It’s been thirty years since Affirmed won the Triple Crown, the longest drought between winners since the 25 years that separated Citation’s win in 1948 from Secretariat’s in 1973. Since then eleven horses have come to the Belmont Stakes with the chance to make history only to fall short.
This year, it’s Big Brown’s turn to make history, and a lot of people think he can do it:
ELMONT, N.Y., June 6 — Richard Dutrow Jr. stepped up to the microphones outside trainer Bobby Frankel’s barn Friday morning to address a wall of media representatives looking as if he had just rolled out of a backyard hammock.
With his polo shirt untucked, khakis rumpled and the brim of a ball cap with a Triple Crown insignia pulled low, Dutrow hardly suggested he stood to become the first trainer to send out a horse who sweeps the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 30 years.
Until he opened his mouth.
Asked what advice he would give a jockey trying to upset the seemingly unbeatable Big Brown on Saturday, Dutrow showed his sharpness.
“Stay out of his way,” he said.
The almost reckless confidence and braggadocio Dutrow has displayed since before the Kentucky Derby remained in full flower before the 140th Belmont, a 1 1/2 -mile race carrying a purse of $1 million. He envisions winning “by daylight, easily.”
“I just don’t see no dogfight in this race,” he said. “You can’t imagine this race is going to be too far for him with these horses. He’s not running against a real tough crowd, and he’s a real good horse. I still haven’t seen another 3-year-old step up to give Big Brown a run for his money.”
If the undefeated Big Brown is to be derailed in his quest to become the 12th winner of the Triple Crown, something alarming likely will have to happen. Yet alarming things repeatedly have happened since Affirmed held off Alydar three times in a row and last captured the Triple Crown in 1978: The nearly invincible Spectacular Bid — “the fastest horse to ever look through a bridle,” according to the late trainer Grover “Bud” Delp — didn’t win the Belmont. Real Quiet looked home free under jockey Kent Desormeaux, who rides Big Brown, only to be run down and beaten in a photo finish by Victory Gallop in 1998. Charismatic broke down near the wire the year after that. War Emblem stumbled at the gate in 2002. Funny Cide worked too fast before the 2003 race. The plodding Birdstone caught Smarty Jones in 2004.
Big Brown has the built-in vulnerability of a quarter crack in his left front hoof, but most horsemen queried about the injury dismissed it as more of a nuisance than threat.
With morning-line odds of 2-5, Big Brown is an overwhelming favorite, and, strengthening his hand, his anticipated chief rival, Casino Drive, may be scratched after showing signs of a bruise Friday in his left rear hoof.
Here’s hoping he does it this time.
Update: It looks like Big Brown’s biggest rival, Casino Drive, has been scratched for today’s race.
