Critics silenced ... for now
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but for Big Brown’s owners, it may also help quell some of the wild rumors surrounding the big colt’s last-place finish at the Belmont Stakes earlier this month.

On Monday, a photo taken by a freelancer was released that showed a back right shoe dangling from Big Brown’s foot at about 200 yards into the race as he attempted to win the Triple Crown. More photos and footage from the race showed him being stepped on from behind by another horse as they broke from the starting gate.

Racing officials said that the loose shoe was akin to “running on a wobbly cleat” and could help explain why the favorite to win dropped back significantly before jockey Kent Desormeaux pulled him up.

Big Brown’s feet have been a frequent topic as he wears what some called the Jimmy Choos of horseshoes to help with tender front feet. A typical pair of horseshoes runs $150, but Big Brown’s custom glue-on shoes are made of synthetic rubber and sport copper side clips. A descendant of Native Dancer, himself a Preakness and Belmont winner after losing the Kentucky Derby by a head in 1953, Big Brown sports the special shoes on front feet, that are prone to quarter cracks, a genetic weakness of the hoof wall.

Prior to the Belmont, Big Brown was suffering from a slight quarter crack on his front left hoof, but that was repaired with metal sutures and epoxy prior to the race. His special shoes were fitted on as usual and did not appear to hamper him in any way. Tests after the race proved no soundness issues, and speculation then turned to steroid withdrawal after trainer Rick Dutrow stopped his monthly injections of the steroid Winstol. Brown’s stable, International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, announced this month that it would pave the way for performance-enhancing-free racing.

The three-year-old will run one final time Aug. 3 in the Haskell in New Jersey before he is retired to stud. Owners said that he will not run as a four-year old, but will likely run in the Breeders Club Classic Oct. 25 at Santa Anita if he does well at Haskell. The news could also help allay fears that his value as a stud were to plummet after his dismal finish, but with at least a shred of a reason now, those may also go away.
Big Brown’s immediate plans after the race include the beginning of his new career as a stud. IEAH sold his breeding rights for $60 million earlier this year after he won the second leg of the Triple Crown. That they now have a leg to stand on with the revelation that their star was running at a disadvantage may help his stock stabilize. His previously unbeaten record may now not be as tarnished as originally thought after it was put into question. As it is, he will certainly draw $50,000-$75,000 per breeding session as he passes on the famous bloodlines that put him in the spotlight.

Fitting end
Eight Belles, the filly that had to be euthanized on the track after breaking down after placing second at the Kentucky Derby, was interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum. A tree was planted in her memory and her remains buried at its base.

Thoroughbred racing came under heavy fire after the filly broke both front legs as she was galloped just after crossing the finish line. A horse that breaks one leg is in grave jeopardy. Breaking two is life ending. “No foot, no horse” goes the saying. Barbaro proved that shattered bones can be healed, but complications and losing the use of any second limb is just not something horses can endure.

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