The Ever-Elusive Triple Crown

What was anticipated to be the highlight of the decade turned out to be just another Allowance race camouflaged as a grade1 Stakes race when Big Brown falterd after 7 Furlongs in The Belmont Stakes.

What caused Big Brown to run as poorly as this is something that will be disscused over and over, and no anwser found. These things happen to the best.

The Ever-Elusive Triple Crown notched another defete.

140th Belmont Stakes (gr. I), June 7

Post Horse Jockey Trainer Morning Line
1 Big Brown K. Desormeaux R. Dutrow, Jr. 2-5
2 Guadalcanal J. Castellano F. Seitz 50-1
3 Macho Again G. Gomez D. Stewart 20-1
4 Denis of Cork R. Albarado D. Carroll 12-1
5 Casino Drive E. Prado K. Fujisawa 7-2 ???? Might not run as of Friday
6 Da' Tara A. Garcia N. Zito 30-1
7 Tale of Ekati E. Coa B. Tagg 20-1
8 Anak Nakal J. Leparoux N. Zito 30-1
9 Ready's Echo J. Velazquez T. Pletcher 30-1
10 Icabad Crane Jeremy Rose G. Motion 20-1

Friday was a dampener when it was announced that CASINO DRIVE might not make the gate on Saturday due to a left hind leg problem. Let's hope it's not something serious that prevents him from future races.

This is the latest in the story on Big Brown.
As can be seen in the photo, it is no longer a "small" hairline quarter-crack. this is what it looks like after the blacksmith have opened it up.
To me it looks good and with a patch on it the crack itself should be no problem, BUT the abscess above the crack, right at the coronet band is a bid question mark, is it the source of the crack? Will it flair up with heat from the patch?
Will a bad foot prevent us from seeing history made on Saturday?

Horse Racing is called "The Sport of Kings" both for the people who started it and for the magnificent animals participating in it.

The Triple Crown is and always have been the measuring stick for each generation of thoroughbreds.
The winners of Triple Crown races have been whisked away to the breeding shed after the 3 year old season. The also rans where kept racing as older horses while The Best produced the next generation.
That was all good and the breed kept getting better and better. Then "legal" medications was introduce and individuals that never would have been able to compete at the highest level due to inferior conformation and other ailments(that should have kept them from the breeding shed) all of a sudden was winning important races and there for used in the breeding shed.
Now day's we have a races horse that struggles to race over the Belmont Stakes distance of 1 1/2 miles, that is what makes the Triple Crown so hard to win. Many horses have won the first two legs and faltered in the "test of Stamina".

Big Brown Stats:
Foaling Date: 4-10-2005
Pedigree: Boundary - Mien by Nureyev
Dosage Profile: 4-7-23-2-0
Dosage Index/CD: 1.67 0.36
2007 Record: 1 starts 1-0-0 $37,800

Big Brown almost seams to be a throwback to the "Old Day's", he is a true professional, calm, looks around at his surroundings and shows of his magnificent statue.
This horse has done everything asked of him with an ease that is impressive.
In the Florida derby he over came the outside draw and galloped away from the competition like the were ponies.
In the Kentucky Derby the same outside draw and only 3 starts behind him, it made no difference. He cruised to Victory.
The Preakness showed us he can sit behind horses, relax and go on que, his turn of foot coming of the last turn was that of a turf star and this in a race where the 3/4 quarter went in 1:10.48.
Big Brown looks the part and acts the part of a TC winner. Saturday will tell, do we get to see history made?

Casino Drive Stats:
Foaling Date: 3-7-2005
Pedigree: Mineshaft - Better Than Honour by Deputy Minister
Dosage Profile: 10-6-12-0-0
Dosage Index/CD: 3.67 0.93
2007 Record: unraced

Casino Drive is the royally breed horse from Japan, that has a legacy to live up to that no other horse has had. His 2 older siblings (Jasil and Rags To Riches) have won the last 2 runnings of the Belmont Stakes.
This super specimen of a race horse comes in to the Belmont with only 2 starts and 2 wins, many American experts think this is crazy, the horse needs more experiance, guess what, this horse might just prove them wrong.