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Showing posts with label Triple Crown Races. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Triple Crown Races. Show all posts
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.
"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
Today is the day we have been waiting for. 278 days ago he blew away a maiden field at Saratoga and today Big Brown will try and win for the sixth straight time and become Horse Racing's twelfth Triple Crown Winner. He would be the first to do it since Affirmed accomplished the feat 30 years ago. Casino Drive, Big Brown's biggest rival, now has a bruised hoof and not many are giving the other eight contenders a chance. Post time is at 6:25pm in New York and it will be broadcast live on ABC (coverage staring at 5pm ET).
OK, Big Brown. It's time for the big date with history. All the obstacles in the colt's spectacular bid for the first Triple Crown in 30 years are fading faster than the pack in his Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes victories. Big Brown's quarter crack is patched and the sturdy hoof that helped him stampede to an undefeated record is as strong as ever. Big Brown's biggest challenger is injured with a suspect hind hoof, leaving mostly longshots in a lackluster field. Up ahead, the chance to knock off Affirmed from his spot as the sport's last Triple Crown winner......more
Holding out on this one for a few weeks, but today is the day to post it:
Richard Dutrow has had a lot to say since the spotlight has been cast on him and Big Brown. As opposed to trainers of past Triple Crown quests, he seems to be thriving in the spotlight.
Not every trainer likes the Triple Crown spotlight. In 2000, the non-racing media's silly questions annoyed Neil Drysdale, who seemed relieved when Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus was upset in the Preakness. Three years later, the five-week media blitz over Funny Cide made Barclay Tagg cranky.....more
Here is AP video from today as Dutrow talks about Big Brown, how he feels and that he intends to run through the Travers (even if Michael Iavarone may be telling him not to say that):
Meanwhile Big Brown is laid-back and cool according to Dutrow:
"When you put the bridle on him and start taking him over, he looks like he's sleepy, not interested at all," Dutrow said. Meet the Muhammad Ali of racing. Rope-a-dope on four legs. "I don't know if I've ever been around a horse like him, he is just so amazing how much he is laid-back and doesn't get excited about anything,".....more
As most expected, Big Brown made easy work of the Preakness field and is one step closer to a Triple Crown. He won by 5 1/4 lengths as a 1-5 favorite in front of 112,000 fans at Pimlico. Connections were very happy with how he raced and how little he needed to use up as the Belmont looms three weeks away. Casino Drive and other fresher horses will certainly bring challenge and Drama to the effort.
Big Brown powered to the lead turning for home and then sailed through the stretch to win the Preakness, still perfect and squarely pointed down the path toward thoroughbred racing's first Triple Crown in 30 years.....more
....Big Brown, the overwhelming favorite ridden by Kent Desormeaux, grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch and easily drew away from the field for his fifth career triumph."Unlike in the Kentucky Derby where I had to start knuckling on him to get him to go get the leaders, today I was slowing him down not to pass the leaders," said Desormeaux."It was really a dramatic change from two weeks ago in the Kentucky Derby.".....more
...With the victory, the powerful bay colt becomes the 30th horse in thoroughbred history to head to the Belmont Stakes with the elusive Triple Crown in his sights. Only eleven have captured all three of horse racing’s jewels -- the last was Affirmed in 1978.....more
Big Brown has notched the first victory of the elusive Triple Crown with a convincing 4 3/4 length Kentucky Derby win. The win was worth $1,451,800 in earnings, helping him eclipse the $2 million mark in just his 4th career start. He was wide and clear for most of the race. Heading into the final turn, Big Brown got into gear and pulled away easily.
United Parcel Service has never made a delivery like Big Brown delivered May 3 at Churchill Downs, romping home by nearly five lengths to remain unbeaten in four starts with a scintillating win in the $2,211,800 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).....more
Once again, as in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, it looked like an eight-legged, two-headed horse charging down the stretch at the 1978 Belmont Stakes. It was Affirmed and Alydar going at it again. Few horses have been linked the way these two were, and are. Think of one and the other instantly comes to mind, one name following the other as comfortably as jelly follows peanut butter. .....more
1978 Preakness chart notes: AFFIRMED, taken under light restraint after breaking alertly, quickly joined TRACK REWARD from the outside, gained the advantage leaving the first turn, made the pace under clever rating, responded gamely to rousing when challenged by ALYDAR in the upper stretch and turned back that rival under brisk handling. ALYDAR, under restraint and allowed to settle early, advanced willingly outside of horses in backsretch, engaged AFFIRMED well out from the rail approacking the stretch to nearly reach even terms then couldn't get to that rival when set down in a steady drive......more
1978 Kentucky Derby chart notes: AFFIRMED away alertly but held in reserve for six furlongs, moved up boldly along outside thereafter to take command on second turn, relinquished the lead momentarily a quarter mile out but responded to a rousing ride to regain command in upper stretch and was fully extended to hold ALYDAR safe. The latter, under snug restraint early, commenced to advance from the outside after six furlongs, continued wide in the stretch, swerved to bump with BELIEVE IT in closing sixteenth and finished strongly when straightened. .....more
....In a matter of a few strides on the far turn, Slew exploded away from the field. He opened at least four lengths, for good measure. Run Dusty Run and Sanhedrin tried as hard as they could but simply could not make up any ground. Run Dusty Run deserves special mention for falling behind Sanhedrin and then coming back again to pass him in the stretch showing his courage in an all-out effort. He was a wonderful racehorse that would've made a lot of noise had he been fortunate enough to not have to face Seattle Slew in the classics. Slew completed the race in 2:29 3/5.......more
....Seattle Slew accelerated to join, pass, and move away from Cormorant halfway through the final bend. His time for the mile was 1:34 4/5, the fastest ever run by any horse in the Preakness. And he kept going, coming home without pressure and being eased by Cruguet in the final 100 yards to finish 1 and ½ lengths in front. Iron Constitution closed to be second......more
....Slew drew off by 4 lengths in mid-stretch. He was eased the final sixteenth of a mile and finished 1 and ¾ lengths ahead of Run Dusty Run. Sanhedrin would finish third. "Seattle Slew was the most deserving winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby," declared the late Louisville newspaperman Mike Barry, who was present for all but four of the Churchill Downs classic races from 1922 through 1991. "In all the Derbies I've seen, I never saw a horse have as much trouble as Seattle Slew had and still win the race."......more
....His long stride carried him to the finish by an ever-increasing margin in poetic rhythm. And when the wire was reached, the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes won and the ninth Triple Crown in racing history earned, the closest competitor—if he can be so called—was 31 lengths to the rear......more
....The numbers 31 and 2:24 merely trigger the REAL memory of a horse running as no horse had ever seemed to run before or since.Secretariat ran more powerfully, and with more fluid skill than one could ever hope from a horse. And humans hope for much from horses. To feel the glory of Secretariat's Belmont is to be flooded with emotion of having seen something of true wonder......more
....Secretariat's Derby act seemed nearly impossible to follow, but his Preakness was no letdown. True, he broke no track record as he had at Churchill Downs, but he was sensational enough. ......more
Secretariat's victory in the Preakness was every bit as impressive as his Derby victory, but accomplished in a spectacularly different way. Instead of waiting, and then asking his horse to make one long, sustained drive for the finish, as he had in the Derby, jockey Ron Turcotte surprised a record Preakness crowd with a sudden, lightening move from last to first to seize the lead early in the race. ......more
....Before the largest crowd to see a horse race in this country (a squirming, screaming and sweating 134,476), Secretariat threw a 23-second final quarter at his "grudge" rival Sham and won the 99th Kentucky Derby in the track-record time of 1:59 2/5. Crossing the finish line, the magnificent chestnut drew a roar of approval.......more
As Secretariat passed Sham in the stretch, thousands screamed their lungs out at the track, and millions more TV viewers cheered at home. Radio man Cawood Ledford called the race on a national radio network, reaching around the world through the United States Armed Forces Radio. He chanted the simple words that The Big Red Horse¹s millions of fans were waiting to hear: "It's SECRETARIAT! And he's got his Kentucky Derby!"......more
Here is some things gathered about the Failed Triple Crown attempts of the last 30 years. This is meant to indicate how hard it is to accomplish and how impressive it would be if Big Brown does succeed.
2004 - Smarty Jones - 2nd at Belmont (spoiler - Birdstone)
VIDEOS: Spectacular Bid in 1979:
Spectacular Bid losing the 1979 Belmont Stakes:
Pleasant Colony in 1981:
Pleasant Colony losing the 1981 Belmont Stakes to Summing:
1987 - Alysheba vs Bet Twice (spoiler) and 1989 - Sunday Silence vs Easy Goer (spoiler)
Alysheba losing the 1987 Belmont Stakes to Bet Twice:
Sunday Silence losing the 1989 Belmont Stakes to Easy Goer:
Silver Charm losing the 1997 Belmont Stakes to Touch Gold:
Real Quiet (and Kent Desormeaux) losing the 1998 Belmont Stakes to Victory Gallop (did Desormeaux move to early?) - One of the great (or most heart-breaking) finishes of all-time:
Charismatic losing the 1999 Belmont Stakes to Lemon Drop Kid:
War Emblem losing the 2002 Belmont Stakes:
Funny Cide losing to Empire Maker in 2003 Belmont Stakes:
Jan-Feb 2007: Big Brown develops a quartercrack in his other foot and is forced to miss more time, jeopardizing a try at the Triple Crown
Dec 22, 2007: With the quartercrack fixed, Big Brown breezes six furlongs on the dirt at Palm Meadows in 1:13 3/5, outworking Diamond Stripes and giving Dutrow great hope for the 3-year old season
Oct-Dec 2007: Big Brown joins stable of Trainer Rick Dutrow, who breezes the colt on the turf in preparation for Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, but he is sidelined with a quartercrack in his foot
Sept, 2007: 75% stake of Big Brown purchased in a private sale for around $3.5 million by IEAH Stables
Sept 3, 2007: Big Brown wins debut by 11 1/4 lengths as a 15/1 longshot on the turf at Saratoga
Apr-Sept 2007: Owner Paul Pompa Jr names Big Brown as a celebration of the contract Renewal between UPS Freight and his Brooklyn-based trucking company, Truck-Rite Corp.
April 17, 2007: Big Brown Purchased at Keenland Auction for $190,000 by Paul Pompa Jr., who had owned half-brother Snake River for one race.
Oct 24, 2006: Big Brown Purchased at Faisig Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale for $60,000.
April 10, 2005: Bay Colt Big Brown foaled
2004: for a sire fee of $10,000 Boundary is bred in Kentucky by Dr. Gary B Knapp's Monticule Farms to a broodmare named Mien
