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.

Saturday Commentary: The Kentucky Derby

Every year, the Kentucky Derby is run on the first Saturday in May. This was the 134th running of the race. I have had the honor of being a part of the tradition surrounding the event for the past 7 runnings. As a member of the University of Louisville Marching band, we perform the song "My Old Kentucky Home" as the horses step onto the track before the Derby. I have many fond memories of time involved with the Derby. One happened at my first Derby. Wynton Marsalis perfromed with us. Before the performance, he had an impromptu jam session with one of our tuba players named Raymond Green. Another moment happens when the wind is blowing in the correct direction. There are times when there is a brief moment of silence in the music, but due to the sound delays, we could hear the grandstand singing. Each time this happened, it gave me chills.

Big Brown won the race this year, which is odd for a couple reasons. First, the favorite does not usually win. There are just so many situations that can happen, that keep them favorite from winning. It is possible for them to get stuck in the middle, and simply never have a chance to make a run. This risk is compounded during years like this year, where there is a maximum field of 20 horses. Granted, a jockey can try to get out front immediately, but then it is very rare that a horse leads from start to finish. Another thing working against Big Brown this was him starting from the 20th post position. Starting that far out increases the risk that the horse will have to run wide around the first turn. Taking the turn wide either forces to horse to work harder to keep up, thus tiring it out quicker, or lose ground to the horses closer to the rail.

Sadly, the runner-up, the filly Eight Belles had to be euthanized after breaking both front legs, while trying to slow down after the race. While this is sad, and I do feel sorry for all the people involved with the horse, I will stop short of calling this a tragedy. A tragedy is when 100,000 people die from a cyclone. A tragedy is when a bridge collapses. A tragedy is when there is a mass amount of death and damage occurs, and not when a single horse, or even human dies. However, this event is proving to be a lightning rod for the horse racing industry. PETA has made their voices and demands heard. Of course, none of their demands are very realistic. Look them up if you want to. I am not posting them here. On the more respected side of the debate, how race horses are being bred today compared to decades ago is being examined.