroids he didn't take prior to the Belmont. That may be reaching a bit since he hadn't taken his Winstrol (allegedly) dose since mid-April and performed fine in crushing his opponents in The Derby and Preakness. I conclude that a number of factors (3rd race in 5 weeks, scorching heat, apparent rankness fighting Kent's positioning early in race, breaking a step slow) threw Big Brown off his game and resulted in a bad day at the office. These do occasionally happen to all of us, you know?!

Kudos to Nick Zito, the new "giant killer" (with apologies to Allen Jerkens) of the Triple Crown. Nick, of course, conditioned another $70+ horse in Birdstone to knock off Smarty Jones in 2004's Belmont Stakes. But that one already had a Grade 1 win over the track as a two year-old. This Da'Tara came as quite a shock, being eligible for a non-winners of two lifetime race and going off as the longest shot on the board. Dennis of Cork rallied for second behind this soft pace to prove his worth as a sophomore. The Travers at Saratoga may be an interesting race with the top 3 year-olds all pointing for the late August "midsummer's Derby".

For now, the focus in deservedly back on the #1 rated thoroughbred in the world -- Curlin, as he prepares for his U.S. comeback in the Stephen Foster Handicap this Saturday at Churchill Downs. Let's hope this superstar can keep to his winning days.

Ranking the greatest near-misses

Now that Big Brown (BB) is one victory away from becoming only the twelfth Triple Crown winner, let's take a stroll down memory lane (purely chronological order) to recount some of the greatest horses to NOT win this uber-prestigious three year old feat. A whopping 21 horses since 1970 have won two-thirds of the Crown races. As most of you know, three horses in the decade of the seventies did achieve racing immortality; Secretariat in '73, Seattle Slew in '77 and Affirmed in '78. So while all the momentum seems to be with BB, a defeat on Saturday puts him on a long list of "also rans."

1976, Bold Forbes: Bold is a first cousin to once presidential candidate Steve Forbes and "black horse" of the family dynasty after Malcolm stumbled into the breeding shed one night after partying with the Kennedy's and drinking a bottle of Dewar's Reserve. He thought he was sleeping in the ranch house next to his wife, but the result was a determined thoroughbred who captured the '76 Derby and Belmont Stakes. Bold will always have a special place in my heart as he was the grandsire of the first horse my father co-owned (of which I have lived vicariously as an owner).

1979, Spectacular Bid: "The Bid" was an arrogant S-O-B who hated kids and was disrespectful to the mares in surrounding barns, but man was he talented! Legend has it that Bid was soooo confident (ala, Rick Dutrow) that he would win The Belmont Stakes that he outdrank every horse and sailor in his barn the night before the big race and subsequently was a little squemish the next day. Or it could have been the safety pin found in his hoof the morning of the race. Regardless, Bid did win 26 of 30 career starts, though he could not get past the elder Affirmed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

1984, Swale: There was an absence of "super" race horses in the early eighties following the anomoly of talented charges in the 1970's until Swale came along. A son of Seattle Slew, Swale was destined for greatness, which he confirmed with victories in The Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Unfortunately, Swale died of a heart attack while being bathed the week following The Belmont Stakes, prompting protests by PETA against soaps, shampoos and personal hygien in general. Which coincidentally is why most PETA advocates don't bathe or shave their bodies (men or women!).

1988, Risen Star: Without this homebred's campaign, the mighty Secretariat may have been considered a dud at stud. This was his only male progeny to follow in dadd's hooves on the track. He could have been mistaken for the original "Big Red" when he ran away from the field in The Belmont by 15 widening lengths. Secretariat is mostly known as a broodmare sire since his daughters were particularly useful in producing champion thoroughbreds (i.e. A.P. Indy, Summer Squall).

1989, Sunday Silence: The Sunday Silence/Easy Goer showdowns were awfully fun to watch when I was a teen. This was probably the last true rivalry (not quite as stirring as Affirmed v. Alydar) on the racing oval now that trainers pick their spots more carefully and horses race less in general. Sunday Silence was retired into his 4YO season after an injury with a record of 9 wins and 5 places from 14 starts! Easy Goer was no slouch either ("don't sell yourself short judge, you're a tremendous slouch" -- Caddyshack) winning 14 of 20 starts, while finishing second 5 times.

2001, Point Given: His sire, Thunder Gulch (winner of 1995 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes) almost made my list, but almosts don't count in horse racing. This horse is the reason I now believe that ANY horse can lose on a particular day, including Big Brown! Point Given's only off-the-board finish (5th) occured in the second fastest Derby in history (won by Monarchos). He rebounded to reel off four consecutive Grade I victories, but unfortunately he was injured after the Travers Stakes at Saratoga (midsummer's Derby) and was not able to officially prove to be one of the greatest since he never faced or beat older horses, the KEY criteria in my book.

2005, Afleet Alex: I know many of you believe that Smarty Jones was the better of these two who put Oaklawn Park on the 3YO trail, but this is my damn blog! Wow, it feels great to use the word "damn" and not feel the threat of reprisal. Here's my case for Alex; a very versatile colt who won the prestigious Hopeful and Sanford Stakes (setting Stakes record in process) at Saratoga -- the latter being the only race legend Man o' War ever lost. Bred for speed, he seemed to only get better as the distance increased, all the while showing that explosive turn of foot. His greatest moment, however, came in the Preakness Stakes when Scrappy T bolted on the turn crashing into Alex. Jeremy Rose managed to hand on for dear life as Alex's nostrils brushed the sandy loom of the track before picking himself upright and rocketing off to another victory! This horse was truly special and it is too bad his injury and Smarty Jones' "alleged" injury prevented the world from seeing a true heavyweight match race. Finally, the clincher would be Alex's Lemonade Stands and the attention (and donations for children's cancer research) that were a direct result of this horse, the little horse that could.

Speaking of match races, while I do think Big Brown will win on Saturday, the true test would be in late October at Santa Anita IF his connections will do right by racing and send him postward in the 25th anniversary running of the Breeders' Cup Classic against... CURLIN!! What a treat that would be; win, lose or dead-heat.