Big Brown Triple Crown . com

Buried in an article by Joe Drape in the New York Times is a mention that Big Brown may run in the Haskell at Monmouth Park instead of the Travers at Saratoga. Iavarone sited the deserved reputation that Monmouth is a tight and fast track and commented that he knew he would get favorable conditions there. This was part of his series of comments blaming the slower than normal Belmont track for Big Brown's loss. The Haskell will be run on August 3rd for a purse of $1 million. The track also may provide a participation fee. It is a 1 1/8 mile race for 3 year olds held at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. It was the race that Curlin ran as his first race after a defeat in the Belmont Stakes in 2007. Curlin was beat in last years Haskell by Any Given Saturday. The decision to run Curlin in the Haskell last year was mostly due to the fact that the 2007 Breeders Cup was to be held at Monmouth and his connections wanted him to get a prep on that surface. the 2008 Breeders Cup Classic, which Big Brown is ultimately pointed towards will be run at Santa Anita Race Track in Los Angeles on October 25th. Also worth noting was that Iavarone had mentioned on a few occasions before the Belmont Stakes that he has always wanted to run a horse in the Travers, making this decision even stranger. Could this simply be Iavarone's way of sending a message to the NYRA about his frustration with the condition of the Belmont Track on Saturday?

New York Times (subscription) - Joe Drape: Two Opinions of Desormeaux’s Ride of Big Brown

In fact, Iavarone said that he was now considering running Big Brown in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park rather than the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. The Haskell, which will be run Aug. 3, offers a $1 million purse, a potential participation fee and a track known to be tight and fast. “I know we’d get favorable conditions on a track that is more to our liking,” he said. “I don’t want Big Brown to get on another racetrack he doesn’t like.”......more