Big Brown

nerd4hire

nerd4hire

Certified Uncloneable
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Messages
9,102
Anybody watching the Belmont right now? It's the third leg of the triple crown. There's this horse in it named Big Brown who stands to be the first to win it in I forget how many years. If he wins he'll be a legend.

They run the actual race in about an hour. Should be on TV most places.
 
I just got in and turned it on. They're still talking about the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but I think the actual race will begin in a few minutes. The crack in Big Brown's hoof being sewn up with wire is something I've never heard of before, but all of my experience with horses has been pleasure riding, mostly in the hills and mountains (well, they're mountains to us, but they barely qualify as real foothills to any REAL mountain range) around my home. When our horses get n injury like that, the only thing to do is put them out in the pasture and hope that the crack will grow out enough to be trimmed away back to sound hoof. Of course, none of my horses were QUITE as valuable as Big Brown.

It'll be interesting to see if he can hold his speed over the length (1 1/2 miles) of this race.
 
Ah well...another dud eh? Will another horse ever win the triple again, I wonder.

Big Brown did appear to be having problems with the hoof, or something today all right. Whatever. He lost. Finished last.
 
The answer to your question is: Yes,but it'll take a while for it to happen.

Keep in mind that the Triple Crown(at least with how it's set up here)is tough as hell. You have 3 races spread out over 5 weeks,at 3 different tracks-all of varying lengths. Horses are used to being run much less than that,at least for competitive racing. (Different story up in Canada;their Triple Crown has been won 4 or 5 times in the last decade-the fact that the 3 races are spread out over a somewhat longer time frame,and that they're at 2 tracks within 90 minutes of each other,doesn't hurt.)
 
I didnt see the race 🙁 But in australia if a horse has hoof problems and presents lame it is not allowed to run? I've never heard of a hoof split/crack being sewn up with wire either. But I havent been in the industry long...
 
Well, as it turned out, Big Brown came in dead last for some reason, still unknown when I turned the tv off. Hopefully, whatever the problem turns out to be, it will be correctable.
 
I watched Affirmed win the triple crown in 1978. We are a big horse family.

Aussie - yes they will in fact glue up or 'stitch' in a case such as this. It's the last leg of the triple crown. No WAY was he going to scratch. Do you know what that would do for his stud fees? Shame but true.
 
Even though he came in last? Wouldnt that lower his stud fees anyway? From what I have read (i duno much about this event) the jockey pulled him up. Wouldnt people want to breed SOUND horses or was it a one off problem?
Whats the deal with the drugs too? No drugs are allowed in the horses system if they are running here, even things that arnt drugs arnt allowed! Recently a trainer here got suspended for his horse having too high levels of Bicarb in his system??
I suppose I dont understand what is 'above board' in the industry. It sure looks like a tough race! I think the jockey did the right thing in pulling him up, even with all the other things going on with that horse, it just might not have been his day.
 
Aussie said:
Even though he came in last? Wouldnt that lower his stud fees anyway? From what I have read (i duno much about this event) the jockey pulled him up. Wouldnt people want to breed SOUND horses or was it a one off problem?
Whats the deal with the drugs too? No drugs are allowed in the horses system if they are running here, even things that arnt drugs arnt allowed! Recently a trainer here got suspended for his horse having too high levels of Bicarb in his system??
I suppose I dont understand what is 'above board' in the industry. It sure looks like a tough race! I think the jockey did the right thing in pulling him up, even with all the other things going on with that horse, it just might not have been his day.
Click to expand...


Any horse who can win both the Kentucky Derby AND the Preakness is going to have trouble attracting breeders, regardless of the stud fees. Also, the fact that he was favored to win the Belmont Stakes and (probably) would have except for an injury won't be held against him. Big Brown is a champion, even if he never runs again.
 
Sad thing about it was he probably did pull-up his horse because he knew there was no hope. Coming in last but essentially being given a free pass by his jockey taking him out of it will give him a better chance at stud. Injuries often are just that, injuries, and have no bearing on stud fees, often times horses are pre-maturely retired to stud because if injuries.

As for the baking soda being used..it may have been for overuse that that trainer was suspended...from what I recall it's pretty common practice here, it's used to help with the toxins or something given off by the muscles in high-muscled / highly trained horses. At my stables we mostly did harness racers and I do know the trainers added baking soda and did what they called a 'flush' ...
 
I can understand a horse being retired to a stud life due to injury but I was wondering if Big Browns only problem was the injury? I read somewhere that he was recently taken off certain drugs, could this have affected his performance? Is it common practice to race horses on drugs? I can understand the need for drugs in many circumstances but if the horse was that unwell/unsound why was it run in the first place? I dont know what is legal and not in that racing industry, and am asking out of curiosity. I suppose what I want to know is are these drugs performance enhances? Does it give the breeders false hope? Does it all come down to money in the end? If so that is very sad.
That is interesting to read about the Bicarb, I wondered how it would affect performance. I have been told that the levels in a horses system can increase when a horse gets hotter or more fit even if the feed doesnt change. Obviously there is a point where it becomes illegal here, is it the same in Canada?
No doubt Big Brown was a good horse and he will make huge money at stud, will he race again or is he just going to be used at stud from now on?
 
Jenny
Jenny
See that I dont' know, I dont' know enough about his history. Shame either way.
The heat probably played a factor,as did the track's surface and-quite possibly-the lack of any good amount of training(thanks to the injury. There's a reason why the Belmont is called the toughest race of the Triple Crown to win. It's the longest of the three races,and on a much different racing surface(not necessarily the dirt,I mean what's underneath the dirt).

He just had nothing in the tank at the end,as Kent Desormeaux said afterward.

Aussie: To answer your question,I think Big Brown's owners will likely race him twice more this year(at the Travers in Saratoga)and in the Breeders Cup Classic. After that...who knows?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom