Big Brown Triple Crown . com

Big Brown worked out early this morning, breezing five furlongs in 1:06 3/5 at Aqueduct. It was his first workout in nearly a month. Richard Dutrow was not concerned with the slow time, announcing that he had told exercise rider Michelle Nevin that slow was better than fast. He says the "horse looks fine."

Blood-Horse - Karen Johnson: Big Brown in First Work Since Belmont

Big Brown returned to the track July 2 for his first 'breeze' since being pulled up in the June 7 Belmont Stakes (gr. I). The move was extremely slow, but apparently the five-furlong move in a dawdling 1:06 3/5 at Aqueduct did not concern Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr.
Under exercise rider Michelle Nevin, Big Brown worked over the main track at 5:50 a.m. The track was fast, and the weather was sunny with temperatures in the 70s.
“Nice easy breeze,” Dutrow said about 20 minutes after the work. “Well, I told Michelle I didn’t want him to go too fast. I would rather go slower than faster. So, the horse looks like he is fine. I can’t tell you we got any problems, you know. So far, so good.”.....more

Michael Iavarone who has been mostly supportive of Kent Desormeaux and his ride in the Belmont has now said that he wishes he had not pulled him up, because he unnecessarily scared and worried so many of the people who were watching the race.

New York Newsday - Ed McNamara: Desormeaux, Big Brown gave Iavarone a scare

...."When your horse gets taken up like that, it's scary," the co-president of IEAH Stables said Wednesday night. "That's why I put my hand over my eyes. When he was going toward the outside rail, I couldn't see him anymore. I didn't know until I got back to the barn that he wasn't hurt.".....more

As would be expected, Three Chimneys, who has reportedly paid in excess of $50 million for Big Brown's breeding rights, is relieved to find that there is still no report of a physical injury to Big Brown.

Kentucky.com - Brandon Ortiz: Three Chimneys 'relieved' for Big Brown

As Big Brown began to ease up in the final eighth of a mile of the Belmont Stakes, the only thing that crossed Three Chimneys President Case Clay's mind was whether the future stud was OK. "The word is, there aren't any signs of any problems, so we're relieved," Clay said......more

The Big Brown Camp is still perplexed a day after his disappointing Belmont Stakes. It was quiet at Barn 2 as Big Brown went through a normal morning routine as if he knew nothing of the impact his race had on those around him. Trainer Richard Dutrow was no where to be seen and Michelle Nevin, the assistant trainer and exercise rider was not talking. When owner Michael Iavarone was finally tracked down by phone he indicated that they haven't been able to solve the mystery of why Kent Desormeaux had "no horse" under him when it was time for the final move in the Belmont Stakes. No one has found any thing to explain his stunning performance. Iavarone told Joe Drape of the New York Times that everything seems fine and that "there’s nothing physically that’s shown up." He reiterated that the suspect feet of the great horse had nothing to do with it. He also says that Big Brown will remain in training and be pointed towards the Travers and the Breeder's Cup. They are considering running in the Jim Dandy on July 27th at Saratoga as a prep race for the Travers.

AP - Beth Harris: Big Brown left alone after stunning Belmont loss

The morning after the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown stopped to pose for photographers as if he had won the Triple Crown. Everyone except the horse knew otherwise. Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. was a no-show, leaving questions and few answers about what happened to Big Brown in Saturday's 1 1/2-mile Belmont. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner was eased up by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the stretch, ending up last, beaten by eight other horses. The bay colt faced the cameras alone Sunday, except for exercise rider Michelle Nevin — and she wasn't talking. Outwardly, Big Brown appeared no worse for wear. He got his morning bath outside Barn 2, playfully nipping at a leather lead held by Nevin. Then she led him in circles around the inside of the barn, with Big Brown walking perfectly on his patched left front hoof......more

Big Brown is pointed to run in the Travers at Saratoga in August, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in October at Santa Anita, where he is likely to meet Curlin, the reigning horse of the year. “It puts a little more pressure on us to win those races,” Iavarone said. “I know a lot of people say we haven’t beaten anyone, and we needed to take on older horses.” So for now, Big Brown’s future is pretty straightforward. Dutrow, Iavarone and his camp will go back to the drawing board. Unless a physical ailment shows up, Iavarone says Big Brown will maintain his regular training schedule in Dutrow’s main barn at Aqueduct and perhaps breeze as soon as two weeks from now. “All we can do is chalk this up as a mystery,” Iavarone said, “and regroup.”.....more

....“We went over him good last night after the race, and again this morning, and there’s nothing physically that’s shown up,” Iavarone told me just a few minutes ago by telephone. “He scoped clean. His feet are ice cold, quarter crack not an issue. He had a very loose hind left shoe, but that’s not an issue. We’ll just chalk it up to a question mark at this point. “I’m understanding they had an issue without water and they weren’t able to water the track and it got deep, I don’t know… We’re perplexed, nobody can figure this one out, the horse did not displace (his palate), he scoped fine, there’s no mucous, everything is ice cold. The horse that won, he (Big Brown) had beaten him by 23 (lengths) in the Florida Derby and so, I don’t know. We just have to watch him carefully and make sure we didn’t miss anything.”....more

....Win or lose, entering the Belmont most people believed it would be Big Brown's last race. The son of Boundary will begin his stallion career next year at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, and a retirement announcement Sunday would have surprised no one. Instead, Iavarone said IEAH is sticking to its plan to train Big Brown for the Travers Stakes Aug. 23 at Saratoga. "Unless something shows up, we're going to maintain his regular training schedule," he said, "which will be to breeze in a couple of weeks and point him for the Travers. ... I haven't lost confidence in the horse.".....more

After two thorough postrace examinations, the shocking last-place finish by previously undefeated Big Brown in Saturday's Belmont Stakes remains a mystery. "He's sound, he's clean," Mike Iavarone, the co-president of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner's majority owner, IEAH Stables, said Sunday. "Scoped clean. Feet ice-cold. Quarter-crack not an issue," he added. "We went over him good last night and again this morning, and there's nothing that shows up.".....more

Just a few hours after the devastating loss in the Belmont Stakes, Richard Dutrow is searching for what may have gone wrong. Big Brown was checked out and appears to be physically "fine". Dutrow was clearly disappointed, but still proud of Big Brown and his accomplishments. It appears that we may know in 24 hours whther or not he will be retired or if he will race again.

International Herald Tribune - AP: Dutrow stung by Big Brown's Belmont defeat

"The horse kind of looks like he's fine to me, so the only thing I know is to wait and see how things go," Dutrow said, adding that Big Brown will be scoped to see if there were any health issues. "Right now, I don't see him being off; he may be off tomorrow.".....more

The path to the Triple Crown got a little easier for Big Brown this morning when Casino Drive, his top challenger in the Belmont Stakes, was scratched from the race. A stone bruise in the colt's left hind foot discovered yesterday is the reason for the scratch. Spokesman Nobutaka Tada says that the scratch is simply precautionary as the injury is "minor." Casino Drive was fine during a 3/8 mile jog in the early morning, but was apparently favoring a hoof when receiving a bath afterwards. Trainer Kazuo Fujisawa had given the all-clear, saying "he is sound" after the run, but an hour later, he made the decision to scratch the horse. He is scheduled to fly back to Japan on Tuesday, but may return to the United States for the Breeders Cup later in the year. It was a horse named "Birdstone" that spoiled the last Triple Crown attempt - will an injury called a "Stone Bruise" help Big Brown's attempt?

Blood-Horse - Ron Mitchell: Injured Casino Drive Out of Belmont

About an hour after giving the all-clear for Casino Drive to run in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), trainer Kazuo Fujisawa said the colt was favoring his left rear hoof and was scratched from the classic. Earlier, Fujisawa was all smiles after watching Casino Drive canter three furlongs and gave a thumbs up for colt to run in the Belmont. But when the colt was being bathed following the exercise regimen, he was favoring his foot and the trainer decided to scratch. "He is sound," Fujisawa declared earlier, after watching Casino Drive leave the track following a three furlong canter. Winner of the Peter Pan (gr. II) at Belmont, Casino Drive is considered one of the leading contenders to upset Big Brown's Triple Crown quest.
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Casino Drive was scratched from the Belmont Stakes hours before the final leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday morning due to a bruised left hind hoof. Racing manager Nobutaka Tada said Casino Drive was fine during a three-furlong jog early Saturday, but he appeared to be favoring the hoof while receiving a bath following the workout......more

In a day that we expected the patching of Big Brown's hoof to be the only "hoof" news - there is bigger news out of the stable of his primary rival. Casino Drive, Big Browns strongest challenger for the Belmont Stakes, has a bruised left hind hoof which kept him from his friday workout, but he is still expected to start in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. A veterinarian believes that he may have stepped on a stone or kicked something Friday morning. He was treated on Friday afternoon by standing in a tub of salts and stable spokesman Nobutaka Tada says that the hoof appeared to improve. The colt will be reexamined on Saturday morning. Tada added that if he was not well on Saturday they would scratch him. The connections feel strongly about running him in the race as they have often said that he was bred for this race. Tada told reporters that the injury did not cme during his less-than-stellar workout on Thursday under Edgar Prado.

New York Newsday - Ed McNamara: Casino Drive might be in 'park' with bruised hoof

...."He's OK. He's doing well, and better than he was this morning," stable spokesman Nobutaka Tada said at 6 p.m. Friday in the press box at Belmont Park. "Right now, we are in. We haven't scratched him. If he stays like he is now, there's nothing to stop him. We just missed jogging this morning, that's all.".....more

....“We have not yet scratched him from the race,” Tada said outside Barn 17. “There is nothing stopping us at this moment and we are not thinking of scratching. We think it might be a small stone bruise and we will watch it closely. “It is very minor,” he said. “We detected it when he walked before he was going to the track. We noticed it when he was picking it up higher. We felt it and it was warmer than the other feet.”.....more

...."This morning, we're not 100 percent happy with the hind legs, how he moves," said Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto. "We didn't go to the track with him. There's a slight possibility of a stone bruise, and we're just cooling him down now. It's not lame, just something different with the way he walks. We expect him to run.".....more

Hoof specialist Ian McKinaly patched Big Brows cracked hoof with an acrylic and fiberglass patch today. He said the procedure which took just a half-hour was "very routine." He called Big Brown a "super patient" and said that he never even knew he was hurt. He said he would not need to look at the hoof for a few months. When asked if the patch could fall off during the race, he said that if it did he may as well quit.

Blood-Horse - Karen Johnson: Quarter Crack Patched on Big Brown

...."Everything looks perfect," McKinlay told the New York Racing Association's media department. "It's time to make history.".....more

...Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay applied an acrylic and fiberglass patch to the cracked left front foot Friday. The work comes the day before the undefeated colt races in the Belmont Stakes. McKinlay says the procedure was routine and Big Brown never even knew he was hurt. .....more

...Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay applied an acrylic and fiberglass patch to the cracked left front foot Friday. The work comes the day before the undefeated colt races in the Belmont Stakes. McKinlay says the procedure was routine and Big Brown never even knew he was hurt. .....more

After all of the waiting, the Belmont Stakes is just one day away, but Big Brown has a full day ahead of him. Friday, he is scheduled to gallop on the Belmont track some time after the 8:45 am break and then will have his hoof patched sometime in the afternoon. According to trainer Richard Dutrow, hoof specialist Ian McKinlay will apply the patch some time in the afternoon when "you guys (the press) ain't around".

Blood-Horse - Karen Johnson: Big Brown Continues on Quest for Crown

....Big Brown is scheduled to gallop June 6, probably after the break at 8:45 a.m., according to Dutrow. Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay will patch the quarter crack on Big Brown’s left front foot the afternoon of June 6. Dutrow said the quarter crack is “dry. We could run him the way he is.” The trainer estimated it would take 45 minutes to an hour to place the patch on the foot. “As long as it looks the way it does now, we are going to patch it,” Dutrow said. “We (will do it) when there is no noise around and you guys ain’t around. We’ll take care of it then.”.....more

Most in the Horse Racing Industry seem to agree that the injury to Big Brown's hoof is minor and should not play a factor in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, but most also seem to feel that Richard Dutrow and the Big Brown team are likely downplaying the injury. Concerns that racing Big Brown is putting his life in jeopardy are clearly outlandish, but reports that he is as "good as new" are also not correct. His hoof will be patched on Friday afternoon by hoof specialist Ian McKinlay. An Acrylic adhesive will be applied and McKinlay says that it will make the area stronger than the hoof itself.

Arizona Republic - Jim Gintonio: Few see hoof crack slowing Big Brown

...."When you're talking about an injury that Big Brown is dealing with right now, a quarter-crack type injury, it's more an annoyance to a horse than anything else," ABC-ESPN analyst Randy Moss said. "It's not something along the lines that would lead to what you saw in Derby with Eight Belles or anything such as that. It's something that can cause some minor discomfort to a horse, and in a worst-case scenario could prevent him from maybe putting out the full 100 percent of effort. I'm confident that they're on top of this, although I will agree they're probably downplaying the significance of it a little bit compared to what the actual reality of the situation is.".....more

...."We could run him the way he is, but we're going to patch it up," trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said yesterday. "We're not taking any kind of risk by patching him up right now."Others aren't so quick to dismiss the condition. While it may not seem like much for a fit thoroughbred, missing a few days of training can take a horse off his game. And if the injury is even a touch more than the Big Brown camp claims, it easily can be exposed in the gruelling Belmont. "I'm a firm believer (that) everything has to go right between races," veteran New York trainer Shug McGaughey said this week. "It's the third race in five weeks. It's a mile and a half. Big Brown, he looked great, but everything has not gone exactly right for him since the Preakness."......more

....So it was two weeks ago when Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow, announced that the horse who had breezed to ridiculously easy wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes had a quarter crack in his left front hoof and would miss a few days of training. Ah, perhaps a sign of weakness. But yesterday, as he has done for the past several days, Dutrow emphasized that Big Brown couldn't be better......more

Thursday, Richard Dutrow said that the quarter crack was "all healed." On Friday, hoof specialist Ian McKinlay will apply an acrylic and fiberglass patch to the cracked area.

Dan Gelston - AP: Big Brown injury no concern in Belmont Stakes

...."It's all healed," trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said Thursday. "We could run him the way he is." Not exactly. On Friday, hoof specialist Ian McKinlay will apply an acrylic and fiberglass patch to the cracked area. It sets in five minutes and is "stronger than the hoof itself," he said. That's certainly encouraging news for a sport still on edge after the death of Eight Belles on the track moments after her second-place finish at the Kentucky Derby. Even Dutrow's normally unshakable confidence was dented when he first saw the crack. "Naturally, we had to worry about it," he said.....more

New York Times reporter Joe Drape wrote today that Richard Dutrow had not given Big Brown Steroids since April 15th. If this is the case, some experts are indicating that this would mean a win at the Belmont Stakes would be "steroids-free." Dutrow has also reduced Big Brown's dose of electrolytes.

New York Times - Joe Drape: Big Brown Free of Steroids, Trainer Says

....Gary Wadler, a New York University medical professor and antidoping expert, said that if you took Dutrow’s claims at face value, that Big Brown has not received steroids since mid-April, then it would be fair to argue that a victory in the Belmont Stakes, at least, could be considered steroid-free......more

....On the advice of Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, Dutrow also reduced Big Brown's dose of electrolytes. "The horse looks like an absolute picture so I didn't want to mess with anything, you know," Dutrow said. Greg Bennett, Dutrow's primary veterinarian, said Thursday that a sterile solution of electrolytes is given intravenously by a stomach tube......more

Big Brown completed his final workout before the Belmont Stakes this morning running five furlongs in one minute flat in front of 200 media members and spectators. Exercise rider Michelle Nevin was aboard as usual taking him on the main track at about 8:50 am on a warm, humid morning at Belmont Park. All involved were very happy with the workout and felt that it went according to the plan; Michelle Nevin, who was admittedly nervous in anticipation of the big race commented that Trainer Richard Dutrow had asked her to "breeze him just like you do every other time." Hoof specialist, Ian McKinlay will wait until Friday to apply the patch to his healing hoof. Dutrow says that he is right on track and that the hoof held up well in the workout. He commented "he jumped over a big hurdle today." McKinlay had positive comments about the recovery and explained the simple process he will go through on Friday to patch the injury. He also took time today to defend Richard Dutrow and the sport of Horse Racing, squashing comments that the horses life was being put in jeopardy by running him in the Belmont Stakes.

New York Newsday - Ed McNamara: Big Brown comes through in workout

When it's showtime, Big Brown always comes through. The Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner pleased his connections and about 200 media members and spectators Tuesday in his only official workout for the Belmont Stakes. The superstar colt breezed 5 furlongs in a minute flat for exercise rider Michelle Nevin on a warm, humid morning at Belmont Park......more

Big Brown's cracked left front hoof is improving daily and held up well Tuesday in his final workout before the Belmont Stakes and his bid for the Triple Crown......more

Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay decided that Big Brown did not need a patch on his quarter crack before his workout on Tuesday, but will patch him the morning of the race, Saturday. Big Brown is expected to breeze five furlongs under excersie rider michelle Nevin in his only official Belmont prep workout. McKinlay is very confident that the quarter crack will heal on its own. Dutrow and McKinlay explained that the longer they wait, the better off he will be. "It is in absolutely perfect shape, McKinalay added, "he looks like a million bucks." Presumably, he means to say that Big Brown looks great; this was an excusable and accidental understatement as $1,000,000 would mean Big Brown was at "less than 2%" (he is insured for $50,000,000 and is worth much more).

Blood-Horse - Steve Haskin: Big Brown to Work Tuesday Without Patch

...“I’m going to breeze him just the way he is and give him more time to let Ian (hoof specialist McKinlay) put the patch on the day before the race,” Dutrow said. “The longer we wait the better. As long as he gallops and trains like he did today that’s exactly what we’re going to do......more

The hoof specialist Ian McKinlay says that Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness champ, does not need a patch on the quarter crack on his left front hoof until the morning of the Belmont Stakes. So the trainer Rick Dutrow will give Big Brown his final hard workout Tuesday without it and gallop him into the race confident the colt’s tender hoof is healed......more

Saturday morning, hoof specialist Ian McKinley changed the steel sutres, "drew it down nice and tight", and intensified the iodine and alcohol solution to ward off possible infection. He is confident that Big Brown will be "fabulous" by Monday and ready for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday June 7th.

CNNSI (AP): Big Brown on target for Belmont

A hoof specialist changed the steel sutures in Big Brown's foot Saturday and said the unbeaten colt remains on target for the Belmont Stakes in a bid for the Triple Crown."When you push on it now, he doesn't even feel it," hoof specialist Ian McKinlay said from Belmont Park......more

Big Brown galloped at Belmont Park again on Thursday morning and hoof specialist Ian McKinley, who repaired the quarter crack last Saturday, says that his injury is 70 to 80 percent healed." McKinley felt so good about how he looked that he added "It was beautiful, Now I'm starting to get excited. Just being around him he looks magnificent, like a lion looking over the plains."

International Herald Tribune - AP: Big Brown goes for another gallop, hoof on the mend

Big Brown went for another gallop around Belmont Park on Thursday and remains "right on target" for the Belmont Stakes even though the slight crack in his left front hoof has not completely healed. Nearly a week after the Triple Crown hopeful developed a quarter crack, hoof specialist Ian McKinlay said Big Brown's injury is 70 to 80 percent healed, adding, "the longer we can treat it the better he gets.".....more

On Wednesday morning, for the second day in a row, Big Brown galloped around the 1 1/2 mile Belmont track. He ran comfortably from the mile pole with his ears up. Michelle Nevin, his exercise rider who took him out at 9:10 am said that he was bouncing a bit at the start but settled down and was very good by the end. Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay, who fixed a quarter crack in Big Brown's hoof on Saturday, looked at Big Brown at 6:10 am, but did not need to give him any treatment. He was very pleased with the recovery. He expects to place an acrylic patch on the hoof on friday.

ESPN.com - David Grening (DRF): Big Brown gallops nine furlongs

....Exercise rider Michelle Nevin was aboard for the gallop, which started at 9:10 a.m. Big Brown was accompanied onto the track by a pony before leaving it at the mile pole. Big Brown galloped well out in the center of the track, looking comfortable with his ears up and with Nevin maintaining a stern hold of the reins. "When we went out on the track he was bouncing a little bit; I didn't want him to be too strong or try and do too much, but he was very good," Nevin said. "The first furlong he was a little rough, then he settled right down, slowly relaxed, and let go of the bit.".....more

....“Obviously we’re being cautious, but he is right on track,” hoof specialist Ian McKinlay said. “He is not quick healer, as he has shown with his other injuries.” McKinlay said the area where the colt had abscess has drained and “there is a bit of a hole there, which is the best case scenario. The foot is cleaned out, and both feet had the same temperature, which is what you want to see. When one is warmer than the other is when you have a problem. The skin is drying right out and the horse seems fabulous.”.....more

On Monday, hoof specialist Ian McKinley told the New York Times that Big Brown would be able to resume training on Tuesday, if trainer Rick Dutrow chose to do so.

New York Times - Joe Drape: Big Brown Could Return to Training Regimen Today

....In fact, McKinlay said that Big Brown was free of pain and infection by late Monday afternoon. He said Big Brown could return to training as early as Tuesday, if Dutrow was so inclined. “His feet were ice cold late in the day, and this really doesn’t even qualify as a bump on the road,” McKinlay said in a telephone interview. .....more

This is not Big Brown's repair, but is a great video explanation of what is done. Ian McKinlay, Big Brown's hoof specialist, narrates the explanation of his own procedure from start to finish. It also gives some insight into McKinlay himself and explaining how the process was developed in the 60's (by his father and a dentist by the name of Dr. Harold Fagan). This video is quite worthwhile to watch. McKinlay actually posted it to YouTube.com shortly after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before he would be called in to repair the most famous hoof in racing today.

Positive remarks have come out of the Big Brown camp today regarding Big Brown's recovery from the quarter crack discovered over the weekend. On Monday, a ten minute procedure was performed by specialist Ian McKinlay.

New York Times - Joe Drape: Big Brown Healing

....“This morning we stopped and saw him early and a lot of heat had come out from yesterday, which is an excellent sign,” McKinlay said. “As usual, just a little bit of movement in that heel is enough to warm up the foot. As we look at him here, he is not as sensitive on the coronet band. Now, we just basically made a little trench and got him down to the wall, just about to the laminae; that’s the sensitive part of the hoof. And we put in one set of sutures, which is like stitches, made of stainless steel wire, and we drew that crack together. And probably tomorrow, he’ll be in much better shape. “Of course, Rick will check him first thing in the morning,” McKinlay added. “But everything should just keep progressing. What we’re trying to do is stabilize that heel so we can get quicker healing.”....more

....McKinlay put two stainless steel wires across the five-eighths-of-an-inch vertical crack at the back of Big Brown's left front foot. Then he drew the crack together and stitched it up. He said the horse limped for a few steps -- as Dutrow said, "Ouch, ouch, ouch," -- then was fine.....more

...."There's no way in the world that four, five, six or seven days [off ] the track is going to affect his outcome or his racing ability when he runs in the Belmont," trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said. "He's not going to get tired because he missed a few days.".....more

...The injury is common and not serious. Healing can range from a few days to a few months, depending on the severity of the crack. McKinlay says there is no infection, and Big Brown is in no pain. But no matter how well the crack heals, the big test will come when Big Brown returns to the track for a gallop and puts his full weight on the foot......more