Big Brown Bust...

[Subdivisions]

I know some of you were seriesly upset at what happened to Eight Belles during the Kentucky Derby and I seconded that emotion. However, I decided to go ahead and watch today's Belmont Stakes, just as many others did, with the expectation of seeing a Triple Crown winner. Big Brown was the contender and he decided, for unknown reasons, to hold back and the jockey, Kent Desormeaux, who had his chance at his second try for the Triple Crown today, pulled the beautiful animal and kept him safe. For that, I congratulate Kent Desormeaux, my hero of the day for not pushing, spurring, and whipping the horse to a losing battle. Big Brown is safe and well this evening. Thankfully.

[GOPisEvil]

1. Kent Desormeaux.

But you're right, he did a good job in pulling the horse up.

[Subdivisions]

3. You're right. My bad on the name. I've edited my post to correct

my faux pas. I'm just glad he's ok. :)

[Subdivisions]

4. dupe

[StarryNite]

2. I'm one of those who couldn't bear to watch.

Thanks for letting us know what happened. Hopefully Big Brown really is safe and well. I'm glad his jockey looked out for his best interests. That makes him a hero in my book too.

[Subdivisions]

5. Apparently Mr. Desormeaux cares dearly for this horse and for

that I am thankful.

[Kingofalldems]

6. "The Kid" as he was called many years ago

did himself proud. I guess it was the quarter crack which cost Big Brown the race but I also suspect the distance was too much for this horse.

[Vanje]

8. Big Brown was Jonezing for his steroids

This is his first race without his regular monthly anabolic steroid injection.

[FarCenter]

10. They should go back to Winstrol; the Prozac isn't working!

[aquart]

7. I totally agree about the jockey. Bless him.

But I'm not so sure that Big Brown is well.

[FarCenter]

11. I think that Big Brown is OK

He didn't get his monthly steroid shot on the 15th of May.

The jockey wussed out and pulled him up after it was clear he was not going to finish in the top three positions.

It's all about protecting a $50 million dollar investment for the hedge fund that owns him.

[JoDog]

23. The jockey did not "wuss out"

KD was riding an animal who usually responds with speed when asked. After a rough trip, the horse stopped acting like he normally does. Bearing in mind that Big Brown has a quarter crack and a history of other foot problems, KD pulled the horse up rather than gamble that his feet had no problems and would hold out. He could have flogged that horse for third money but chose not to take the risk. He put the horse first, and it was the right call. Horse racing lost a Triple Crown, but it may have gotten a little integrity in exchange.

[Donkey_Punch_Dubya]

9. Karma for the arrogant trainer who proclaimed his horse "uinbeatable"

And he ends up finishing DFL. Dead F---- Last.

It's nice that the jockey gave up in the last 30 seconds instead of whipping the the poor animal endlessly, but what a complete meltdown.

The odds at post time were 1-4. That's 80% chance Brig Brown wins, 20% for the field.

And he comes in DFL.

[bklyncowgirl]

15. The racing Gods like a good laugh now and then.

Rick Dutrow is a good example of what the Greeks used to call hubris. I'm just glad the horse is OK.

[StarryNite]

12. I don't care that he came in last.

I don't care how much money the greedy people lost on him.
I'm just glad he is okay.

[Booster]

13. Kent Desormeaux is a hero in my book also. I sure wanted him

to win though - so his son could remember the race. But he showed himself to be the better man by not whipping Big Brown and pulling him up.

[bklyncowgirl]

14. I'm thinking he didn't get his steroid fix. AlsoTale of Ekati bothered him.-- Funny Cide's revenge?

My rational theory. Big Brown got his monthly shot of Winstrol before the Derby and Preakness. For some reason Rick Dutrow decided to take him off the drug before the Belmont. Maybe he got pissed at the people saying that his horse was sort of the Gary Bonds of horse racing--They'd have to but an asterisk after his name on the Triple Crown list. One thing I know about horses. If something's working don't change it.

Big Brown unbeatable on 'roids. Big Brown finishes up the track without his fix. The good news for horses is that this will probably lead to steroids being outlawed across the board in racing.

OK here's my totally bizzarro irrational theory. Big Brown is a lightly raced horse who had to get past a horse named Tale of Ekati several times and each time Tale of Ekati managed to block him and get him upset. Tale of Ekati is trained by a guy named Barclay Tagg who's best known for training a gelding named Funny Cide to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Funny Cide got beat in the Belmont when he was forced to run on the rail in the slop. Now as a gelding Funny Cide was not going to a cooshy career as a stud horse. Tagg asked the owners if he could keep Funny Cide as a stable pony--Funny Cide always liked living at the track and being in the midst of the action. The owners agreed and within a couple of days of winning his last race and subsequent retirement Funny Cide was taking horses to the track, his 70 year old trainer on his back.

Today, Funny Cide is the horse who takes Tale of Ekati to the track for his daily workouts--sort of an equine personal trainer if you will. This is crazy but maybe Funny Cide said to Ekati--"Look Kid, if I couldn't win this thing I don't want some juiced up colt named for a damned shipping company to do what I couldn't do. You get in his face and make him sweat the whole way and maybe you can pick up the prize and a some really great fillies to boot once you retire to stud." Or maybe Tagg said the same thing to Tale of Ekati's jockey which is probably more likely.

At any rate kudos to Kent Desormeaux for stopping Big Brown when he felt someing was wrong. It seems like the horse is alright whick is a good thing all around. The most depressed person on the face of the planet today is Rick Dutrow--the trainer who said his horse was unbeatable. The racing gods like a good laugh now and then.

[bklyncowgirl]

18. Ooops I meant Barry Bonds.

Not Gary Bonds. The only Gary Bonds I can think of is Gary U.S. Bond the singer who to the best of my knowledge is not nor has ever been on steroids.

[MrCoffee]

16. Desormeaux isn't a hero, just a good jockey

He knew he was on a $50M stud, and he knew that the horse wasn't there. If he thought he'd had a chance of finishing in the money, he'd have whupped the hell out of Big Brown.

Desormeaux knew his job and did it well. Nothing heroic about it.

[XOKCowboy]

17. I wonder what the owner/trainer thought of Desormeaux pulling BB up?

It was clear that Big Brown wasn't at his best from the start. Since BB was out of the money and fading it was the kind thing to do (unless he felt the horse was injured). I'm just wondering if there will be retribution for his kindness?

[rocktivity]

25. The trainer and the jockey both knew that the horse wasn't 100%

and the jockey also knew the trainer would let him twist in the wind if the horse suffered further injury.

:headbang:
rocknation

[InvisibleTouch]

19. Eight Belles may have saved his life, in a sense.

It was the tragedy of her death that raised awareness again of how these horses are living beings and not machines to be run into the ground, not just commodities and moneymakers, but individuals to be cherished in their own right. Big Brown's jockey noticed something was wrong, and eased him up. Maybe he would have done so anyway (I'd like to think so), but with recent tragedy so much in everyone's consciousness, the chances were better that safety considerations came before greed. I'd like to think Eight Belles' death was not without meaning, not without some long-term positive repercussion for the compatriots she left behind. And while I wanted to see BB win the Triple, I'm happier that he's safe and alive.

[TexasBushwhacker]

20. I bet it was the Lasix

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080608/ap_on_sp_ot/rac_belmont_stakes

"Big Brown ran on Lasix, a legal anti-bleeding medication that can cause a horse to become dehydrated. Highs were in the 90s and there was oppressive humidity Saturday. Several horses throughout the day were sweating excessively and needed to be cooled off with buckets of water and sprayed with hoses after they ran."

Lasix is used to keep racehorses from getting nosebleeds, but it's a diuretic that allows potassium levels to drop (as opposed to potassium sparing diuretics like Maxide). Using it during hot weather, when the horses are already at risk for dehydration, it probably risky. I'm glad he had a good jockey that kept him safe when it was obvious he wasn't going to win.

I couldn't bring myself to watch the race because I just couldn't witness another horse being injured or destroyed. I know that horse racing has a long history, but it also has a terrible injury rate. If we aren't going to ban horse racing altogether, then we should at least switch to artificial tracks, which are much safer. They are slower, but a race is still a race. Fewer dead or crippled horses is a good thing if you ask me.

[TZ]

21. artificial tracks are no safer

And the accident rate you quote is actually not as high as you think and has been pretty consistent over the last 30 years. More racing is on TV, so a distorted view of the injury rate is seen.

[Justpat]

24. Every horse in the field ran on lasix including the winner.

Lasix had nothing to do with it. The state vet that examines the horses before the race in the detention barn,
in the paddock and at the starting gate, making sure that they are not in distress before loading in the gate.


Artificial tracks are not the answer to injuries. Artificial tracks simply cause injuries to their hind end
and pelvis instead of front legs.

The answer is to breed better horses and fine tune the dirt tracks.


And the answer to any perceived problems in the racing industry is not to follow the suggestions
of those most ignorant about the business.

[Jack from Charlotte]

22. Shocking post race picture of Big Brown.........