Nostalgic Horse

Forget about those other owners of Curlin- you know, the ones that are tied up in the courts, and turning the story of Curlin into a sour one for some.

Jess Jackson owns 80% of Curlin and is a class act. He has recently stated that his horses will race steroid free, or his trainers will risk losing their jobs. Curlin ran last year on anabolic steroids, as his trainer is certainly not above drugging his horses. This entire year Curlin is free of the drug and looking better than ever (due largely in part to Dubai’s strict anti- drug rules).

IEAH also has stepped up to the plate to speak out against steroid use. Of course, a few months back when their brown monster was wiping the floor with the three year old division, they did not mind steroid use.

But, better late than never, I suppose. We will now get to see the real Big Brown in the Haskell, just as we have been seeing the real Curlin this year.

It is time for more owners to get on board the new anti-drug movement. Now if racing can begin to hold owners as accountable as trainers, and maybe even shelve drug-positive horses for a few months racing may, indeed, right itself.

Thoroughbred racing as a whole can shoulder the blame for drug use. The fact that they have no governing body, and states vary in what is legal or not, has led to most states turning a blind eye and legalizing practically everything you can think of. Back in the day lasix was not legal everywhere, and Alysheba was not able to race on it in the Belmont Stakes. He raced on it in the first two legs of the Triple Crown but did not fire Belmont day. Some trainers started to avoid certain states, and places like Belmont, were not going to risk not having the biggest stars on the biggest days. So, sadly they joined the anything goes club. Now almost every horse runs on lasix and it isn’t because they all have bleeding issues. It makes them faster, and everyone wants a piece of that.

Easy Goer could not race on bute in Kentucky in 1989, and he was not himself in his two starts there. Today bute is allowed there. A governing body across state lines would ensure that the same horse shows up in Kentucky, Pimlico and Belmont.

Drugging horses began when certain trainers started cleaning up a little more than other trainers. Hall of Famer, Max Hirsch was supposedly a pharmaceutical master, and many of his horses, coincidentally wound up sterile, maybe as a result. Owners, of course, wanted to go with the winning trainers, and would dump the good old boys who were eking out an honest living. A decent win percent used to be in the 15% range. Now it is double that. Trainers don’t stand a chance unless they level the playing field, and even the ones who don’t want to drug their horses, have to in order to pay their bills.

Heck, most owners don’t mind. The only ones who are suffering are the horses, and they won’t tell. Unless, of course they fall in front of millions of viewers on racing’s biggest day of the year. That will get Congress’ attention, and that could prove to be a very bad thing for a struggling sport. A sport that needs simulcasting more than horse racing, does not exist, and that is was Congress has the power to take away. If it suspends off track betting, there are simply not enough people at the track to ensure that tracks will stay open, perhaps another byproduct of seeing a horse drop to its nose after breaking both front ankles.

Make no mistake about it, Curlin is back, and looks to be very hard to beat for Horse of the Year. He didn’t miss a beat yesterday and easily pulled past the field. Turf star, Einstein got up for second on class alone. He ran very well, and obviously can run on anything, but still is no match for the monster. Maybe no one is this year.

Assumusen’s other charge, Pyro dominated his field as well, and is back to the Pyro we grew to love early on in the Triple Crown trail. My Pal Charlie (always consistent) finished second there with Visionaire getting up for third. Visionaire doesn’t like to lead them home, but never leave him off of an exotic ticket.

Hystericalady, Ginger Punch and Dreaming of Anna all won as well making the ladies division a very tough one to rate. There are so many tough, classy females out there this year and at the moment they are all chasing Zenyatta.

Unbridled Belle won her comeback stakes race yesterday also. She may once again come back to challenge the top girls later in the year.

The pick six was a handicapper’s nightmare yesterday, but for the fan, it was a dream. The favorites proved why they are favorites, and why some of them are deserving champions. To have them still racing (since most of them are four or five), is a nice change of pace. Last year the best older male was Lawyer Ron (a second string Triple Crown horse at best), and this year we still have the Horse of the Year around. We also have a Champion two year old filly from two years ago still in top form, and last year’s Older Mare Champion. It is almost too good to be true. Their connections deserve praise and many thanks for showing us again how good the Sport of Kings used to be, and still can be again.

The action doesn’t stop now that the Triple Crown is over, and the stage is set for an eventful weekend. Dreaming of Anna returns and figures to be hard to beat in the Mint Julip. Pyro, Visionaire, and Recapturetheglory are in a softer spot than they were six weeks ago, and are seeking a return to top form. Two Step Salsa will try his luck around two turns. Hystericalady is back. Ginger Punch, Champion older filly last year will run in the Phipps Handicap, and of course reigning king Curlin will show up in the Foster.

Now that there is no Triple Crown winner, the year is actually more interesting. Horse of the Year is back on the table, and they will all be chasing Curlin to earn that trophy. It is very hard for any horse to unseat a Crown winner for the top honors. In 1978 Seattle Slew soundly defeated Affirmed twice, and still lost year end honors to him. Voters feel very strongly that Triple Crown winners deserve Horse of the Year.

Turf star Einstein will tussle with Curlin on dirt, as will Grasshopper and Brass Hat. It should be a good race for the champ, and his return to US soil is long overdue.

Whether the favorites will prevail today or turn in a Big Brown performance is anyone’s guess, but for Big Brown to join the trophy hunt, he must come back to the track and make us forget his Belmont performance- or lack there of. He must also defeat Curlin, or Curlin has to fail miserably in his remaining starts this year, and Big Brown has to excel. For now my money is on Curlin retaining his form and having a decisive victory in the Stephen Foster.

The road to the Breeders Cup has begun, but the fact that it is on synthetic makes it somewhat less interesting. The last thing anyone wants is to see some synthetic specialist defeat the likes of Curlin. Curlin has proven that he can handle a variety of tracks, but a horse that runs and trains primarily on synthetics would have to hold an advantage over him. There is a reason Lava Man (while being one of the greatest claims in history) only wins out there. No category honors should be decided out there.

Speaking of voting categories, Ocean Colors, a filly out of Winning Colors won her first start in convincing fashion, and brought back memories of her mama in doing it. She looks like her, and is just as fast and lovely. Expect big things from her on the two year old filly scene.

by: Elizabeth Rancani

What seemed a foregone conclusion, turned out to be anything but once again in the Belmont Stakes. For the eleventh time in thirty years, a horse looked poised to take racing’s greatest honor, but there is a reason the Belmont is the Test of a Champion. It is a mile and a half and a lot can go wrong. It is a puzzlement what went wrong on Saturday.

Big Brown looked miles better on paper, but as stated often, the Belmont Stakes is not run on paper. He lunged out of the gate ready to go. He was so keyed up early in the race, that he almost ran right into Da’Tara. He ran third most of the way, until he was asked for some speed, and then nothing.

Kent Desormeaux knows his horse, and knew he had nothing more to give. Big Brown was eased and became the first Triple Crown hopeful to finish dead last, a wise decision since he was riding a fifty million dollar animal. To push him into a breakdown, would not do anyone any good, least of all the racing industry, still reeling from the death of Eight Belles.

Was it the quarter crack? Maybe, but Big Brown’s connections were not sending a lame horse into the Belmont. It would make little financial sense, and that is after all, what IEAH is all about.

Was it the steroid that for once in his career Big Brown was racing without? Maybe Winstrol made Big Brown lengths better than his opponents. It certainly works that way in humans.

Hopefully it is nothing more serious, and we will either see Big Brown come back to contest the Travers, or we will see him shipped off to the barn. Either way, his moment in the sun is over.

Big Brown’s loss is more proof that there are indeed, racing gods. A horse that may run six times in his whole career hardly bares mentioning in the same breathe as Affirmed. And, like Bud Delp before him, Dutrow should realize that there are no foregone conclusions in racing. Any horse can get beat on any given day. Thoroughbred racing also should not get a free pass on the death of Eight Belles. If Big Brown were to win the crown, the shock of her death would surely be replaced by jubilation. Thoroughbred racing does not deserve that, and without the hero it so desperately needs, it will have to make some changes to rectify the sport. One change is going to be the banning of all steroids, a ban that is long overdue, and is, in fact, on the way.

The humble Zito is a feel good story in itself, and it is nice to see him net a Classic win after his early Derby favorite, War Pass went out this year with an injury. Nick Zito deserves credit for even entering Da’ Tara. Zito obviously knows what he is doing, and spoils yet another Triple Crown, although today the feeling was quite different than when he spoiled media darling Smarty Jones’ Triple Crown.

Zito also deserves credit for choosing Julien Leparoux to ride Anak Nakal and for believing that Anak was a horse on the improve. Leparoux was bumped from Macho Again after finishing second in the Preakness in favor of Garret Gomez. Macho Again ran fifth, and Anak Nakal finished third. A little good kharma, indeed.

Denis of Cork ran another good race, and should have a very good year ahead of him. It will be interesting to see him hook up with Da’ Tara again, and maybe even Big Brown. Of course, Big Brown’s days of racing may be over, and if that is the case, later babe. It was fun while it lasted.

So now Casino Drive is out of the Belmont Stakes. It should be another cakewalk for Big Brown. What really will that prove? It will prove that for three Saturdays Big Brown was a superior horse to a lesser class of horses. His Derby was one of the most impressive Derbies ever, but his Preakness was nothing to brag about. There was not a Grade I winner in the bunch.

The Belmont Stakes will provide little drama. There is a maiden in the race, so good for Big Brown if he can defeat him. There is Anak Nakal, a horse who hasn’t won a race or even hit the board in months. There is Icabad Crane and Macho Again, two nice horses but no superstars there. There is Denis of Cork, a horse that actually may prove a very good three year old as the year goes on, but a horse that Big Brown already dismissed with ease. And Tale of Ekati, a horse that has had his share of big losses this year.

This is the best chance we have seen since Spectacular Bid for a Triple Crown winner, but Big Brown is still no Spectacular Bid. It is hard to imagine him getting beat today. There just isn’t enough class in the race to defeat him, but it still won’t prove that Big Brown is a super horse.

Ron Turcotte was interviewed the other day and he didn’t even blink when asked who wins between Big Brown and Secretariat. Secretariat, of course. Does any long time fan of the game really think otherwise? So, let’s not get carried away here.

Is it a good thing that the Triple Crown game has changed so much that a horse who makes his sixth start today will win the ultimate prize? That said horse will run maybe twice more and be retired to stud. How will history look upon him with eight starts? Is he deserving to stand besides Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Citation, Whirlaway, Gallant Fox, War Admiral?

Big Brown is a very talented colt. He has done things horses aren’t supposed to do. His owners are changing the way the game is played and the families who once dominated the game with rich history and rivalries are being replaced by the hedgefund gang, not really a warm and tingly moment. Dutrow is too cocky for his own good, and the way he dismissed Smarty Jones, Casino Drive and even Curlin is just asking for bad kharma. In a race today between his star and Curlin, Curlin’s numbers say he wins hands down. Perhaps, the only one who feels otherwise is Dutrow and the hedgefund. Dutrow is not exactly inviting feelings of good cheer either.

Today, in order to get any joy out of the race and its’ “foregone conclusion” root for Kent and his little boy, that he was able to see a Triple Crown winner. And, root for the beautiful, big bay horse who cannot control who owns him, who trains him, and who he is racing against.

Big Brown wins today, and Tale of Ekati and Denis of Cork are right behind him. Ready’s Echo or Icabad Crane may pick up some pieces for fourth.

By: Elizabeth Rancani

The year was 1979, and one confident trainer boasted that only an act of God could beat his horse. He also said that his young colt was the best horse to ever look through a bridle. He would be the third consecutive Triple Crown winner, for certain. Does the confidence of Bud Delp remind you of anyone?

Spectacular Bid was spectacular from the first moment he stepped out onto the track. As a two year old he ran nine times, winning seven and finishing out of the money only once. His wins included the Grade I Champagne, Young America and Laurel Futurity. When he won, he usually won big, winning the Laurel by 8 1/2 lengths and the Heritage by six. Spectacular Bid was a star, and rightfully so.

At three he started his season with an impressive win in the Hutcheson on February 7th. He then followed that up with an 8 1/2 length romp in the Fountain of Youth and then took the Florida Derby by almost five lengths. He won the Flamingo Stakes by twelve commanding lengths and in his final Derby prep won the Blue Grass by seven. However good the Bid was at two, he was far more superior at three. He ran fourteen time before the Triple Crown even began, winning six Grade Is.

He took command at the Derby and won by almost three lengths. It seemed a foregone conclusion that he would join Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Secretariat. In the Preakness he faced just four rivals and won by 5 1/2 lengths. The Belmont awaited its third Triple Crown winner in as many years. It was not to be. The Bid was a tired horse and finished behind Peter Pan winner Coastal. The Triple Crown that he so richly deserved was not to be. If the Belmont could get to a horse as special as Bid, it can certainly get to a horse like Big Brown.

Spectacular Bid ran four more times as a three year old, losing only once to the older Affirmed. As a four year old he was even better, winning all eight of his starts until no one would even test him in his final career start in the Grade I Woodward.

If Big Brown wins the Triple Crown many hope it helps the sport overcome some recent negative press. It might, but long time fans may find it hard to swallow that a horse that has only won one Grade I before the Triple Crown is suddenly crowned the next best thing since Secretariat. Will he really be the second coming? Or is it that he just got lucky to be born in a year of mediocre also rans? Perhaps breeder Jim Squires said it best when he said,”I certainly don’t have anything against Kentucky-bred Big Brown, who is lovely and fast. But if a Triple Crown winner with a history of bad feet, slow opponents and from a barn with a history of drug positives can solve this problem, this is an industry not worth saving.” The problem being the whole state of thoroughbred racing.

Surely if he had to face Spectacular Bid he would not have waltzed off with anything. It is a tragedy that the Bid doesn’t have the Triple Crown next to his name in the Hall of Fame. At this point in his career, he deserved it a heck of a lot more than Big Brown.

Everyone from Bob Baffert to your casual race day fan is ready to concede the Triple Crown and The Belmont Stakes to the wonder horse that is Big Brown. The way he won the Preakness and Kentucky Derby, the Belmont is a sure thing, right? Anyone who has suffered recently through defeats of ten double crown winners on the cusp of racing’s greatest achievement is wary to jump on the Big Brown bandwagon.

Is he a talented horse? Yes, immensely. Did he have very impressive wins in the Florida Derby, The Kentucky Derby and The Preakness. He sure did. In what was surely his finest hour, he won the Kentucky Derby going away coming from the dreaded outside post. Same thing in the Florida Derby, but there his competition was suspect. Ditto for the Preakness. He won the Preakness as he was supposed to. There wasn’t another Grade one winner in the race. He wasn’t that impressive beating up a bunch of lower level stakes horses.

Actually this year’s entire crop of three year olds, is hardly helping to make Big Brown’s case that he is indeed a super horse. Is he really? Does anyone think that he could have handled last year’s group with the ease that he has handled this bunch? It is often a fool’s errand to compare horses of different generations, but at Nostalgic horse that is difficult not to do.

Certainly comparisons to Secretariat are premature. Even if he wins at Belmont by twenty lengths, he never will have had to face down the likes of Sham. Or will he? At Belmont he just might find a horse capable of giving him his most difficult challenge in Casino Drive. Casino Drive won the Peter Pan impressively. Remember another colt on the cusp of winning the Crown that certainly was as talented as Big Brown, facing a fresh Peter Pan winner? It was the Spring of 1979, and a big, grey horse named Spectacular Bid was all but certain to win the third Triple Crown in as many years. He was the two year old champion, and a huge favorite in both the Derby and Preakness. He won both very convincingly, but a horse named Coastal came in and ruined the final dance.

Spectacular Bid went on to great things, and is a horse for the ages. Many consider him the best horse to fail at winning the Triple Crown. He should have had that next to his name in racing’s hall of fame, but for whatever reason (and the story was he stepped on a safety pin), he didn’t do it. Over the years Sunday Silence, Alysheba, Pleasant Colony, Funny Cide, War Emblem, Smarty Jones, Silver Charm and Real Quiet have all come to the Belmont seeking greatness. Real Quiet came the closest, falling an agonizing nose short. Another comes this year, but before you crown him think back to all the others. Is he really that much better? Sure he is better than Funny Cide, War Emblem and Pleasant Colony, but what about the rest? They were a sure thing in their days as well, and that long stretch at Belmont became too much for horses tired from running three huge races in five short weeks. A mile and a half is a lot to ask any young horse to run, especially a son of Boundary that has never been in a fight. He will get one at Belmont.

by: Elizabeth Rancani

Horse racing suffered another blow on Saturday, and even those of us who love the sport, are questioning why. Many in the industry want to get past it, brush it under the rug and toss it up to accidents happen in thoroughbred racing. That is, perhaps easier for them to believe than to point blame at any of them.

While PETA’s claims are totally ridiculous and come from ignorance on so many levels, there are some very real concerns. Gabriel Saez did not whip Eight Belles to death. That much is obvious. She also wasn’t likely injured when she passed the finish line. If she was that says even less for the eighteen colts in the Derby that she finished ahead of without the use of four good limbs. Saez was galloping her out and cooling her down. She wasn’t at full run, which makes this even more disturbing.

Larry Jones did not drug his filly either. He says he hasn’t used steroids on his horses since 1997, and that was on a severely injured horse. He obviously cared about his stable’s star, and feels the pain of her demise. That doesn’t mean that there is not a drug problem in the game, and something does need to be done about that, but Larry Jones and Eight Belles are not the poster children for that movement.

Accidents happen in every sport. Ok. In contact sports this is particularly true. Hockey players lose teeth, football players break bones, and basketball players break fingers. But, should a horse while galloping have both of their front legs explode out from under them? Last year the on track vet said that George Washington’s injury was typical of a horse suffering exhaustion at the end of a race like the Breeders Cup. Dr. Bramlage said of Eight Belles, muscle fatigue puts an added strain on the skeletal system. If that is the case training practices could be to blame. Years ago when there were less catastrophic breakdowns, horses were raced more often, carried more weight and raced longer distances. Did they hold up better because of that? Today, horses are lightly trained, and race very sparingly. Aside from Curlin, many of the recent champion horses ran just four times all year. And this year as a four year old, Curlin probably won’t run much more than that. It is only the three year olds gearing up for the Kentucky Derby that are asked for more races. In recent years many of them did not run past the Triple Crown races. Some never run again after the Kentucky Derby. The first time Eight Belles saw a mile and a quarter was Saturday, and it was the same with all the horses in the race. Jones is not alone in his training practices. There are not any races over a mile and a quarter before the Derby.

Is it wrong to want to place blame? Many in the industry say yes, and if they want to stick their collective heads in the sand once again, that is their right. It will not help the sport, however. It will not attract new fans. It will not do anything to make racing safer for its stars. Drugs need to be banned. Period. Every other nation but the US and Canada realize that. If there is even the possibility that a horse cannot feel an injury before their leg explodes out from under them, thus making it impossible to save them, then ban them all. It is long overdue, and if PETA wanted to jump on anything after the race, that is what they could have shed light on. Racing also needs to stop slaughtering the horses on which their sport relies. PETA could have jumped on that bandwagon too. Moving to synthetic surfaces may in the long run turn out to be all that needs to be done. Maybe. Maybe not. Many have said that the calendar needs to be changed so that three year olds are not asked for too much too soon. Maybe that will work, but the truth is, it has never been needed. Many of the Triple Crown stars even threw in the Withers Stakes before competing in the final leg of the Triple Crown. Why does the modern day racehorse need so much time to stand in their stall and prepare for a race? There lies the most important question. What is different today than fifty, sixty, seventy years ago? Find the answer to that one, and we just may get another Kelso, Round Table or even Citation.

By: Elizabeth Rancani

Big Brown did the impossible. He won the Derby in convincing fashion with only three starts from the far outside post. He is a super freak, and may just be the best horse to step on the track this decade. His win was eerily similar to Barbaro’s, and since Big Brown already has some soundness issues, hopefully he will have a better Triple Crown than the latter.

While cheers and jubilation were underway for Big Brown, the gallant filly that outran all but one colt, lay on the track awaiting the end of her life. It is a scene all too common, and as the racing community turns a blind eye, and shrugs it off to ‘accidents happen in every sport’, fans tune out by the thousands.

Writer William Nack feels that breakdowns started occurring at a more alarming pace beginning in the late sixties. By the late sixties horses that did not bear Native Dancer or Northern Dancer somewhere in their pedigrees were a rarity. Inbreeding is not a good thing in any species, so why does thoroughbred racing depend on it? Probably because they are not interested anymore in racing their own. They want a quick flash of brilliance, and a few big wins at three. Whatever happens after that is of no importance to breeders, as long as they can breed more six figure babies to sell in the arena.

The fifties had their share of breakdowns, and ironically that is when the term phenylbutazone entered the realm. Hail to Reason, Tim Tam, Turn-to, Your Host, Bally Ache, Venetian Way, Lavendar Hill, Prince John and Dark Star all suffered career ending injuries during this decade. Turn-to and Hail to Reason went on to sire hundreds and it is difficult now to find a pedigree without one of these unsound individuals.

Going back even further, in the twenties and thirties infertility was thought to be a by product of drug use. Grey Lag was all but infertile, as were Zev, Mad Play, Whiskery, Black Gold, Twenty Grand and Bateau. They were the ones that could not breed at all, but what of the previously doped horses that could breed? What were they passing along to their offspring? Writer Frank Talmadige Phelps once said decades ago,”when so many of a country’s leading performers give way so early, there are grounds for suspicion that something may be wrong with our racing and breeding program.”

Something is wrong, and 150,000 got a front row seat Saturday night. Trainer Larry Jones was helpless as the filly he rode most mornings lay motionless on the track. Jones is a trainer that is a throwback to another generation. He has never been suspected of using any type of illegal drugs on his horses, and last year his Hard Spun proved the most durable of all the classic contenders. But, Jones could not control the pedigree of his stable’s star, and in the end that may have been all that mattered.

Her injury was so bad that veterinarian Larry Bramlage said he had never seen such an injury in all his years on the track. There was no possible way to save her.

Chelokee also suffered a career ending injury this weekend, and his chances of survival are a coin toss. Veterinary medicine has made strides in recent decades, but it is helpless in many cases. That is unlikely to change.

The thoroughbred is a genetic mistake, and it will continue to be as long as the inferior are exploited. Horses that run more than ten times, but do not win a Classic or boast a pedigree full of Raise a Native, Mr. Prospector, Turn-to, and Northern Dancer are not in high demand in the sales ring. But make no mistake, it is no surprise that the sought after offspring suffer catastrophic breakdowns early in their career.

The sport of kings wants to initiate a marketing campaign that will bring people back to the track. This year ESPN and NBC focused more on feel good stories and less on handicapping in an attempt to bring in viewers. There was nothing feel good about the outcome, however. Unless the sport can right the wrongs, horses will continue to die on days the sport counts on the most to bring in new fans. The Kentucky Derby, filled to the brim with twenty horses has never had a major breakdown. The game is changing though, so it was only a matter of time before the country’s oldest race witnessed such a grisly end.

By: Elizabeth Rancani

If Big Brown wins today, he will be the super freak that his connections claim he is. He will have earned every inch of his Derby roses, and just may finally end the Triple Crown drought. He is perhaps the only horse in the field capable of doing that.

But, is he really worth all the hype? In recent years, even with horses running fewer and fewer starts, Derby favorites came to the Derby with far more in the way of credentials. Big Brown has one graded stakes win, over suspect company. Watching the Florida Derby, it is pretty clear none of this year’s three year olds would have defeated him that day, but still it is one race. The other two races he won and won big were not in graded company.

Last year Street Sense won the Tampa Bay Derby, finished second in the Blue Grass and was a two year old champ that obviously loved Churchill Downs. The year before that Barbaro won the Florida Derby, in similar Big Brown fashion but had raced four other times on turf and dirt and won them all convincingly. Then there were Smarty Jones, and Afleet Alex, both with six starts to their credit before the Derby.

In the past Derby favorites included Hopeful winners, champion two year olds, Champagne and Breeders Cup winners. They included horses that ran tough in the Spring and ran more than two times. They resembled Colonel John on paper more than Big Brown, but with Santa Anita now being run on synthetics no one knows what to make of it.

Bellamy Road was hailed as the second coming of Secretariat a few years back after romping in the Wood Memorial in what has to be the most impressive Derby prep in history, but on Derby day he was caught in a speedy front end pace and was finished before they hit the quarter pole. Derbies are not often won by the most brilliant horse. They are won by the tough, experienced, hard fighting animals that can handle adversity and have been prepped for this moment. Triple Crowns, even more so are won by animals that were champions at two as well as three. Many other late bloomers have come to the Belmont seeking the ultimate prize; horses like Funny Cide, Pleasant Colony, Sunday Silence, Charismatic, Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Alysheba, but they were not deemed worthy to join the club.

So if Brown wins today and wins big, there will be talk of a Triple Crown, the first in thirty years. Will he be enough to end the longest drought in history? Maybe, he is just that good. He will have to be to win it, because he will be the Crown winner with the least credentials. At this point Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Citation, Count Fleet, and Secretariat were all Eclipse award winners, and Secretariat was Horse of the Year. It will be nice to finally see a horse win the elusive Crown, but also kind of sad to see a horse like Brown join with the likes of the aforementioned. It will be concrete evidence, as if we needed more, that the game will never be the same.