Photos are now being posted at ESPN showing that Big Brown, the 3-year-old son of Boundary that took a run at the Triple Crown earlier this year, may have been running with a loose shoe during the Belmont.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=3457690&story=3456907
Rumor of the photos began trickling in earlier in the day. The photos do show a loose left rear shoe. This should not be confused with his already injured left front hoof with the much publicized patch/crack issue.
What kind of an impact this may have had on the colt remains in question, but clearly he didn’t fire his usual race that Saturday in New York. Whether everything can be blamed on the shoe or some combination of the shoe, the heat, the trip that Big Brown received, and perhaps even a bit of heel clipping during the race will likely never be known.
If true that his shoe was loose as it appears in the photos, Big Brown may have been running on a loose nail. Yeah, the thought of that is enough to make you cringe a little bit. Who knows? Perhaps this happened when he seemed to clip heels? The photos are purportedly taken within the first 200 yards of the race.
WIll this mystery ever be solved? Probably not, but does anyone else find it ironic that our bids for Triple Crowns since Affirmed in 1978 have perhaps been foiled by a safety pin (Spectacular Bid in 1978 ) and a nail (Big Brown in 2008)?
Sources:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3456907
http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/45846.htm
Couldn’t be a loose nail, they are glue on shoes, right? Or does he not use the glue on shoes on all four feet?
Hey, I read a recent quote from Desormeaux stating that BB slipped coming out of the gate. Can anyone tell me exactly where this happens on the video you posted? Or does he mean that BB slipped in the gate itself? It looks like BB broke okay, just not as sharply as Da’Tara. I can see BB fighting Desormeaux a bit at about 0:14, but is there anything else before that?
@Michael - I thought the same thing at first, but the photo shows a nail sticking up - and both Dutrow and other IEAH guys have mentioned nails as well. Perhaps he doesn’t wear glue-ons? I’m honestly not very well versed in horse shoes.
@glenvargas - I saw that comment as well but can’t detect it. At around :25 he bumps with Anak Nakal. On the TV replay you could see him possibly clip heels with either Da’ Tara or Tale of Ekati at some point in the early running. Can’t really see it on that youtube replay though.
Wait, it was the jocks fault, no wait it was a bad track, no wait, it was the hot weather that day, no wait it was the starter on the track, no wait, it was….I got it ! a loose shoe!
I believe Big Brown only wears glue ons in the front… the back shoes are the more traditional type.
In the Blood-Horse last week there was an overhead photo of the break, where Big Brown shied at the start. The #2 horse (who’s name escapes me) appeared to either be stepping on Big Brown’s right rear or very nearly doing so. I’m guessing that’s when it happened.
Wait. Isn’t that his RIGHT rear shoe in the picture?
Hmm. What if Guadalcanal really did step on his right rear foot at the start? What if that knocked the shoe loose?
That can do it, with nailed shoes. Glued shoes would just come off entirely, making the horse limp visibly. I’ve ridden a horse that got her heels clipped and it loosened her shoe just marginally; still, we had to have the farrier out the next day.
So the 2 horse was Guadalcanal, huh….I hadn’t had a chance to look that up yet (just got home). Wouldn’t that be something considering that maiden had no business even being in the Belmont.
But Dutrow was also quoted as saying that when they brought him back to the barn, there were no visible problems with his shoes and they saw no soreness or equipment trouble when they checked them out. And this quote was after he saw this new “loose shoe” picture, not before.
it was after the picture? I must have my chronology screwed up. I thought the picture didn’t come out until a few days ago. The story as I thought to understand it (mind you, been stuck at work all day and just got home - haven’t really had a chance to follow closely) was that the shoe was on after the race, but seem to have been displaced a bit.
I do remember them saying that his hooves appeared fine after the race.
You think somebody photoshopped that photo for publicity? You know Dutrow was anxious for an excuse after the Belmont. There’s no way in hell nobody noticed a shoe being that loose.
Damn, Jerry, good point. BB conspiracy theories abound!
…but, didn’t someone suggest that the shoe was improperly reset during the race. Would they still have noticed that too?
A lot of Dutrow comments in this article from Bloodhorse:
http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/45846.htm
Specifically - he claims the hores showed no flinching when the shoe was removed and that the blacksmith had to break out the tools to get it off.
Coincidentally, Dutrow was suspended again today:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/scorecard/othernews.asp?articleID=235521
Come on, Kevin, of course his feet are messed up. I told you the last time I commented that this guy will never be right again. His sperm is worth a million, but him, the horse, is now useless. Of course you will not print this and I do not blame you, but if you would like to correspond, please do not hesitate to email. -Isabella
PS I don’t mind gambling, but can you guys play bingo or something? I hear poker is fun. Har har, just kidding. Bye for now.
You may be right, Izzy. We’ll likely find out after the Haskell which I think is his next race. I know you’re heart is in the right place, even if we disagree on horse racing.
Monmouth’s ad campaign for Haskell:
Big Brown Redemption! RAW! August 3rd! RAW! Million-Dollar Sperm! RAW!
Unfortunately, I think someone else already trademarked that RAW! thing.
[...] Without question this will be the biggest event of Saturday in the horse racing world. “Brownie” is using the Monmouth as a prep for the Breeder’s Cup Classic later this October. Dutrow tells us he’s running better on turf. Still, when last we saw him, the Brownster was all out to catch a longshot in the stretch over the Monmouth dirt in the Haskell. Like he usually does, he found a way to win, but the win was nothing like his Derby and Preakness trials. The return to turf is thought to be softer for his well-publicized feet. [...]
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