Let Dutrow and Big Brown Go

Posted by BarbaraAnne Helberg Jun 13, 2008

Let it go about Richard Dutrow, Jr. and Big Brown. Have a little more Bob Baffert-like sense of humor. You know Baffert, the guy with oodles of major winners, including two Dubai Classic champs, who can't get into the Hall of Fame because he talks too much and trained the wrong types of horses?

Sports Illustrated wonders "What Happened to Big Brown"? What happened is he's a horse, of course, not a programmed robot. How many times do you hear a jockey say about a particular mount, "It wasn't his/her day"?

Well...Da'. The Belmont Stakes wasn't BB's day. After overcoming hoof problems and having no real training since the Preakness, BB immaturely fought his jockey to just...go.

What if Dutrow had been willing to let the eager BB go? Bet BB would've eaten his competition alive, Secretariat-like. That Belmont strategy wasn't logical to anyone. Except BB. Let me go, people!

Had that been the case, critics would be singing BB's praises. Rather than (now) calling him "less than ordinary", they would be saying he's so talented he defies logic.

BB rated in the Derby, and especially hard in the Preakness, then still stole the shows with a brilliant turn of foot when asked. Too eager to cut loose in the Belmont, he ran rank. His first clunker.

If BB were to continue racing and maturing, the only horse in training out there right now who could beat him is Curlin.

Less than ordinary. Like Whirlaway.

Oh...BB had a very loose shoe on his right hind in the Belmont. Da'.