Desultory Brown

The wheels fell off the Big Brown express today. As good as he looked in the Derby and Preakness Big Brown was just plain terrible today. Fractious in the detention barn, nervous in the paddock, rank in the early part of the race, he did not run his race today. The boastful Dutrow who dared the racing gods, received his punishment for his gross arrogance. When confidence grows into arrogance the punishment is usually swift and stout and Dutrow's arrogance was punished today. . Dutrow provided great theater with his antics and no doubt Dutrow's antics made his loss was very satisfying to many people. Before there Derby we wrote these words.

Usually one can get away with this attitude for only so long before the game gives out a maximum dose of bad racing luck. Try going to the track with this attitude and making wagers, talk about a humbling experience. This type of talk is very polarizing, I see that Big Brown can go one of two ways. He is either going to run a fricken' hole in the wind and drop jaws or the horse is going to be up the track. If this horse does not win, he will not hit the board in the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown's performance is going to be something extraordinary or something commonly dull. When this horse gets beat it is going to be ugly.

Casino Drive's Training Regimen Back In Japan

The Japanese horsemen have a different training methods than their American counterparts. While the Americans use fast workouts combined with drugs to train their horses, the Japanese use a more holistic approach. Instead of a steady worktab of bullet works for Casino Drive, he is a power walker, taking vigorous one-hour strolls through the barn area. He then goes to the track for an easy jog before resuming another hour of walking.

"We really try to pick his feet up," said Nobutaka Tada, spokesman for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto and trainer Kazuo Fujisawa. "We want him to be ready, so he will be strong." Not only do the Japanese train to be long and strong but they do not use drugs, hormones or chemicals to artificially enhance growth or performance. It is an entirely natural approach.

Take a look at these Japanese training centers. They seem like racehorse utopia. The Japanese not only want to make fast horses they want to produce an exceptional individual. The JRA provides facilities to nourish the entire horse, both physically and mentally. It is no wonder that they do not need to drug their racehorses with this approach. Their philosophy seems superior to the American training philosophy of work them fast, drug them if they hurt and retire them early if we are lucky. Perhaps if our training centers had uphill woodchip trails and wilderness trails passing through streams we would have relaxed, sound horses that would not need a variety of medications to compete. Knowing how difficult it is to win a graded stakes on the dirt going long off the layoff I was impressed when Casino Drive emerged off the freighter ready to romp in the Peter Pan. One look at the Japanese training methods and I understand why he was ready.

Team Big Brown The Classiest Connections In The Belmont

They had a press conference today in Times Square for the Belmont Stakes. The connections of only two horses bothered to show up. Those two horses were Big Brown and Macho Again. Where was everyone else? Not very classy of the connections to disrespect a classic race. Must be challenging to conduct a press conference if the principals do not show up.

While Big Brown may not have scared away all comers for the Belmont, only one other horse was represented at the press conference.

Belmont Weather Forecast

The temperatures are starting to heat up here in New York. After a nice cool May the temps are finally increasing into the 80's. Belmont day may flirt with 90 degrees and it will likely be humid. Rain is not forecast for Saturday but there is some unsettled weather looming off to the west that will bring showers on Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully the weather moves through and it is a nice clear day with a fast track.

1:00 Flat For Big Brown

Big Brown worked 1:00 flat this morning at Belmont in preparation for the Belmont stakes. Word is everything looks good and he is on schedule for for his date with destiny on Saturday.

Dutrow-Iavarone Bashers Need To Step Up Their Game

Commenter Rufus Youngblood came back with a fair rebuttal to the Dutrow/Iavarone post and would like to expand on the topic. Mr. Youngblood made many cogent points which I agree with and I think he is on-point regarding IEAH. Hopefully they will do the right thing and have Brown race a few more times and get in the gate for a mega race with Curlin. However I think the barrage of articles, internet blogs and comments about Dutrow and Iavarone completely miss the point and are more of a expression of jealousy and envy than well thought out criticism of what Big Brown means to the sport.

If these people wanted to bash Dutrow and Iavarone they should have had the substance to consider the present and the future in their attacks. The Bloomberg article was a strait up smear piece and the anonymous commenter-cockroach that dug up and made up a bunch of stuff about Dutrow was even worse. Digging up some dirt from the early 1980's and 1990's ignores the pertinent issues and frankly shows the bashers to be envious, hateful, close-minded people.

Bashing Dutrow because of his brashness shows that the bashers are close-minded, inexperienced and square. The real way charactor is measured is in how treats his horses, how he treats his family and his staff. Those that think Dutrow is rude and uncouth are missing that he is good for the game with his big mouth, a real headline maker in a game desperate for headlines.

If these bashers could focus on how Big Brown is going to be retired and cashed out like a savings bond, their bashing might be something I could get behind. At this point it smacks of jealousy, envy and shallow social experience. I can not get behind this bandwagon to nowhere. They can keep the character assassination, perhaps a more educated mode of attack, one that focuses on how IEAH is going to crap all over the game, is something I could agree with a bit more.

Big Brown Should Race On Turf And Should Take On Curlin

With all of Big Brown's hoof issues why not look for a kinder surface and run the colt on the turf after the Belmont? Not only could this be good for his hoof but it could round out his limited resume.

Iavarone and Dutrow could take on older in the Arlington Million, this would be a thrilling win in a race known all around the world, not some huge drop in class cop out. For the breeding angle a Arlington Million win would give him appeal to the European breeders. Instead of shipping to hot and hard California for the Poly/Cushion/Polymer Classic he could contest the Canadian International, just like Secretariat. $2 million purse and a field of world class turf horses.

If the Big B wins the triple crown he has proven that he can beat the dirt three year olds of his generation. To continue to run in races like the Travers belabors the point and degrades the hooves. Considering his limited career it is important that the brash Dutrow plans out a campaign that will round out Big Browns resume. His record could use a stakes turf win if he wants to be considered great. Secretariat took to the turf and so did the great Dr Fager. Team Big Brown should use some of that confidence and braggadocio from the recent press conferences and take this horse back to where he started on the lawn. A horse with a limited resume needs to have quality and variety on his resume if he wants to be considered great.

After the late Summer/Fall turf campaign a showdown with Curlin would blow the lid off the Big Brown hype machine. NYRA could arrange a special race at the end of the year for Big Brown, Curlin and others. We are talking about a huge purse $3 million or more. Not only would this be a major racing event, but it would be a major media and sporting event. The profiles of all the horses would be raised by running in this race win or lose. There is the potential for the race of the decade if big talking Dutrow and Iavarone are game enough to take on Curlin. This is what the sport needs. It would be a huge event, something beyond the Breeders Cup. The purse could be sponsored by UPS and it could be televised all around the world.

Tomcito Out Of Belmont

Tomcito has been declared out of the Belmont by his connections. According to trainer Dante Zanelli. Zanelli said the son of Street Cry was suffering from a “reaction” but did not specify what caused it. “It’s very depressing,” he said.

Maybe they should find an allowance race for Tomcito so he can get a win over here in the states. Looking at his stride he does not look like the a stakes horse in the US. They need to find an easier spot.