Big Brown Has Crucial Five-Furlong Workout

Trainer Rick Dutrow remains confident of victory

A Column by Steve Davidowitz
June 4, 2008

With tightly wound athletic bandages on all four of his feet and extra protection for his healing quarter crack, Big Brown worked a good five furlongs at Belmont Park in 1:00.03 on Tuesday morning without incident, jogging back to trainer Rick Dutrow no worse for the wear.

The five-furlong drill, probably the most important of Big Brown's undefeated career, certified his relative fitness for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes on Saturday, a race in which he will attempt to complete the first Triple Crown sweep in 30 years.

"He looked good and he ran as well as I hoped he would," said a relieved trainer Rick Dutrow after the crucial training drill. "He passed another hurdle and all he will do now is walk (on Wednesday), jog (on Thursday), gallop (on Friday), and race (on Saturday)."

Well, not quite.

On Friday, June 7th, equine hoof specialist Ian McKinlay will cleanse the area of Big Brown's left front hoof where a 3/4-inch crack in the hoof wall surfaced on Friday, May 23rd. McKinlay will then apply a fiberglass patch to seal the open area that has been allowed to drain since McKinlay began his specialized treatment to stop a mild infection before it could flare into a major setback. While the trainer, jockey and veterinarian are usually the three most important people connected to any racehorse, hoof expert Ian McKinlay has saved the day for Big Brown's imminent Triple Crown bid.

"I don't see how any horse can beat him," Dutrow said before and after the colt won the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

"The only horse who can beat Big Brown is himself," Dutrow said when the quarter crack first flared up.

Now, after nearly two weeks of nursing the colt through his physical issue and watching him work on Tuesday, Dutrow's confidence has been completely restored.

While the actual clockings are not really important, they did show a horse capable of handling the stress of near racing speed - this while the metallic sutures were still in place, three days before the final fiberglass patch is to be applied.

Under light restrain from regular exercise rider Michelle Nevin, Big Brown went the first quarter in 23.60, three furlongs in 35.20 and crossed the wire in 1:00.03 for the five furlongs, galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.40.

"I feel as good as I can possibly feel about Big Brown," Dutrow said with considerable emotion. "I feel very good. . . . I was not expecting to see anything other than what we saw, but still, you've got to go through it. We jumped over a big hurdle today and I feel very good."

Be a part of horse racing history. Bet on the Belmont Stakes now!

Post positions for the 140th running of the Belmont stakes were drawn 11:00 a.m. EDT Wednesday morning and here is the field of 10 along with their strongest credentials.

* The 140th running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes (G1), 1 1/2 miles for 3-year-olds, all to carry 126 pounds. Post time: 6:25 p.m. EDT. Television coverage: ABC.

#1 Big Brown
Undefeated winner of five races, with triple digit Beyer Speed Figures in all starts, including sensational victories in the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Obviously the heavy favorite to do what 10 potential Triple Crown winners could not since Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown winner in 1978. Among Big Brown's chief attributes are his calm disposition, his ability to show strong early or late speed and the confidence of his trainer and jockey who have made no mistakes with him to date.

#2 Guadalcanal
A maiden trained by Fred Seitz who finished second in a 1-1/2 mile race for non-winners at Churchill Downs on May 23rd. A very ambitious placement, to say the least.

#3 Macho Again
Winner of the 7 1/2-furlong Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs on April 26th, this one ran a very good second despite traffic problems in the Preakness to earn a legitimate spot in this Belmont.

#4 Denis of Cork
Impressive winner of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn before he skipped a race at that track and then ran well below par in the Illinois Derby turned in a respectable third in the Kentucky Derby to rejuvenate his standing among the better class 3-year-olds this year. Has only five career starts - just like Big Brown - and has trained aggressively at Churchill Downs since the Derby for his Belmont Stakes bid.

#5 Casino Drive
Remarkably, the third straight foal of the great mare Better Than Honor to seek victory in the Belmont Stakes! The other two were Jazil, winner of the 2006 Belmont, and the filly Rags to Riches, who narrowly defeated Preakness winner Curlin in last year's Belmont. Winner of his maiden debut in Japan earlier this year and smooth winner of the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont on May 10th (with a triple digit Beyer Speed Figure), Casino Drive is likely to be the second betting choice in this historic race.

#6 Da' Tara
Also trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito - and likely to be the longest price in the Belmont Stakes field - most recently finished third in the Barbaro Stakes at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard.

#7 Tale of Ekati
Also a promising juvenile in 2007, was slightly disappointing during the winter prep season until he gamely won the Wood Memorial over Juvenile Champion War Pass after tracking that one's torrid pace for nearly a mile. More recently finished a fair fourth in the Kentucky Derby after a tough start from an inside post position in the bulky field. Training well for Barclay Tagg, who lost his own Triple Crown bid when Empire Maker defeated Derby–Preakness winner Funny Cide in the 2003 Belmont. Pending tactical decisions on race day, Tale of Ekati could be the pace setter in the 12-furlong Belmont.

Check out all your Belmont Stakes betting lines at Bodog Racebook!

#8 Anak Nakal
Won a graded stakes last fall and disappointed in graded stakes this year, nevertheless ran seventh in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby and is trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito, who upset Smarty Jones' Triple Crown bid with Birdstone in the 2004 Belmont Stakes.

#9 Ready's Echo
A promising 2-year-old in 2007, this Todd Pletcher trainee is likely to be a graded stakes winner this year. Finished a respectable but non-threatening third in the Peter Pan won by Casino Drive.

#10 Icabad Crane
Maryland-based winner of the Federico Tesio stakes earned his place in this historic contest by finishing well for third in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness despite some traffic problems on the final turn.

Reminder: Dave Tuley and I will post our independent handicapping analysis of the Belmont Stakes on Thursday in a "Face Off" on this site.

Zenyatta, Smooth Air, Heatseeker Win Important Stakes

Hollywood Park, Saturday, May 31st

* The $175,000 Milady Handicap (G2), 1 1/8 miles for fillies and mares 3 years old and up.

Fractional Splits: 24.74. .48.18. .1: 11.70. .1:35.20. . .
1:41.17
Winning Beyer Speed Figure: 103

The 4-year-old filly Zenyatta won her fifth straight without a defeat as impressively as any horse this side of Big Brown has won a race this year. Spotting the field a few lengths and front running G1 winner Romance is Diane a soft easy pace, Zenyatta motored past the field with effortless acceleration to reaffirm her status as the best older filly in America. Fact is, she ran each fractional split faster from start to finish, a rare feat at any level of Thoroughbred competition. Charting her progress, Zenyatta went in approximate fractions of 25.60, 23.40, 23.20, 23.00 before finishing up her final 1/16 miles in a very sharp 5.97. Santa Terisita rallied somewhat for a non-threatening second, while front runner Romance is Diane faded badly to fourth, more than 13 lengths behind the winner.

* The $250,000 Californian Stakes (G2), 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds and up.

Fractional Splits: 24.72. .48.15. .1:11.68. .1:35.25. . .
1:47.06
- Relatively slow first half mile, with faster than par fractions through the final five furlongs.
Winning Beyer Speed Figure: 109
- A few lengths above par for a G2 race, to once again reconfirm Heatseeker's status as a legit G1 horse.

Heatseeker, winner of the G1 Santa Anita Handicap in March and a sharp second to Tiago in the G2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 5th, moved past Surf Cat under a smart ride by Rafael Bejarano to take the lead along the rail on the backstretch, and he simply outran the field from there to the wire. Tiago, never in the contest, did rally for a distant second-place finish that was determined by Bejarano's tactical decision. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer certainly has done Hall of Fame caliber work with this late developing 5-year-old whose first stakes win was last December. Surf Cat, displaced on the lead by the winner halfway through the contest, did hold on to third over a disappointing Albertus Maximus. Presumed to be the logical front running threat in this compact field, Albertus Maximus never made a serious bid despite the slow pace and having won a relatively fast allowance race over the track on April 23rd.

Thistledown Racetrack (near Cleveland, Ohio), Saturday, May 31st

* The $300,000 Ohio Derby (G2), 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds.

Fractional Splits: 22.52. .46.34. .1:11.44. .1:37.52. . .
1:50.26
- All fractions were above par except for the third quarter (26.08), which was a few lengths slower than par.
Winning Beyer Speed Figure: 102
- Perhaps a length faster than par for a G2 race for 3-year-olds at this distance in late May.

Smooth Air had some physical issues that interfered with his training for the Kentucky Derby, where he broke poorly and finished 11th. While he started out the year as a confirmed sprinter, veteran trainer Bernie Stutts, Jr. applied a series of long, strong workouts to make him into a legit nine-furlong horse. In this race, Smooth Air was energetically ridden by Florida-based Manoel Cruz, stalking a relatively fast pace, taking over in the upper stretch and finishing the job with a four-length win over lightly raced maiden winner Cherokee Artist. Experienced stakes performer Z Fortune was a non-threatening third as the 3-2 betting favorite. Cherokee Artist, making his third lifetime start, and his first since his Derby Day maiden victory at Churchill Downs, ran well enough for second and certainly has room for improvement.

Steve Davidowitz has written two highly acclaimed books on Thoroughbred racing---Betting Thoroughbreds and The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing. He also is a regular contributor to Daily Racing Form's Simulcast Weekly and DRF Plus and his columns appear in the Bodog Racebook each week.