Big Brown (horse)
Big Brown | |
---|---|
Sire | Boundary |
Grandsire | Danzig |
Dam | Mien |
Damsire | Nureyev |
Sex | Colt |
Foaled | 2005 |
Country | United States |
Colour | Bay |
Breeder | Monticule Farms |
Owner | IEAH Stables & Paul Pompa, Jr. |
Trainer | Patrick Reynolds Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. (since fall 2007) |
Record | 5: 6-0-0 |
Earnings | $2,714,500 |
Major wins | |
Florida Derby (2008) American Classic Race wins: Kentucky Derby (2008) Preakness Stakes (2008) | |
Last updated on 14:33, Wednesday September 11 2024 (UTC) |
Big Brown (foaled April 10, 2005 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness Stakes. He had a chance to be the first horse in over thirty years to win the Triple Crown, but he failed to win the final leg, the 2008 Belmont Stakes. Bred by Dr. Gary B. Knapp's Monticule Farms in Lexington, Kentucky,[1] the three-year-old was undefeated in his first five career starts. He was sired by Grade III winner Boundary, a son of North American Champion sire Danzig, who was a son of Northern Dancer. Big Brown's dam was Mien, also a granddaughter of Northern Dancer through her sire, Nureyev.[2]
Big Brown failed today tho LOLZ
Three-year-old campaign
Florida Derby
Unraced for more than six months, Big Brown debuted as a three-year-old with a 12 3⁄4-length win in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park.[3] Entered in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, the colt drew post 12, the outside post. Despite his outside post position, under jockey Kent Desormeaux Big Brown won by five lengths.[4]
134th Kentucky Derby
On May 3, 2008, in his fourth race, the 2008 Kentucky Derby, Big Brown was the 2–1 favorite. He became the first horse since 1929 to win the race from the 20th gate and the first horse since 1915 to win on only three starts,[5] winning by 4 3⁄4 lengths over filly Eight Belles, who would be euthanized after breaking both front ankles during the post-race cool-down.[6] The final time for the 1 1/4 mile race was 2:01:92.[7]
Prior to the Preakness Stakes, Dutrow admitted that he administers stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, to his horses, including Big Brown, on the 15th of every month.[8] Stanozolol is banned in 10 states but not in any of the states where the Triple Crown races are held.[9]
133rd Preakness Stakes
On May 17, 2008, in his fifth race, the 2008 Preakness Stakes, Big Brown came from the seventh gate and won the second leg of the Triple Crown by 5 1⁄4 lengths over Macho Again,[10] becoming the fourth horse to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness while remaining undefeated.[11] Big Brown was the 1–5 favorite entering the race. The final time of the 1 3/16 mile race was 1:54.80.[12]
140th Belmont Stakes
The 2008 Belmont Stakes was run on June 7, 2008, at approximately 6:30 p.m. EDT. The race was won by Da'Tara and Big Brown finished dead last at 9th, ending his run at the Triple Crown.
Hoof twin jinxes
On the Friday following the Preakness, a three-inch quarter crack was discovered on the horse's left front hoof, the same injury that he experienced in both of his front hooves the previous fall.[13] With Dutrow referring to the injury as "just a little hiccup"[14] and with the crack stitched together with steel wire, Big Brown resumed jogging at Belmont the following Tuesday.[15]
Brown is wearing a second set of stainless steel sutures on the inside of his hoof. Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay changed the sutures Saturday and planned to attach an acrylic and fiberglass adhesive (patch) to the hoof. He missed three days of training but his gait and attitude has been unaffected.[16] After the crack was patched, Brown was exercised by rider Michelle Nevin on Sunday and would have his final workout Monday or Tuesday.[17] Ian McKinlay said that Big Brown "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 to breeze 5 furlongs without it and gallop him into the race confident the colt’s tender hoof is healed."[18]
Meanwhile, experts had acknowledged that the biggest threat to his Triple Crown bid loomed around the corner in the form of a Japanese-owned race horse named Casino Drive.[19] A half-brother to Jazil and a three-quarter brother to Rags to Riches, the last two Belmont winners, Casino Drive would also have come into the Belmont undefeated, with a 111⁄2-length victory in his maiden race and a 53⁄4-length win in the Peter Pan Stakes.[20] In response to the looming threat, Dutrow had sent a message to Casino Drive's Japanese supporters, "What all those people in Japan are going to see is that Godzilla is back in town ... When they see Big Brown, they'll know that Godzilla is real."[21]
On June 6, Casino Drive suffered a stone bruise on his left-hind hoof. The hoof was soaked in a tub of Epsom salts and ice water for 20 minutes and dried for an hour. The process was repeated throughout the afternoon.[22][23] On the morning of the Belmont Stakes, noticeably favoring the injured hoof, Casino Drive was scratched from the race due to his injury.
Breeding rights
IEAH Stables and Three Chimneys Farm have agreed to a deal of over $50 million for Big Brown's breeding rights starting in 2009.[24] According to Dutrow, Big Brown's connections are not planning to retire him following the Belmont Stakes, but instead they plan to run the Travers Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Classic.[25]
Pedigree
Sire Boundary |
Danzig | Northern Dancer | Nearctic |
---|---|---|---|
Natalma | |||
Pas De Nom | Admirals Voyage | ||
Petitioner | |||
Edge | Damascus | Sword Dancer | |
Kerala | |||
Ponte Vecchio | Round Table | ||
Terentia | |||
Dam Mien |
Nureyev | Northern Dancer | Nearctic |
Natalma | |||
Special | Forli | ||
Thong | |||
Miasma | Lear Fan | Roberto | |
Wac | |||
Syrian Circle | Damascus | ||
Friendly Circle |
References
- ^ http://www.startribune.com/local/18545619.html
- ^ nytimes.com, Filly’s Death Casts Shadow Over Big Brown’s Derby Victory
- ^ Ky. Derby Trail: Hot Brown on Derby Menu| bloodhorse.com
- ^ Big Brown Huge in Florida Derby Rout| bloodhorse.com
- ^ ESPN - Favorite Big Brown dusts field; runner-up Eight Belles euthanized - Horse Racing
- ^ ESPN - Runner-up Eight Belles breaks front ankles, euthanized on track - Horse Racing
- ^ Big Brown Delivers; Filly Breaks Down Blood Horse, updated May 6, 2008, retrieved on June 6, 2008
- ^ AFP: Big Brown trainer admits giving horse steroids: report
- ^ AFP: Big Brown trainer admits giving horse steroids: report
- ^ Big Brown one step closer to Triple Crown after Preakness romp - Thoroughbred Times
- ^ WPRI 12 - Eyewitness News |Big Brown wins again
- ^ Big Brown one step closer to Triple Crown after Preakness romp - Thoroughbred Times
- ^ Big Brown's hoof injury crimps Triple Crown plans
- ^ Big Brown OK after hoof repair - Equestrian, Churchill Downs, Belmont Stakes - chicagotribune.com
- ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Other Sports
- ^ houmatoday.com, Patching up Big Brown's cracked front hoof
- ^ www.courier-journal.com, Big Brown's hoof to get a checkup
- ^ therail.blogs.nytimes.com, Big Brown Doesn’t Need Patch Until Race
- ^ Can Casino Drive derail Big Brown's 'Crown' bid? - Injuries, Preakness Stakes, Philadelphia 76ers - Newsday.com
- ^ Casino Drive could be an obstacle for Big Brown's Triple Crown hopes - Los Angeles Times
- ^ The Preakness? It'll be a piece of cake, babe | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal
- ^ pennlive.com, Foe's bruise may aid Big Brown
- ^ nydailynews.com, Casino Drive has bruised hoof, but is still on track for Belmont
- ^ Big Brown to Three Chimneys | bloodhorse.com
- ^ SalisburyPost.com - Sports - Briefs: Trainer has big plans for Triple Crown threat Big Brown
External links
- 2008 Kentucky Derby video
- 2008 Preakness video
- Big Brown's pedigree and partial racing stats
- Bloodhorse.com article on Big Brown's win in the Florida Derby
- A Daily Blog of events surrounding Big Brown
- Thorough Time-line of Big Brown's Life and Career - constantly being updated with news, videos, commentaries
- Pictures and Commentary from various points in Big Brown's career
- Big Brown AlexBrownRacing