Big Brown, the strapping bay colt, kicked dirt in challengers’ faces as he soundly won the Preakness Stakes by 5-1/4 lengths last Saturday. That he did so under the black cloud of scrutiny that has hung ominously over Thoroughbred racing since filly Eight Belles broke down after finishing second at the Kentucky Derby brought a brief glimmer of redemption. If he wins the June 7 Belmont Stakes, Big Brown will become the first horse in three decades to accomplish the feat. Affirmed won the last Triple Crown in 1978, just the 11th horse to earn all three jewels. Seattle Slew won it in 1977 and the great Secretariat wore the crown in 1973.
Big Brown was the only Kentucky Derby entrant to race at Pimlico, and prior to the race several jocks speculated that in order to beat the undefeated colt, they’d have to somehow box him in or kick dirt in his face. Brown’s owners noted that he has had dirt kicked in his face before and that would not be a problem for him. True to that word, jockey Kent Desormeaux held him back in fourth place as they rounded the grandstand turn, but then eased him outside and let him go at the 3/4 mile turn. From there it was an easy ride, with Big Brown not even working hard as he left everyone else in his dust.
Big Brown was worth $6 million as he entered the Kentucky Derby, and that jumped to $60 million with the Derby and Preakness wins. Not bad for his trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., who has his own sordid and storied tale. A recovering drug user, who got himself into trouble with drugs and gambling, Dutrow found himself living in an 8-by-8-foot stall for nearly a year. He openly admitted that he hurt no one but himself with his bad choices. He straightened up his act after the mother of his now-teenaged daughter was murdered in a drug-related break-in when the child was just 15 months old. He turned to horses and what his late father had taught him — horse training.
Finding solace and peace with the gentle giants in his charge, the multi-million dollar trainer is following in his father’s footsteps, as many behind the scenes and in the barns do. Not everyone is wired to deal with people on a day-to-day basis and like Dutrow, find that the animal connection is much more rewarding than the people connection.
Thoroughbred racing has fallen under great public outcry after Barbaro broke down in last year’s Preakness and Eight Belles broke both front legs at the Derby. Tests on the filly revealed last week show nothing illegal in her system and no structural or medical problems. With horses, if they don’t have a leg to stand on, they cannot survive. Had she broken just one leg, there may have been a chance to save her for future breeding, but unable to stand any longer, she was euthanized immediately.
Critics have cited strenuous workouts on the two- and three-year old animals that just were not used in past decades. Veteran trainers last Saturday said “they just don’t make them like they used to,” pointing the finger at the breeders, not the trainers. Geneticists cried foul on that, saying it would take decades to change the genetic profile of horses. However, nearly everyone on a forum panel on ESPN agreed that the change in training tactics was the major factor in so many breakdowns in recent years. Most said that the desire for a faster, more streamlined horse will result in many more of the tragic breakdowns if Thoroughbred racing does re- evaluate its breeding and training principles that produced bigger-boned horses that could sustain the rigors of training and racing.
As that self-study plays out, Big Brown looks to put a positive face on racing, as he becomes a potential Triple Crown winner.

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