I am fed up with all these internet comments about how Big Brown is not this horse or that horse. There's a new one of these posts online almost every day, and it's almost like the authors are involved in a contest to see who can come up with the most fruitless, ludicrous proclamation. Their objective is to dismiss Big Brown by comparing him to the most god-like all-time legends or even a successful older horse. If there's any point to it, it's often to ride the tiresome wave of Dutrow-bashing and blame something for other general disappointments in horse racing today.

When they run out of horses to compare Brownie to I'm sure they'll find something else. Pretty soon the new Batman movie will be in theatres and I bet I'll see postings about how Big Brown is no Batman, and how Rick Dutrow and IEAH can learn a lot from the class of Alfred the Butler.

After Brownie's Preakness win, the DRF online was generous enough to point out to us that Big Brown was a long way from Big Red. Wow, that was a real stunner: three-year-old Big Brown with only five races under his belt at that time, and only raced once as a two-year-old did not compare to Secretariat, who was so successful at two-years-old that he won Horse of the Year, and then the big red pro went on to set track records in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before setting another one in the Belmont. If you weren't already a DRF+ subscriber, you'd have to pay anywhere from $9 to $89 to read the full "Big Brown a long way from Big Red" article, because that's how much DRF+ online subscriptions go for. Personally, I had no use for an article about why Big Brown did not compare to Secretariat, nor did I think the full argument would be worth paying for.

After Big Brown loses the Belmont, he becomes easy target #1. Something strange happened when Curlin won the Stephen Foster Handicap. I noticed comments using that race as an opportunity to ridicule Big Brown and his connections. They inferred that Big Brown and his team could learn a lot about class or what a real champion was from that race. Since Big Brown didn't run in that race, I find these types of comments to be a childish and desperate way for someone to satisfy their disdain for Brownie's trainer or disappointment in the horse's failure to win the Triple Crown.

Sports coumnist John Clay proclaimed "Big Brown is no Curlin". A real eye-opener there: three-year-old Big Brown, raced lightly due to problematic feet, and destined not to run at four is not Curlin--a four-year-old who won the Breeders Cup Championship in his three-year-old season last October, and who achieved his four-year-old goal of winning the Dubai World Cup this past March. Again, I fail to see why it's necessary to compare the two horses, except that the author is serving his need to nurse his disappointment in Brownie's Belmont, and probably also his disappointment in the general media's lack of attention on the reigning Horse of the Year.

Curlin does indeed deserve more celbredom, especially when the media puts all horse racing back in the vault after our failed Triple Crown bid. But why do we need to compare the two if they're latest race is not against eachother? Why compare a three-year-old to a four-year-old? Their campaigns are completely different.

Just comparing their three-year-old campaigns, Curlin has the advantage that he already finished his three-year-old season when he won the Breeders Cup last October. It's only June, and Big Brown's chance to run in the Breeders Cup Championship is months away. Brownie will run in one or two races before the BC. His next target is the Haskell Invitational in early August. If he loses that race, he'll be no worse than Curlin on that account--Curlin lost that race to Any Given Saturday and finished third to Hard Spun in last year's Haskell.

What about the Triple Crown series? Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Curlin ran in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont last year, but his only victory in that series was in the Preakness Stakes--he didn't win the Triple Crown either. Curlin was beaten by a nose in his Belmont. I'm all too familiar with other comments online about how Curlin sucks because he lost to a filly in the Belmont, so I have to interject the fact that Rags to Riches was in fact better than most of the three-year-old colts on last year's Derby trail.

It's such a mundane exercise to compare two horses like this, I still don't get it. Let me be Curlin's advocate and point out that Curlin set a new record margin of victory in the Arkansas Derby. Now let me be Big Brown's advocate and point out that Big Brown nearly broke the track record in the Florida Derby. Well, how about Curlin tying the record for fastest Preakness win last year. Well, how about Big Brown winning the Kentucky Derby from post 20--a feat that hadn't been done since 1929. Oh yeah, well Curlin is chestnut. Oh yeah, well Big Brown is bay. So what.

As far as comparing the two horses Belmonts, they were two very different races, and two very different trips. If you can go back in a time machine and watch the race over and over until it goes off differently where Curlin veers out of the gate then nearly runs up on another horse's heels, gets boxed, and pushed into the middle of the track the rest of the way, send me the replay and a sample of whatever you're smoking.

For those who are suggesting that the character of Big Brown's connections could be improved by living up to the example of Curlin's, I'm sure you'll get over it. After all, last year Curlin's connections were talked about as if they were the biggest blight in horse racing. You had Curlin's part-owners in jail because of some Phen-Phen lawsuit. What about drugs, and the training aid Winstrol that Big Brown hasn't recieved since April? I remember many fans were still very unforgiving of Curlin's trainer, Steve Asmussen, who was suspended for using illegal steroids a few years ago. You don't hear about any of this now--maybe people need a new target to pick on every year.

I won't get into the Big Brown vs Secretariat, et all, too much, because that's even worse. Almost no horse can compare to Secretariat, whose Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont records still stand unbeaten (well he holds the Preakness record unless you're Pimlico, you're timer broke, and you refuse to accept the proof provided in a video replay). Do all the Triple Crown winners even compare? The first one, Sir Barton, won the Kentucky Derby in 2:09. Big Brown faced eight rivals in the Belmont Stakes, but no triple Crown winner has faced more than seven rivals in the Belmont Stakes--does that infer that they had it too easy?

What if people don't like Rick Dutrow, what does that have to do with Secretariat and Curlin? I don't understand why certain people claim to be so outraged by Rick Dutrow's confidence. He had every reason to be confident in Big Brown, and no reason to hide it shamefully. He's never had a Derby contender before, much less a Derby winner. And he never even insulted anyone. If he would have said another trainer or their horse sucked that would be different. All these trainers do is tell us their horse is pretty "nice" and how they think this race or that race looks like a "good spot" for them. One dude talks like a real guy, and not like a corporate executive with the perfect politically correct soundbyte every time, and everyone flips out? Grow up.

As far as annoying trainers, what about Reade Baker dismissing Big Brown in the Preakness and suggesting that his struggling Kentucky Bear was going to be the giant killer. No one else stood out in the Preakness and a lot of bettors gave Kentucky Bear a chance. He finished out of the money. How confident in the horse are they now? They tried him in the Colonial Turf Cup today, and he set embarassing fractions before finishing out of the money again. I guess people aren't offended by trainers talking up a horse as long he bombs--oh wait, wasn't Big Brown eased out of the Belmont?

I like Curlin. I like Secretariat. I've enjoyed Big Brown and hope he finishes this year admirably before he goes off to retire his fragile feet. With his millions he can build a secret cave underneath his barn, and fight crime as a masked vigilante. I don't care if he's not Superhorse. He's Bathorse.

Tags: Bigbrown Horse Racing Rickdutrow

Bookmark: