Saturday Commentary: Big Brown and the Belmont

Big Brown did not win the Belmont Stakes. He did not finish second either. In fact, he did not finish third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth. Big Brown, in his bid for the first triple crown win since 1978, he finished ninth, otherwise known in this race as last. Big Brown's jockey actually pulled up and coasted to the finish, after initially urging him on, and getting nothing. Fortunately, a post race inspection showed that the horse was still in good health. So, why this dramatic collapse after dominate wins in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness?

It was discovered after the Preakness that Big Brown had a crack in a hoof. Now, I do not know enough about horses to comment on how the treatment of this was handled. But, I do not doubt that this will be scrutinized by many people. I do not question the sincerity of the veterinarian in saying that Big Brown was fine to race.

The more likely cause of this failure is something that has been at issue for the past several tries at the Triple Crown. You had a horse running his third race in five weeks. Big Brown was the only horse in the field that had run in the Preakness. There were 3 others that had also run in the Derby. This issue of fatigue will probably bring up the issue of the schedule of the races, but it is unlikely to do anything. This schedule is set by tradition, and it is very difficult to change tradition.

There have been 11 Triple Crown winners, with the last one being Affirmed in 1978. This is longest stretch in which there has not been a Triple Crown winner. The previous had been between 1948-73. In the 70s, there were 4 winners. Oh, and by the way, the winner of this year's Belmont Stakes was Da'Tara.