Now that it’s official and Big Brown has a tremendous chance to enter the history books as the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years (since Affirmed in 1978), the controversy has reached fever pitch amongst horse racing’s faithful. On one side stand the folks who desperately wish to see him prevail - like a great boxer unifying the heavyweight belts. On the other side stand the folks who desperately want to see someone, anyone, defeat the colt and upset his bid for the title.
Admittedly, I’ve been back and forth between both camps as the year has progressed. I ranked him as the #1 colt on the Derby trail immediately following his win in the Florida Derby back in March, and left him there all the way through to Derby week. Then, for some reason I’ll never quite fully fathom – likely a bad case of “I know – let’s play beat the favorite!” – I decided to officially pick against him in the Derby even though I knew he was the best horse of the field. Big mistake. I knew he was the only shot we had for a Triple Crown winner in the field, but figured I’d take one stand against him and see how he responded to the challenge of being drawn 20 wide. We all know what happened next. I’ve commented a few times (quietly, since I don’t wish to rile people up, and comments like this always seem to) that he looked a lot like Barbaro to me in that Derby.
Heading into Preakness week, I had decided I was back on the colt’s bandwagon. I wanted to be a part of history and to come see a colt challenge for a Triple Crown. What I saw left my jaw firmly dropped to the floor. I want to be clear about this before I go any further – my support of Big Brown does not reach the insanity levels of some. I think he’s a fantastic colt, and it’s clear now that he’s head and shoulders above the rest of the crop he’s faced. We threw the 12 hole at him in the Florida Derby and it couldn’t phase him. We saw him face the 20 hole in the Derby and he ran ‘em off the track. We saw him travel to Pimlico on 2 weeks rest and he looked like he could’ve won by 10 lengths if he wanted to.
What I think we have to be cognisant of when talking about Big Brown, is that while he’s run into what appears to be a very weak overall field of 3-year-olds, and it doesn’t look like we’ll get to see anyone look him in the eye and make him “earn it” in the stretch, the colt has overcome every obstacle he’s faced in brilliant fashion. WIth this in mind, I’ve decided that I”m not going to knock the colt for what he can’t control. I’m not going to diminish his greatness by clamoring on about what he hasn’t faced. It would be easy to do so. After all, the folks who question the competition he’s faced are right. Instead, I’m just going to give him credit for that which he has accomplished – which come three Saturdays from now could be the first occurrence of a Triple Crown winner since the first month of my existence.
This doesn’t mean to suggest that I don’t want to see a great race. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’d be tickled pink (wait…did I really just say that? tickled pink???) to see Casino Drive turn in a thrilling stretch run, or to see one of the other colts step up and make a name for himself. Even so, I’d be all the more happy to see Big Brown do what he always does – win the race.
Perhaps there’s a part of me that thinks our sport desperately needs the excitement of a Triple Crown. Overall interest in the sport is at an all-time low. Great tracks around the country are closing or are threatening to cease operation wherever you look. Even my beloved Pimlico has a real shot of someday soon losing the Preakness. Such an outcome is painful for me to even consider. I simply can’t imagine a May in Maryland without a Preakness. Add to this the black-eye the sport took publicly with the tragic death of Eight Belles in the Derby, and we had reached something well beyond critical mass.
Even at the Preakness on Saturday, you could feel that everyone was still suffering from something like a punch in the stomach. The cheering was a bit reserved. The betting lines not quite as long. The euphoria of years past severely blunted by recent events. The rains on Black Eyed Susan day seemed like some sort of manifestation of the outlook of racing fans around the nation. Everything seemed doom and gloom.
But then something changed. Saturday dawned and the sun radiated high in the Baltimore sky. When the moment for the big race came, you could feel the excitement in the air. The magic was back. The minute Big Brown made his move and it was clear that Gayego was beginning to back out of the race, an energy swept the crowd and quickly filled the void that so desperately needed filling. Suddenly people remembered what the game was all about. They remembered just what it was they had come hoping to see. They were within sight of greatness.
How often can we really say that in our lives? How often are we truly blessed by being able to observe such greatness? Sure, he’s no Secretariat or Cigar – heck, he’s probably not even close to Curlin, but we were seeing a performance by an athlete that looked so transfixingly powerful, so magnificent, and so glorious in his strides that you couldn’t possibly turn away.
In the moments immediately following the race, folks in the crowd started turning to one another. Stranger to stranger. Horse racing fan to horse racing fan. A certain child like giddiness filled their voices. “Did we just see a Triple Crown winner?” The question passed from mouth to mouth among those tightly huddled together. People knew they had just witnessed something special – and that years from now (especially if droughts like the past 30 years repeat themselves) they would be able to tell folks they saw a Triple Crown winner in one of his finest moments.
Of course, anything can happen a few weeks from now at Belmont. The distance will once again be a concern, going a full mile and 1/2, including a stretch that has seen a laundry list of magnificent horses go down to defeat. Real Quiet losing by a nose in 1998. Charismatic breaking his leg with a furlong to go in 1999. War Emblem, Funny Cide, and Smarty Jones all coming within inches between 2002 and 2004. Even my beloved Curlin knew defeat last year in the stretch to the filly Rags to Riches. It’s a daunting stretch that has seen countless dreams disappear like so much smoke.
There’s certainly no guarantee that this year will be any different, but for what it’s worth I”ll be throwing my voice out in support of Big Brown as the field turns for home. I’m sick of the drought. I’m tired of the insignificance the sport has garnered in recent years. I’m not saying a Triple Crown win by BIg Brown will be a cure-all for the sport (in fact, beyond a temporary TV ratings boost if the media hype is successful, it probably won’t fix anything at all), but at least for a moment the entire world will be watching. If all goes to plan a lightly raced colt named BIg Brown will deliver thoroughbred racing to the promised land where it once thrived, showing all where greatness truly lives. It’s right here in the heart of every racing fan. It’s in the majestic horses themselves, and it’s in the eyes of those who stand in awe when they recognize that greatness in front of them. That’s what this game’s all about to me. And that’s why I’ll be cheering Big Brown home three weeks from now in the Belmont.
Who’s with me?
Big Brown is a very special horse!!!
We are truly blessed to have Curlin and Big Brown 1 yr apart….
The Triple Crown is upon us…….
Do you remember Lance Armstrong in 2001, while he was battling
his main opponent neck to neck up a big mountain; then all of a sudden
Armstrong took off, he then looked back to see if he was coming—not–Armstrong surged to victory by huge margin…
Well, when Big Brown and Casino drive hook up, Kent will push the button
and then give” the look”
And then proceed to racing’s immortality….
Winning the Triple Crown over lackluster competition, then not running against Curlin would be kind of sickening. If I was sure he’d run against Curlin sometime this year, I’d be pulling for him in the Belmont. Then again, maybe I’m really just pulling for Curlin. I’d LOVE to see him knock off an undefeated Triple Crown winner. I bet Curlin, Afleet Alex, and Smarty Jones to win in all three legs of the Triple Crown and just feel like they were as good or better than Big Brown. It’s almost not fair for him to receive the glory that should have been theirs (and mine!)
FYI thought this might be relevant, or at least amusing:
http://candykirby.com/2008/05/19/headline-pairing-of-the-day/
Well, I guess I’ve been with you since before the Derby, Kevin. I also have a feeling horse racing will see an inexplicable resurgence anyway, but most people will attribute it to Big Brown if he wins the Crown. BB is just incredibly fortunate to have been born in 2005. He’s faced a weak field (which casual observers either won’t notice or care about), and he’s come along at a time of desperate need. Okay, he isn’t Secretariat, but no one doubts the symbolic gravity of a Big Brown win in the Belmont. Why so many nay-sayers? And, why do we have to apologize at all to root for something America hasn’t had the privilege of seeing for 30 years?
[...] time he’s really put together something exceptionally touching in his recent entry “Why I’m Backing Big Brown.” That’s an amazing feat in a sport populated almost completely by cynics and crotchety [...]
I AM DEFINITELY WITH YOU!!! God bless Big Brown and keep him healthy!!!
And YES, PLEASE let him win the Triple Crown!!!
What a thrill it was to see him in action in the Preakness!!!
How exciting it must have been for little Jacob Desormeaux. I want the little guy to have the opportunity to watch his father make history by winning with Big Brown in the Belmont!!!
To have a day that will live in vivid color in his memory long after his sight has gone.
Horse racing isn’t about the money at all honestly, it’s about the HORSES.
Growing up in the Tri-state area, and having worked at a harness horse farm, I have seen too many people treat their horses like trash and push them to the limit to try to cash in. That’s not what it’s all about.
Horses are athletes and if you are lucky enough to see one like Big Brown on the track doing what he does best because he LOVES IT and he WANTS to do it, it’s simply awesome.
To witness history in the making watching two of these beautiful creatures in a battle in the stretch is breathtaking. And when one of them wins the Triple Crown, consider it a gift from God himself!
I will be watching the Belmont and cheering for Big Brown – watching a simple, yet awesome creature bring people together by doing something no human can.
big brown is a decent horse in a very bad group. if point given or fugi were in here he would be 0-2 in the triple crown series
its a shame most of the triple winners have had good foes. i read somewhere that if brown had been running with secretatriat he would have lost derby by 12 and baltimore by 6. thats worse than the mariners playing the baltimore baseball team.
he will win belmont and be the worst of the 12 to do so. so be it.
I will be rooting for Big Brown, but just don’t see him beating Casino Drive on June 7th.
1) Casino Drive, is a half brother to the last two Belmont Stakes winners. Jazil and Rags to Riches(Philly!).
2) Casino Drive 1-1 at Belmont with 101 Beyer shipping from Japan.
3) Casino Drive will be so much fresher by skipping the Derby and Preakness and prepping with a 5 3/4 length win in the Peter Pan.
@Greg- that’s how I see it as well. Kent’s been close before and had it slip through his fingers. I’m guessing he’ll ride Big Brown perfectly in the Belmont and bring home the crown! Plus, this year it seems all the more special for him what with his child’s condition and all.
@Jerry – I feel ya’, bro. That’s actually why I think I was against him in the Derby, and then when he won and started getting super-star status heaved upon him, I actually found myself getting a little jealous – on behalf of Curlin! I’ve decided not to hold that against Big Brown though. I’m just going to let Big Brown be Big Brown and resist the urge to compare him to other Triple Crown contenders. I still like Smarty and Curlin much better – but I’m done with holding things against Big Brown. I feel like I haven’t been fair to him, and that he’s earned more respect from me than I’ve been willing to show previously.
@Raincoaster – now that made my day! Sorry that was somehow in my spam filter at first. My Akismet filter has been going bonkers lately and I’ve been having to fish comments out left and right.
@Glenvargas – well said, as for why we have to apologize – well, we happen to be fans of the sport with the most opinionated fanbase on earth. I don’t mind it – it comes with the territory. Hell, that’s what I love about talking to horseplayers – they seldom shy from sharing a passionate opinion.
@Christine – first and foremost, I noticed you were U.S. Army in your IP address – may Ijust say thank you for service. Your post sent chills up my spine. I hope you’ll stop bye more often and chime in with your views.
@Gerald – hey now….we’ve got O’s fans here (myself included).
I know what you mean. It is kind of like watching the Harlem Globetrotters take on the Washington Generals. But, even with that analogy, did the Generals’ putridness take anything away from the greatness of the Globetrotters?
@ Shelton – come on Scott!!!! Where’s that negativity coming from? Yeah, Casino Drive’s been pointing to this for a long time and is the obvious contender, but I just have this gut feeling that Big Brown’s going to write a happy ending to this story. Hey, remember last year on the day after the Derby when we talked, I promised you that Curlin would win the Preakness and prove he was the better horse? Well this is my promise for this year – Big Brown’s going to get it done.
I will be rooting for Big Brown, but just know its going to happen to us again. Hope you are correct! I really hate seeing horses that skip the Derby and Preakness run in the Belmont. Should be a rule you have to race in Derby or Preakness to run in Belmont Stakes. We will call it the “have some stones rule”!
I’ll probably puke all over myself in front of thousands of people if he gets beat. God knows I was screaming for your “stones” rule when Rags beat Curlin last year – but hey, that’s what makes the Triple Crown so special.
Of course, I’m breaking my longstanding rule of playing longshots in the Belmont, but I guess I really broke that last year when I played Curlin on top in all my vertical bets – then saw Rags in the post parade and thought “oh my dear god – she looks amazing!!!” We threw a quick $20 to win on her right as they went to post. To this day I feel that my blasphemy was somehow responsible for Curlin getting beat by a nose.
WELL! Guess I’m with ya too, K! Great inspiring post.
Kevin, I’m really impressed with Big Brown and think he’s the only horse in the world with a shot to beat Curlin -I just hope he doesn’t. I’m really glad for the excitement and anticipation he’s brought to the sport this year despite the overall lack of talent out there. I was totally against him at first, but now if he wins the Belmont, I’ll be happy to see him do it -just as long as I don’t end up betting another horse for some reason.
Comparing his times and speed figures to Secretariat is nonsense when this horse won totally wrapped up way before the wire by Kent in the Preakness. While most people think he had a nice trip in the Derby, they aren’t considering the rediculous amount of ground he lost going four wide around both turns. He’s something special.
Yes!!!! Jerry’s on board – we’ve got the mojo workin’ here. C’mon people, hop on the Big Brown Express! Good to see you too, Houseonahill!
I know we’ve got more out there.
[...] I did, and now I’m seriously starting to regret having done so. [...]
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