Can Big Brown be beaten?

[Breadburner]

Big Brown looked like a spoiled athelete that did not want to do what his coach wanted him to do....Man was that crowd silent.....Some friends of mine made some good money today....

[PonderInc]

His jockey pulled him back when he realized BB didn't have the gas.  The horse would have fought harder, but couldn't have won, and the jockey didn't want him to risk any injuries just to come in 5th.

Went to Fair Meadows to watch the race.  During the post parade, we were talking about how Zito (Da'Tara's trainer) is always the spoiler at the Belmont...and we didn't have any money on either of his horses.  But the lines were too long to get a bet in.  And it seemed so unlikely.  Shoulda, woulda, coulda...

I'm waiting for the conspiracy theories... All those Dick Francis novels make me expect to hear that some groom was paid to slip a mickey in Big Brown's oats.... Or was it the lack of steroids?  Or was it the heat?  Or the training changes due to the quarter crack?

Or is the Triple Crown simply that hard to win?  Winning 3 huge races in 5 weeks is a brutal expectation for any racehorse.

On to the Breeder's Cup...?

[cannon_fodder]

I was at the track Sat night too!  I laid down a ton of bets all over the board (wins to shows, trifecta boxes, super tri... you name it) and didn't hit a damn thing!  What are the odds of THAT?

Oh well.  I've wasted worse money...

[RecycleMichael]

I bet on the four, the eight, and the ten horse, all to win.

Thirty bucks down the drain. I just knew that Big Brown was going to struggle with the distance, the heat, and the new york mobsters who run that track.

I missed the six horse, My eight horse went off and finished in a tie for third at 33 to one odds and the four horse came in second at six to one odds.

I did bet the ninth and tenth race at Belmont while I was there and the fifth at Lone Star. I won all those including a $43 trifecta at Lone Star with a four dollar bet.

[Breadburner]

The 1 dollar exacta box paid $379....

[RecycleMichael]

The superfecta paid $43,000 on a two dollar bet.

[PonderInc]

Can we blame it on a loose shoe?

A photograph taken during the Belmont shows Big Brown with a loose shoe.  http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3456907  Of course, technology (Photoshop) being what it is, I would want to see other photos confirm this.  Even so, is that enough to explain Big Brown's loss?

[cks511]

quote:Originally posted by PonderInc

Can we blame it on a loose shoe?

It absolutely could have had everything to do with it.  Not calling myself an expert but I've shown alot of horses and had to scratch classes because of the same situation.  I know Lucas said it wouldn't bother a 'good' horse, which I thought was a low blow.  But he knows it could too. Judging from the pics it looks like he's lucky it didn't rip off some hoof.  I'll stand behind the jockey's actions, totally.  IMHO