So the greatest event in the calander year for horse racing has been run and if at all possible there is more discussion after the race then before. Just a few ramblings on a few topics:
Big Brown
It is not often that the trip horse in the Kentucky Derby is the horse that actually won the race, but such is the case in Big Brown and his effort Saturday. It is difficult to take any part of his effort on Saturday and find much to criticize. It really was everything a handicapper who watches and scrutinizes the races closely looks for, the trip was poor, the pace was fast and the final time was solid but not spectacular. When a young horse has adversity in a race, let alone the Kentucky Derby, they often times throw in the towel, if Big Brown had, it would not have been a shock and almost expected. Wide on both turns chasing a solid pace he easily could have backed up but instead blew by his over matched rivals like a good thing, overcoming everything thrown at him every step of the way in his brief career. You only have to look back to Curlin last year who came into the race with similar experience and ran a solid third but not close to the winner. Curlin is now the best horse in training for those not up on current events.
I must temper this excitement though for Big Brown by stating the horses behind him might be worse then the field Giacomo beat in 05', save Afleet Alex and Flower Alley. In fact I doubt Big Brown would have won if Hard Spun, Curlin or Street Sense were in this same race from last years bumper crop. Big Brown will need to develop as the year goes on for me to think he is more then a good horse but to date it would be hard to ask anything more of a race horse and given the current crop of three year olds he might not even have to be great to win the Triple Crown.
Eight Belles
We all can find irony in every tragedy but as someone pointed out to me the name of the late filly Eight Belles relates to the ringing of the bell on a naval ship when a sailor has been lost. Over the years I have become almost immune to these situations as they just are a lot more common then the rarity that is played up by track officials when they happen. I can probably count 20-30 of these type of breakdowns in major races since I started watching racing 15 years ago. It is indeed tragic that the filly lost her life after running a very courageous race in the Kentucky Derby but it leaves me with the same questions that I always have in these cases. What role did race day medications play in the breakdown? Did the sudden form reversal of Eight Belles that occurred last winter have anything to do with this? Has the breed been weakened to the point that this is inevitable and something that we just have to live with?
There is a certain elegance and beauty that draws in the casual fan to horse racing and there is no bigger display then the Kentucky Derby but when horses are falling apart on the track at such a alarming rate on the national stage it won't be long before elegance is replaced by despise. If you think that heat like this is reserved for guys like Michael Vick then just check the next few days on every major news and sports program. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your view it will die fairly fast because frankly this is not the NFL and racing is a notch below boxing as a major sport in American culture today. When it does die those same questions that come to my mind will be there unaddressed, at least as long as people are making money and many are in this sport.
Churchill Downs
The greatest track in terms of historical significance has once again put it's worst step forward. Let's see, horse breaks down, check. Fight with local horseman leads to a blackout of the majority of the races from being bet in certain places in the country, most prominently in Florida, check that as well. Owning such a poor ADW website, TwinSpires.com, that it crashes for 45 minutes before the biggest wagering event of the year , check. Obviously there are many factors in play and all is not their fault but it is tough for racing fans to accept the continual breakdown (no pun intended) in the system that their wagering dollars support.
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