He’s baaaaaaaaaaack. Big Brown, the impressive 3-year-old son of Boundary who took the horse racing world by storm with his victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before ultimately pulling up in his bid for a triple crown in the Belmont Stakes returns this Saturday to Monmouth Park. Big Brown will compete in the first ever $500,000 Monmouth Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward going 1 1/8 miles over the Monmouth turf.
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.
The field for the Monmouth Stakes set up as follows (note: odds not available as of this writing)
- Nightscape (4yo) - Emilio Flores - 119
- Hotstufanthensome (8yo) - Jose Lezcano - 119
- Shakis (8yo) - Joe Bravo - 121
- Big Brown (3yo) - Kent Desormeaux - 120
- Kiss the Kid (5yo) - Elvis Trujillo - 119
- Proudinsky (5yo) - Ramon Dominguez - 119
- Drum Major (6yo) - Kendrick Carmouche - 119
- Get Serious (4yo) - Pablo Fragosa - 119
- Fagedaboudit Sal (5yo) - Pedro L. Cotto, Jr. - 121
- Ballonenostrikes (8yo) - Daniel Centeno - 119
- Silver Tree (8yo) - Eddie Castro - 121
Obviously Big Brown is the youngin’ of the group, but there’s not a whole lot here opposing him. The race kinds of reminds me of the inaugural running of the Barbaro Stakes at Pimlico - when the whole deal appeared set up in favor of Chelokee. That’s just my opinion though. As he showed in the Belmont, you can’t just blindly bet on Big Brown, and I”m sure many more were near heart-attack level during the Haskell. It does feel like this is his race though.
Shakis, an elder statesmen at 8yo represents one of the primary challengers. I’ve got something of a score to settle against Shakis. He went down as a morning line favorite on Preakness Day in the only race I lost in the Pick 6 sequence. Of course, you can see me forever caught in a sarcastic “way to show up, Shakis!” moodin one of the photos that Cindy Pierson Dulay caught that race - as Pays to Dream shatters my dreams of a Preakness Pick 6 (I’m the guy in the blue shirt/yellow hat on the left of the picture. My wife’s next to me snapping a picture). I still cashed that $20 5-of-6 consolation ticket with my head high! Of course, Shakis did return to win the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch up in Saratoga on 8/23. As such, he’s one of the logical contenders should Big Brown fall and will be heavily played on exacta and trifecta tickets.
Proudinsky is the next most well-known and should compete with Shakis for 2nd choice on the morning line. He basically bombed last time out in the Bernard Baruch, finishing 6th. It is important to note that he was victorious in the Grade 2 Mervin Munez Jr. Handicap prior to that race. He’s better than he showed in the Baruch.
Of the rest of the pack, Kiss the Kid is an interesting 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop kid. He’s been victorious on the dirt and turf at Monmouth and should have a shot at hitting the board underneath. Get Serious has that minor horse for the course angle as well having won twice here on the grass at Monmouth.
I’m hoping for a decent trifecta opportunity here. As the overwhelming favorite in the Preakness, Big Brown still sat atop a lucrative trifecta - and I think a couple of the locals and shippers could threaten for place and show. As usual, I’ll be building a pick 4 (and perhaps a pick 6) around Big Brown, and will expect him to prevail here. I plan to have that up by Saturday morning.
The Monmouth Stakes will be part of a card featuring 3 stakes on Saturday. Along with the Monmouth Stakes, we’ll also get the Trenton Stakes and the New Jersey Breeder’s Handicap.
your TBA blogroll is needs to be up to date
Damnit, Kevin, pull your head out of your ass.
Dude, that photo is so awesome; that race was f’ed up. And, then, that Shakis came back and beat my longshot pick War Monger at Saratoga.
@Fred - who am I missing on the blogroll? That’s the most up-to-date code I’ve got in my inbox.
@glenvargas - Damn that Shakis - worst part about that story is that a buddy of mine was up in the grandstand and was trying to text/call me to tell me to play Pays to Dream. I got the message on the way home at about 8PM that evening - well too late to do anything about it. I never felt the “vibe” going off in my pocket. Yeah, and then Shakis decides to return as a winner next time out. Thanks a lot Shakis! Way to help a guy out. Was that the same day that Commentator flatulated in our general direction?
Is it just me, or has everyone stopped asking about the steroids to the horse? He is a monster though, you have to love the “SeaBiscuit” like way he has won to this point (With exception of the last leg of the triple)
Oh, don’t get me started on Commentator!