Belmont thread

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;3272131]
The one thing that we always say in horse racing, is there is “no sure thing”.[/QUOTE]

Indeed. They don’t call it a horse race for nothing

The greatest horse I ever saw in my life Spectacular Bid didn’t win it due to a fluke. I dare say that not until we see a horse on his peerage (and there hasn’t been, even remotely close since 1979) will we see a real TC horse. Every year this same thing comes up - a new young buck and his connections who thinks waltzing in and a scooping up the TC is as easy as taking candy from a baby. Well, babe, it isn’t like that that.

To the guys at IEAH I say this: run like hell with that check from the breeding syndication of $50M+. You wouldn’t get a nickle over $20M on Monday (which is still a huge sum) if you had not locked in that deal.

In famed words of the character Thomas Crown in the (original Thomas Crown Affair; one of my favorite movies): [to the buyers of one his buildings after the deal is sealed] “you overpaid”.

I hope we get to see Big Brown return to racing and the winner’s circle again. Just don’t expect to hear the name Secretariat uttered in the same association again.

Kudos to Zito, et al for being the horseman he is.

[tma]

Not trying to start anything, but my first thought was that assuming that they don’t find something (like the horse bled) that the trainer will blame the jock. Especially after that comment earlier in the week about morning works.

[cloudyandcallie]

fried

[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;3272203]
I wonder how Rick likes his crow…baked or fried???[/QUOTE]

probably fried like his brain was with all the dope and drink.

[MistyBlue]

Gotta agree with Guin…I sat there fuming for poor Da Tara and his owner/jockey/trainer. An amazing race he ran from start to finish…even widening his lead in the last 1/4 mile. He had stuff left, pretty amazing.

And what do I watch after the finish? BB, BB, BB…Good Lord give it a rest. He was sound, there wasn’t blood dripping from his nostril, his jockey wasn’t being dragged by the iron and no aliens landed on him. A horse runs a great race and wins and we don’t hear a damn thing about it because the media is messing their drawers over BB. :rolleyes:

And when they finally interview the winner…what do they ask? A bunch of questions about BB. I liked the way the questions were finally knocked aside with the “but our horse was also a great horse today” and the interviewer finally sut the hell up about BB.

Not knocking Big Brown…great horse. Greater jockey. And of course there aren’t any comments from the BB camp yet…there’s a big honking breeding contract on that horse and today might show proof that there’s been a lot of money paid for a horse that can’t run after steroids and that can’t run a mile and a half. Can’t wait until the ESPN interviews when asshat has to answer questions…let’s see how many excuses fly then for there being no horse left.

Now I do wish I was a betting person…because I’d be the type to put a little something on the longest shot. :winkgrin: (which is why I’m not a betting person, LOL)

[Drvmb1ggl3]

@tma;3272266

Not trying to start anything, but my first thought was that assuming that they don’t find something (like the horse bled) that the trainer will blame the jock. Especially after that comment earlier in the week about morning works.

There is no way in the world the jock can be blamed. There was no horse under him. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see that. He was in trouble in the turn, and being pushed and then got a crack of the whip and there was no response.
Desormeaux may have over reacted in pulling him up at the top of the stretch, but given that he looked like a superhorse in his last 3 starts, and he didn’t get the response when he pushed the overdrive button today, he probably freaked out and thought something was wrong.
We won’t know till we hear what the vet check says, but I personally think the horse just had an off day. It happens. Dylan Thomas looked like the best horse in the world on grass last year. He looked like a donkey in the BC Turf at Monmouth. It happens.

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=cloudyandcallie;3272271]
probably fried like his brain was with al the dope and drink.[/QUOTE]

I have to say that I’m not keen on kicking a man when he is down. Further I’m all for giving anyone a second chance. He is exceedingly open about having done drugs in the past and hasn’t touched them since by all accounts. No need to always infuse comments about Rick and human drug consumption.

[texang73]

@Samotis;3272230

Well that is one horse I didn’t bet on! Oh well, it is only money. I will have to say Da Tara ran one hell of a race!

He was first the whole time. I can’t say that I have ever seen that! Amazing.

It did look like BB took a few off steps at the trot, but he did look fine at the walk. Hope he isn’t bleeding internally. I think he is probably ok.

Another chance at the triple crown gone…

Well said… Sorry about BB, but Kent did a GREAT job looking afer his mount.

And it was a NICE wire to wire by Da’ Tara… Zito seems to be the one for LD horses…

[CAH]

Something was definately off with BB. My guess is that he bled, had difficulty with the heat, or has a virus. He acted like a horse that couldn’t breathe.

[danceronice]

I’m wondering if it was simply the heat. It’s horrific all over the northeast today–I felt sick today, despite drinking water and electrolytes. Maybe Big Brown just felt like it was not worth it today.

And why do I never put money on my hunches? D’Tara wasn’t on anyone’s radar (Denis of Cork, Tale of Ekati, Anak Nakal, sure, that would have been expected, even Macho Again or Ichabad Crane) and I had a feeling about him.

[YankeeLawyer]

[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3272278]
I have to say that I’m not keen on kicking a man when he is down. Further I’m all for giving anyone a second chance. He is exceedingly open about having done drugs in the past and hasn’t touched them since by all accounts. No need to always infuse comments about Rick and human drug consumption.[/QUOTE]

Well said, thank you. I think it is horrible to delight in someone else’s misfortune.

[Villager]

steroid withdrawl?

My brother-in-law(retired surgeon) who knows nothing of equines- made a ‘physician’s’ guess of BB having steroid withdrawl?? I asked if they could test for signs of steroid withdrawl and he said “Indirectly. Also from the electrolytes K and Na”.

I don’t know what that is about ( K and Na- having failed chemistry)

Really was rooting for a Triple Crowner…to make history—and I guess BB did in a backwards sort of way(coming last).
Kudos to his jockey… Congrats to Nick Zito and his little jockey that could.

[cloudyandcallie]

most dont stop

[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3272278]
I have to say that I’m not keen on kicking a man when he is down. Further I’m all for giving anyone a second chance. He is exceedingly open about having done drugs in the past and hasn’t touched them since by all accounts. No need to always infuse comments about Rick and human drug consumption.[/QUOTE]

and you know he doesn’t use drugs now or get drunk? addicts have a hard time keeping straight, I sent thousands to jail.
and he gives steroids to his horses. hmmmm, what do you want to bet he’s drinking tonight?
but it is about the horse. steroids will bulk them up, like the “rasslers” and get them big, like Barry Bonds, and then going off of them? not feeling too good. So I think breeding for endurance and breeding for bone is the way to go, not drugs, whether legal or illegal. If they need drugs to perform, they need to be laid up till they can get off of the drugs. Who wants a Horsey Hulk Hogan?

[MunchingonHay]

footage

I have looked at all the broadcasting channels for the footage and YouTube. I cannot find this race anywhere. I had to work and would still like to see it.

[Lauruffian]

Going into the first turn and watching BB toss his head and fight, I became curious as to just how this race would turn out. BB did NOT look happy, though perhaps he was just overeager and not troubled. But Kent got him to the outside for a nice clear trip, and I figured things smoothed themselves out early enough to recover.

Going into the far turn, I knew it was over for BB and that he’d be off the board. Kent knew it too, and did the right thing to pull him up. No need to punish the horse.

I’m disappointed, but I have to admit…only mildly so. I’ve been waiting for a Triple Crown winner since I was a little girl, and have seen all but Spectacular Bid and Pleasant Colony make their efforts. I was excited by all of them, some more than others (Smarty Jones and Sunday Silence were my biggest favs), but this time–even though BB seemed the most overwhelming choice–I was underwhelmed.

Dunno if it’s the lack of charisma or “story” with his connections, or it it’s just the death of Eight Belles cast a pall over this year’s TC season…but I was actually happy to see Zito won. I like the guy.

And I also have to admit, I was happy BB lost as it meant he won’t be whisked off to stud ASAP and we’ll (theoretically) get to see him again as his connections seek to redeem him. Dunno that that will happen, but I think it’s more likely.

[Carol_Ames]

IT IS hard!

I underestimated the toll it, theTC takes on horses’ bodies, :yes:remember they are only three! , until Lazy Lane had a horse who , ran in all three races plus,a big race,derby?at the meadowlnds; I was doing night watch and so saw him and went into his stall every night; after the Belmont his body mass/muscles seemed to have doubled!and no matter where on his body i touched, he:eek: was sore! The TC :yes:is hard, that’s why it’s such a big deal!:yes:

[Tiempo]

What was the winning time? Searching with dial-up is getting me nowhere.

[cloudyandcallie]

responsible owner

[QUOTE=War Admiral;3270142]
Look: I know that. I’ve seen plenty of OTTBs w/ quarter crack issues in my 40+ years of retraining them. And there was a WB in my old barn whose LF pretty much had to be kept glued together by the type of patching described.

BUT if you want to KEEP them sound, it’s pretty darn axiomatic that you don’t stress them on a fresh one. (But then, I’m into training for longevity, which racing trainers are not. My current OTTB is 23 and still working.)

So - if it were my horse, would it be running a long, demanding race tomorrow? Nope. Sorry. It would have some time off to let that crack grow down and THEN patch it, when the patch has at least SOME hope of staying in.[/QUOTE]

ah but War Admiral you are a responsible owner, and also a Triple Crown winner. Some trainers want to win more than they want a sound horse.

[Tucked_Away]

[QUOTE=Guin;3272188]
SERIOUSLY!! Has any horse ever done that before, wire to wire? MAYBE SOME OF US WOULD LIKE TO KNOW!![/QUOTE]

I haven’t found video of this race yet, so all caveats apply, but…it sounds like Da’Tara stole it on the front end? Honestly, getting out in front and cruising along without ever being challenged is a pretty sweet deal. That’s exactly what you hope for when you have a front-running horse. Which doesn’t diminish the effort–he still had to run his race (and I’m always happy to see a Tiznow kid make good). But you can see a horse wire the field most every day of the week.

[RockinHorse]

If steroid withdrawal played a part in the loss, I doubt we will ever hear about it since that would mean that Dutrow made a HUGE mistake in his discision to stop the injections midway through his triple crown bid.

[Nikki]

@cloudyandcallie;3272300

Who wants a Horsey Hulk Hogan?

Whatcha gonna do when (insert next TC winner’s name here) runs wild over you?!!??

(couldn’t resist)