Big Brown

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Big Brown


caption = Big Brown and Kent Desormeaux head into the gate for the 2008 Belmont Stakes.
height =
sire = Boundary
grandsire = Danzig
dam = Mien
damsire = Nureyev
sex = Colt
foaled = 2005
country = United States
colour = Bay
breeder = Monticule Farms
owner = IEAH Stables & Paul Pompa, Jr.
trainer = Patrick Reynolds
Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. (since fall 2007)
record = 8: 7-0-0
earnings = $3,614,500
race = Florida Derby (2008)
Haskell Invitational Handicap (2008)

American Classic Race wins:
Kentucky Derby (2008)
Preakness Stakes (2008)
awards =
honours =
updated= CURRENTTIME, CURRENTDAYNAME CURRENTMONTHNAME CURRENTDAY CURRENTYEAR (UTC)

Big Brown (foaled April 10, 2005 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness Stakes. Bred by Dr. Gary B. Knapp's [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/06/sports/RAC-Breeding-Big-Brown.php International Herald Tribune, Big Brown's breeder relies on math, not magic] ] Monticule Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, [http://www.startribune.com/local/18545619.html] the three-year-old was undefeated in his first five career starts. He was sired by Grade III winner Boundary, a son of North American Champion sire Danzig, who was a son of Northern Dancer. Big Brown's dam was Mien, also a granddaughter of Northern Dancer through her sire, Nureyev. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/sports/othersports/04derby.html?em&ex=1210046400&en=b2cb7462b6ac88af&ei=5087%0A nytimes.com, Filly’s Death Casts Shadow Over Big Brown’s Derby Victory] ]

Two-year-old campaign

Big Brown, named by his owner in honor of UPS, [ [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121098135648100193.html?mod=googlenews_wsj UPS Extends Its Pact To Sponsor Big Brown - WSJ.com ] ] was purchased by Brooklyn, New York trucking company owner Paul Pompa, Jr. for $190,000 at the Keeneland 2007 April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. [ [http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1210912629140140.xml&coll=1 A Derby winner's owner who prefers to hang back- NJ.com ] ] Pompa turned him over to trainer Patrick Reynolds for race conditioning. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/05/17/ST2008051700282.html Owner Finds Joy in Loyalty - washingtonpost.com ] ] Ridden by Jeremy Rose, the colt made his two-year-old racing debut on September 3, 2007 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, running away from the field and winning by 11fraction|1|4 lengths. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20080517-9999-1s17preak.html SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports - With Big Brown, it's brain that reigns ] ] Pompa then sold an interest in Big Brown to IEAH Stables, [ [http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1210912629140140.xml&coll=1&thispage=2 A Derby winner's owner who prefers to hang back- NJ.com ] ] a subsidiary of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc., whose stated purpose is to create and manage an Equity Horse Fund, which will operate as a hedge fund. [ [http://www.ieah.com/docs/IEAH_Company_Profile.pdf Company Profile and Contact Sheet - International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc. ] ] The new partnership sent the horse to the Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center in South Florida under the care of new trainer, Rick Dutrow.

Three-year-old campaign

2008 Allowance

Unraced for more than six months, Big Brown debuted as a three-year-old with a 12-length win in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park. Big Brown was ridden by jockey Kent Desormeaux. It didn't look possible, but Big Brown pulled away to win. The colt drew attention was entered next in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

2008 Florida Derby

Entered in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, the colt drew post 12, the outside post. Despite his outside post position, under jockey Kent Desormeaux Big Brown won by five lengths. [ [http://www.bloodhorse.com/articleindex/article.asp?id=44314 Big Brown Huge in Florida Derby Rout| bloodhorse.com ] ]

134th Kentucky Derby

On May 3, 2008, in his fourth race, the 2008 Kentucky Derby, Big Brown was the 2–1 favorite. He became the first horse since 1929 to win the race from the 20th gate and the first horse since 1915 to win on only three starts, [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown08/news/story?id=3380081 ESPN - Favorite Big Brown dusts field; runner-up Eight Belles euthanized - Horse Racing ] ] winning by 4 fraction|3|4 lengths over filly Eight Belles, who would be euthanized after breaking both front ankles during the post-race cool-down. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3380100 ESPN - Runner-up Eight Belles breaks front ankles, euthanized on track - Horse Racing ] ] The final time for the 1 1/4 mile race was 2:01:92. [ [http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/45038.htm Big Brown Delivers; Filly Breaks Down Blood Horse, updated May 6, 2008, retrieved on June 6, 2008] ] The official Beyer Speed Figure for the race was 109.

Prior to the Preakness Stakes, trainer Rick Dutrow admitted that he administers stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, to his horses, including Big Brown, on the 15th of every month. However Dutrow stated to ESPN that Big Brown did not take the May 15th shot for the Belmont Stakes. [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j1CWGSMLUY_q0ssCPD8hgDfiOmNw AFP: Big Brown trainer admits giving horse steroids: report ] ] Stanozolol is banned in 10 states but not in any of the states where the Triple Crown races are held.

133rd Preakness Stakes

On May 17, 2008, in his fifth race, the 2008 Preakness Stakes, Big Brown came from the seventh gate and won the second leg of the Triple Crown by 5 fraction|1|4 lengths over Macho Again, [http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2008/May/17/big-brown-wins-preakness.aspx Big Brown one step closer to Triple Crown after Preakness romp - Thoroughbred Times ] ] becoming the fourth horse to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness while remaining undefeated. [ [http://www.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=8341634&nav=F2DQ WPRI 12 - Eyewitness News |Big Brown wins again ] ] Big Brown was the 1–5 favorite entering the race. The final time of the 1 3/16 mile race was 1:54.80.

140th Belmont Stakes

On the Friday following the Preakness, a three-inch quarter crack was discovered on the horse's left front hoof, the same injury that he experienced in both of his front hooves the previous fall. [ [http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/05/25/2008-05-25_big_browns_hoof_injury_crimps_triple_cro.html Big Brown's hoof injury crimps Triple Crown plans ] ] With Dutrow referring to the injury as "just a little hiccup" [ [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-27-pb2may27,0,6300225.story Big Brown OK after hoof repair - Equestrian, Churchill Downs, Belmont Stakes - chicagotribune.com ] ] and with the crack stitched together with steel wire, Big Brown resumed jogging at Belmont the following Tuesday. [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/scorecard/othernews.asp?articleID=234013 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Other Sports ] ]

For the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown wore a second set of stainless steel sutures on the inside of his hoof. Hoof specialist Ian McKinlay changed the sutures a week before the race and attached an acrylic and fiberglass adhesive patch to the hoof. Although he missed three days of training prior to the race, his gait and attitude seemed unaffected. [ [http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20080602/APS/806020578 houmatoday.com, Patching up Big Brown's cracked front hoof] ] After the crack was patched, Brown was exercised by rider Michelle Nevin. [ [http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/SPORTS08/806020507/1002/SPORTS www.courier-journal.com, Big Brown's hoof to get a checkup] ] Ian McKinlay said, prior to the Belmont, that Big Brown "does not need a patch on the quarter crack on his left front hoof until the morning of the Belmont Stakes. So Dutrow will give Big Brown his final hard workout Tuesday to breeze 5 furlongs without it and gallop him into the race confident the colt’s tender hoof is healed." [ [http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/no-patch-for-big-browns-hoof-until-saturday/ therail.blogs.nytimes.com, Big Brown Doesn’t Need Patch Until Race] ]

Big Brown went off as the 3-10 favorite in the Belmont. He was rank in the early stages of the race, and nearly ran up on the heels of eventual winner Da' Tara. Then Desormeaux tried to swing Big Brown to the outside during the first turn and bumped into Tale Of Ekati. Da' Tara won the race by 5 1/4 lengths while Big Brown finished 9th, becoming the first Triple Crown hopeful to finish in last place at Belmont. Jockey Kent Desormeaux pulled the horse up in the home stretch later saying something was amiss, stating immediately after the race, "I had no horse" although no phyiscal abnormality was ever found. Billy Turner, the trainer of Seattle Slew later stated if Desormeaux had pulled up a horse like that in his day the Stewards would have ran you out of the state and told you to never come back. Two weeks after the Belmont, a picture revealed a dislodged shoe on the right hind leg which could have been the cause of his poor performance. The shoe may have come loose during the race and gotten pushed back in while he was running. Of note was how after the race was over Rick Dutrow ran from the cameras after having boasted the race was "a foregone conclusion". [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3431608&sportCat=horse Trainer Dutrow eats crow after Big Brown bust] ] [ [http://www.thestar.com/Sports/HorseRacing/article/439424 Big Brown, biggest flop of all] ] [ [http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/berniemiklasz/story/507E90DB1123DAE4862574620010F5D8?OpenDocument Another year, another flop] ] [ [http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=694484&category=SPORTS&newsdate=6/8/2008 Desormeaux 'numb' after Big Brown's flop] ] [ [http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/politi/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1212899758115560.xml&coll=1 A foregone flop] ] [ [http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=25844 Big Flop] ] [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown08/columns/story?columnist=cronley_jay&id=3431435 Hard to understand a loser] ] [ [http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080607/SPORTS07/806070446/1004 Jockey flops again in second bid for Triple Crown] ]

2008 Haskell Invitational Handicap

Big Brown returned to racing on August 3, 2008 with a win in the $1 million Haskell Invitational Handicap at Monmouth Park. After taking the lead out of the gate, Big Brown let Coal Play take command as he stalked the pace in second. Rounding the final turn, it looked as if Coal Play was going to pull off an upset, but Big Brown dug in and passed him in the final strides to win by 1 3/4 lengths. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 107 for his win.

2008 Monmouth Stakes

Big Brown won his next start in the Monmouth Stakes on September 13 in preparation for the Breeders Cup Classic. It was his first start on grass since breaking his maiden in 2007 and his first start against older horses. Breaking quickly from post 4, Big Brown opened up a sizeable lead down the backstretch. The field began to catch up to him entering the far turn, and as Proudinsky edged up his neck, Big Brown dug in gamely and held on for a 1/2 length victory. Althought it must be noted he was running in a non-graded race.

Pedigree

Pedigree
name = Big Brown
f = Boundary
m = Mien
ff = Danzig
fm = Edge
mf = Nureyev
mm = Miasma
fff = Northern Dancer
ffm = Pas De Nom
fmf = Damascus
fmm = Ponte Vecchio
mff = Northern Dancer
mfm = Special
mmf = Lear Fan
mmm = Syrian Circle
ffff = Nearctic
fffm = Natalma
ffmf = Admirals Voyage
ffmm = Petitioner
fmff = Sword Dancer
fmfm = Kerala
fmmf = Round Table
fmmm = Terentia
mfff = Nearctic
mffm = Natalma
mfmf = Forli
mfmm = Thong
mmff = Roberto
mmfm = Wac
mmmf = Damascus
mmmm = Friendly Circle|

References

External links

* [http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2008/videos/2500 2008 Kentucky Derby video]
* [http://www.ntra.com/video.aspx?id=32523&section=races 2008 Preakness video]
* [http://www.ntra.com/video.aspx?id=32905 2008 Belmont video, June 7]
* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/big+brown Big Brown's pedigree and partial racing stats]
* [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=44314&source=rss Bloodhorse.com article on Big Brown's win in the Florida Derby]
* [http://www.bigbrowntriplecrown.com Thorough Time-line of Big Brown's Life and Career - constantly being updated with news, videos, commentaries]