[OLD HEAD]

It's Browns Town

Big Brown Proves Dutrow Right
By JAY PRIVMAN, Daily Racing Form
Triple Crown | Posted 5/3/2008, 7:53 pm

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It ain't bragging if you can back it up, and Big Brown backed up trainer Richard Dutrow's confident words at Churchill Downs on Saturday by rolling to a impressive victory in the 134th Kentucky Derby before 157,770 fans, the second-largest attendance in Derby history.
But the powerful win was marred by the fatal injury suffered by the filly Eight Belles, who finished a gallant second but then broke both front ankles galloping out after the finish. Her injuries were so serious that she had to be euthanized on the track as she lay stricken near the six-furlong pole on the clubhouse turn.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, said there was "no possible way" Eight Belles could be saved. "That's an injury that's very painful," Bramlage said.
Eight Belles was trained by Larry Jones, who on Friday won the Kentucky Oaks with Proud Spell, and she was owned by the Fox Hill Farms of Richard Porter.
Big Brown completed 1 1/4 miles on a fast main track in 2:01.82. He became the first horse to break from a starting gate and win from post 20. The last horse to win from post 20, Clyde Van Dusen in 1929, did so with a walk-up start, before the starting gate was invented.
Big Brown ($6.80), the favorite, beat Eight Belles by 4 3/4 lengths, making Dutrow look like a prophet. Dutrow, who was running his first horse in the Derby, had said for weeks that he feared no horse in this Derby, and said he would back his words with a large wager. He said Big Brown was touting himself in the morning.
"He's been telling everybody watching him," said Dutrow, who put front leg bandages on Big Brown for the Derby. "All he needed was to like the track. We had a good post where nothing was gonna get in our way."
Dutrow said he made the comments he did in recent weeks because "I was asked the questions and Big Brown was telling me how to answer the questions."
Big Brown gave his jockey, Kent Desormeaux, his third victory in the Derby, following Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.
"He's just a really intelligent horse and a pleasure to ride," Desormeaux said.
Denis of Cork rallied belatedly to finish third, 3 1/2 lengths behind Eight Belles. Tale of Ekati was fourth and was followed, in order, by Recapturetheglory, Colonel John, Anak Nakal, Pyro, Cowboy Cal, Z Fortune, Smooth Air, Visionaire, Court Vision, Z Humor, Cool Coal Man, Bob Black Jack, Gayego, Big Truck, Adriano, and Monba.
Big Brown had made just three lifetime starts, one last year and two this year, including the Florida Derby. He became the first horse to win the Derby with just three starts since Regret in 1915. Big Brown has now won all four of his starts, and now moves on to the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, at Pimlico on May 17 as the only horse capable this year of winning the Triple Crown. The Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes have been swept 11 times, but not since Affirmed in 1978. That 30-year drought is the longest since the Triple Crown was first won by Sir Barton in 1919.
Big Brown is owned by the IEAH Stables, a partnership headed by Michael Iavarone, and by Paul Pompa Jr., who owned Big Brown for his first race and sold a majority interest in the colt. IEAH and Pompa earned a first prize of $1,451,800 from a gross purse of $2,211,800. Pompa named the colt in honor of United Parcel Service, which is based here in Louisville.
Derby Day dawned cloudy and cool following heavy rain on Friday, but strong winds and abundant sunshine helped dry the main track. It was listed as sloppy for the first race, was quickly upgraded to good following the first race, and was listed as fast after the third race. The wind continued up through the Derby, providing a headwind down the homestretch and a tailwind on the backstretch.
Big Brown, starting from the outside stall, broke cleanly but was kept in reserve early by Desormeaux, who elected to surrender ground on the first turn. Big Brown was four paths wide on the first turn while Bob Black Jack, the early leader, clicked off fractions of 23.30 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.04 seconds for a half-mile.
"He broke listening to the crowd," Desormeaux said. "He was attentive to the cheers."
After the first time through the stretch, Big Brown "got into a very comfortable, cruising canter," Desormeaux said.
Even though he was wide and losing ground, Big Brown avoided some of the trouble that plagued several of his rivals early on. Pyro and Colonel John collided with one another leaving the gate, and Adriano checked sharply on the heels of rivals a furlong into the race when too many horses sought too few running lanes.
As the field advanced down the backstretch, Desormeaux let Big Brown fall a couple of lengths off the pace. But after six furlongs in 1:11.14, Big Brown began to roll up outside his rivals in search of the lead.
"I let him get a breather," Desormeaux said. "He was all within himself, not straining."
At the top of the stretch, Big Brown immediately surged to a commanding lead.
"He just started adding power to the stride he has, and he's got some power," Desormeaux said.

Few horses to take on Big Brown in Preakness
By MIKE WELSCH, Daily Racing Form
Triple Crown | Posted 5/4/2008, 12:38 pm

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The flight to Baltimore may be a lonely one for Big Brown in the wake of his dominating victory in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
As of Sunday morning, it appeared Big Brown would be the only member of the Derby field heading to Pimlico for the Preakness on May 17. Among the connections of horses who finished behind Big Brown in the Derby, only trainer Louie Roussel left the door open, saying he was leaning against bringing Recapturetheglory to the Preakness but that he wouldn't make a decision until Monday.
Recapturetheglory finished fifth, nearly a dozen lengths behind Big Brown, after challenging for the lead around the second turn in the Derby.
The connections of the remainder of the Derby field indicated they would either give their horses some time off or await the Belmont in five weeks for another potential meeting with Big Brown.
Big Brown looked a picture of health as he walked the shedrow in Barn 22 at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning. Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said the undefeated and as yet still untested Big Brown came out of his 4 3/4-ength victory over the ill-fated filly, Eight Belles, in good order and that he would remain at Churchill Downs until May 14 before shipping to Maryland.
Among the 3-year-olds expected to be waiting for the Derby winner in the Preakness are Kentucky Bear and El Gato Malo, both of whom were excluded from the Derby lineup due to insufficient graded earnings.
Trainer Larry Jones was at his barn at Churchill Downs and addressed a handful of reporters about the tragedy that claimed the life of the filly Eight Belles moments after she crossed the finish line second in the Derby. Jones, who trained Eight Belles, reiterated his comments of the night before that he did not believe the racing surface was in any way responsible for her injury -- she broke her front ankles while galloping out -- and said he felt sorry for the connections of the Derby winner considering that much of the attention that would normally have been focused on them was shifted to Eight Belles and Jones immediately after the race.


Dutrow After Derby: 'The Horse is Good'
by Claire Novak, The Blood-Horse.com
Updated: May 4, 2008

Speaking to reporters on the Churchill Downs backside the day after Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. was cautiously optimistic regarding his starter's chances in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
“I really liked him in (the Derby) because everything was perfect,” said Dutrow. “Now things start to change. Maybe there's gonna be some hotshot speed horse in (the Preakness), maybe it'll rain and be sloppy, maybe some other horse will really like it. There's a lot of things that'll be different now, but I still like our chances because I think we have the best horse.”
Big Brown's hooves, which have been prone to quarter cracks, were not an issue as of May 4. All four feet looked fine, Dutrow said, and the robust Boundary colt came out of the Derby in good order. The colt cleaned up his evening feed tub after walking the shedrow last night, the trainer added.
“(His hooves) have only been a concern when we couldn't patch him up,” Dutrow remarked. “After we had patched him up it was no concern. His feet look good.”
In spite of the ease with which the colt scored his 4 3/4-length Derby win for IEAH Stables and partners, his trainer was concerned about the 14-day turnaround to the second leg of the Triple Crown.
“I can't stand wheeling back in two weeks, but it doesn't matter because we've gotta do it,” he said. “When this horse goes into the race the right way, with good timing and all, I don't see anyone beating him – but now that's not happening. He's gotta' come right back off a huge, huge race. I know he looks like he's the best horse, but Pimlico's a different game.”
The 2008 Kentucky Derby winner has not raced over the Maryland oval – his four wins came at Saratoga, Gulfstream, and Churchill Downs – but Dutrow thinks his colt should like the speedy surface, which he hopes will not be physically damaging.
“He's supposed to love (Pimlico) because it's a speed-favoring track, the turns are tight, and he handles the turns well,” the trainer said. “But the surface there has always been too hard for the horses, and the harder the track is, the more unsafe it is for your horses, so that's why I don't like it.”
With that in mind, and given the short turnaround between races, Dutrow plans to keep Big Brown on a light training schedule at Churchill.
“I'm not gonna bear down on him,” he said. “He had a big race here, and I won't have to put a sharpening in him. He doesn't have to be hammered in the mornings. I always walk my horses three days after they run, then I jog them the next day and then I go on to gallop them for 11 days and then I like breezing them. I'm not going to change much in my theories and ways of thinking; we're just going to take one day at a time. We're under no pressure, but it will be a very light training schedule.”
New runners expected to face Big Brown in the Preakness include Behindatthebar, El Gato Malo, Giant Moon, Harlem Rocker, Kentucky Bear, Stevil, Tres Borrachos and Yankee Bravo. As of May 4, none of the other Derby contenders had committed to the May 17 event.
“We all know he's not a 'need to lead' horse, and that makes him so much more dangerous,” Dutrow said. “I mean, everybody's seen now that he can sit off the pace. If he'd gone straight to the lead yesterday maybe other trainers would be thinking about (running) a 'rabbit,' but they won't be thinking about that now.”
Big Brown will remain at Churchill Downs for most of the two weeks leading up to the Preakness, and will ship directly to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., accompanied by his trainer.
“I'm going there with the big horse, but he's going to have to show that he's great because of the timing of these races. It's not going to be a party,” Dutrow said.
Big Brown was bred in Kentucky by Monticule out of the Nureyv mare Mien. Two of his four wins are grade I victories – the Derby and the Florida Derby (gr. I).

Brown could bag a Triple Crown
By Vic Ziegel, New York Daily News
Sunday, May 4th 2008, 11:21 PM

LOUISVILLE - There were three Triple Crown champions in the 1970s. Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and nothing but a bunch of near misses and torn tickets for the last 30 years. Which is fine, because winning the Triple Crown is something more of an achievement than leading the league in sacrifice flies.
A 3-year-old has to win three races in five weeks, over three different tracks, at three different distances. And then there's the whip, always with the whip. The jockey must keep making all the right decisions. No chocolate cheesecake, for sure. The trainer, besides waking up too early, and wearing the same zipper jackets for weeks on end, has to pretend all our questions make sense.
There was new and ample evidence yesterday that we have the right horse at last. OK, 14 Derby winners ran faster than Big Brown. Secretariat would have beaten him by 12 lengths. But nobody had won from the 20 post since 1927 and this was the first horse in 93 years to win with only three previous starts.
And now the new evidence that the Triple Crown is well within his reach. The morning after the race, the public relations person from Pimlico comes around to tell us what the field looks like for the Preakness. (Saves so much time.) He had seven names on his list and one probable. Not one of the 19 horses who ran against the winner in the mile-and-a-quarter that ends with roses. Not one. So let me push the Secretariat button one more time: two colts from his Derby actually stuck around to try him again in the Preakness. For all the good it did them.
So if all goes as expected May 17, Big Brown will be asked to run past, who knows, eight, nine, 10 others. It's not the same as a day off, with pay, but it's close enough.
Of course, the trainer, Rick Dutrow, would be nervous about the Preakness even if the entire field was Thumper and Bambi. Racing the horse again only two weeks later is nothing he wants for Big Brown. Two weeks? "It's not gonna be a party. I don't like it. I can't stand it," he said yesterday. "But it doesn't matter. We got to."
Sept. 3, the horse ran for the first time at Saratoga for another trainer. A mile and a quarter on the grass. Won by 11 lengths. He was sold soon afterward and given to Dutrow. Big Brown had serious hoof problems. Couldn't make the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in late October, stayed on the sidelines for the rest of the year, and didn't train at all in January. His second start, March 5, was an allowance race at Gulfstream. Won by 12-3/4.
"He looked like a superstar," Dutrow said. "We've been excited ever since."
The top 20 horses in graded stakes earnings are eligible to become Derby starters. Big Brown's bankroll in that category was $0.00 when he ran in the million-dollar Florida Derby and won by the longest five lengths in the history of that race.
So the Derby crowd made him its favorite at 2-1. Not the smart guys. They wouldn't pick him to finish in the money and kept saying, and writing, "Yeah, yeah, but who'd he beat? Who? Huh?"
Ah, but it was the way he did it. In Florida, he jumped in front from the ugly outside post, No. 12, and won laughing all the way. Could have stopped for a carrot and still won by plenty.
Saturday, from the 20 post, wherever that is, it was argued he'd need to expend too much energy to get a quick lead. But the horse who is always in front, or a step away, was as patient as an honor student. He rated beautifully, was sixth after six furlongs, and didn't reach the leader until just before the last turn. After that, he was all alone.
"A clean trip, a perfect," the trainer said. "And now everybody sees he can settle off the pace. That's a big plus."
But he's willing to throw in a minus: "It wasn't a strong field, other than our horse. Secretariat, that was a good crop that year, and he took them to the cleaners."
He brought up Secretariat. Not me. Not this time.

GOLDEN 'BROWN' TOAST OF TOWN
'BIG' FAVE WINS FROM POST 20
By ED FOUNTAINE

May 4, 2008 -- LOUISVILLE, Ky. - He said he could do it, and indeed he did!
Big Brown, the undefeated superstar that trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. swore all week could not lose yesterday's 134th Kentucky Derby, backed up Dutrow's boast in a big way, surging to the lead with a powerful rally turning for home, then drawing off to win the Run for the Roses by 4 3/4 lengths under a jubilant Kent Desormeaux.
On a sun-splashed, wind-blown afternoon at Churchill Downs before an overflow crowd of 157,770, Big Brown, favored at 2.40-1, dominated his 19 opponents as few Derby winners ever have, running the mile-and-a-quarter in a fast 2:01.92. Coming off a romp in the Florida Derby, the big, brown son of Boundary has won his four starts by a combined 333/4 lengths and looms the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.
"I just saw Brown kicking butt down the lane," said Dutrow, 48, who is based at Aqueduct. "I didn't see who was second, third. Doesn't matter. We were here to watch our horse. Big Brown is born to run."
Eight Belles, the only filly in the race, finished second, but broke both front ankles and collapsed pulling up around the first turn. She was euthanized immediately. Denis of Cork ran third.
Big Brown, who took home $1,451,800 of the Derby's $2,211.800 purse, overcame a mountain of hurdles to give Dutrow his first Derby victory in his first try. Sidelined by cracked hooves last winter, running with front bandages to protect his heels, he is the first horse since 1915 to win the roses off just three lifetime starts, and only the second to win from post 20. The last to do that was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.
"I had a beautiful, uneventful trip," Desormeaux said, despite the fact he stalked the pace four wide all the way before making his move around the far turn. With Richard's astuteness at the draw [picking post 20], we were dreaming of this happening. No distractions, no alterations in the course, just slide over. He was truly in a gallop to the quarter-pole, and he added power to the stride when I asked for it."
The pace, set by California invader Bob Black Jack, was quick, but not suicidal, the first quarter-mile in :23.30, the half in :47.04. Cowboy Cal and Recapturetheglory were pressing Bob Black Jack on the lead, with Big Brown in the clear on the outside.
"Going down the backside, he was just cruising, floppy eared," said Desormeaux, a Hall-of-Fame jockey who won the Derby with Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. "I let him alone and let him canter until I needed him. When I showed him the whip, whoosh.
"Talent-wise, he's the best horse I've ever ridden. I've probably had some equally as fast, but they didn't have the stamina. This guy's got the talent, he's got the brain, he's got the ability to have multiple gears. Every time I ask him, it's like leaving the starting gate again."
Big Brown is owned by the IEAH Stable (International Equine Acquisitions Holdings) formed by Long Island investment bankers Mike Iavarone and Rich Schiavo. Their eyes lit up when Brown won his first start, on turf last summer at Saratoga, by 111/4 lengths, and soon after bought a 75-percent share in him from Paul Pompa Jr., who owns a Brooklyn trucking company.
"I saw this 2-year-old streak across the line in front of everybody," Iavorone said. "I called up Rick and said, 'I think there's a horse we need to buy.' "
Big Brown paid $6.80, topped a $141.60 exacta, a $3,445.60 trifecta and a superfecta worth $58,737.80 with Tale of Ekati outfinishing Recapturetheglory for fourth. The only two other horses in the field who got much betting action, 4.70-1 Colonel John and 5.70-1 Pyro, finished sixth and eighth, respectively.
Four of the last five finishers, Bob Black Jack, Gayego, Adriano and Monba, were horses running on dirt who did most of their best racing on synthetic surfaces.


Big Brown the Derby favorite won, as he should have
By Vic Ziegel, New York Daily News

LOUISVILLE - Special. That's the too-easy description for Big Brown's stunning score in the Kentucky Derby. Very special? Sure, very. Tack on all the verys you want and it isn't enough to describe what happened on the Churchill Downs track Saturday.
Big Brown was the favorite and he won the way favorites should. At the wire it was Big Brown and then a significant amount of daylight. And now people will expect this colt to win the Triple Crown, the first to join that select group in 30 years.
Listen, the Triple Crown must never be taken for granted. Plenty of horses have looked impressive in the Derby, some have run faster than Big Brown, and won by more lengths. They come back in two weeks and take the Preakness, but the third step has been one to many. These are young horses, not machines, and stuff, as you know, happens. So don't think Big Brown is a cinch. By the way, I'm one of those people who thinks the crown will fit very nicely on Big Brown.
Sadly, a lousy word, the race and Big Brown's incredible performance will be remembered for the worst moment the sport sometimes delivers. After crossing the wire, the second-place horse, the filly Eight Belles, ran on for a while and collapsed. "Pulled up in distress," was the chart caller's shorthand. It was so much worse.
Because she broke both ankles, there was no chance for her to stand or to be taken into the ambulance that came for her. Only one thing to be done. A gray screen was placed around her and she was immediately euthanized.
Immediately after the race, her trainer, Larry Jones, so proud of her, was ready to celebrate. "The race is over, all she has to do is pull up, come back and we'll all be happy. Gallop, stop, and come home. Things happen for a reason, but I see no reason for this."
A day earlier, another of Jones' fillies, Proud Spells, won the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks. The trainer saved Eight Belles for the Derby, convinced she'd run the kind of race she did. "She ran the race of her life," Jones said later. "This wasn't supposed to happen."
Big Brown's trainer never saw the filly collapse. Rick Dutrow, and the horse's owners, friends and family began celebrating when Big Brown took over in the stretch. They were certain he wouldn't, couldn't, be caught.
"I didn't see who was second, third," Dutrow said. "It didn't matter." He's an excitable guy, who takes winning very seriously, laughing all the way. But subtle, he's not. "I was just watching (Big Brown) kick ass down the stretch."
There was another question about the filly, and Dutrow tried again. "Look, I love horses," he said. "So any horse that happens to, it really ... I mean, we love horses, all of us. If you don't love horses and you're in this game, get out."
The 49-year-old Dutrow is the son of a trainer, and began working for his father at 16. The years since have been stormy. Suspensions for using banned substances, possession of marijuana. He was kept off the New York tracks for five years. When he returned, he moved into the tack room of his barn and it became home. Would do it again if he had to, he said.
If it happens, it won't be Big Brown's fault. The undefeated horse is the latest to come out of Dutrow's strong barn. He's had three Breeders' Cup winners in the last three years and now he has this one, his best one. His first Derby starter ran another monster race five weeks ago in the Florida Derby. Came from the 12 post, which hadn't produced a single winner since Gulfstream was reconfigured in 2005. He won so easily that day the Derby was going to be a snap. Well, almost a snap.
But when it was time to pick his post, and all the swell ones were already occupied, Dutrow grabbed the 20, which is somewhere on the highway to Cincinnati. Another bunch of speed horses had drawn just inside of him. He'd be used hard to get in front of them, the way he did in Florida. Running a mile-and-quarter, for the first time, is hard enough. Running it wide is brutal.
And there he was, five-wide, five horses in front of him for the first six furlongs. Not to worry, said jockey Kent Desormeaux. "I had a beautiful uneventful trip. No distractions, no alterations in course, just slide over."
The first time the rider asked Big Brown to get serious, the horse joined the leaders. The next time, coming out of the last turn, Big Brown said goodbye to everyone else.
Now all he has to do is say it two more times.

Big Brown Delivers; Filly Breaks Down
by Dan Liebman, The Blood-Horse.com
Updated: May 4, 2008

United Parcel Service has never made a delivery like Big Brown delivered May 3 at Churchill Downs, romping home by nearly five lengths to remain unbeaten in four starts with a scintillating win in the $2,211,800 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I)
The filly Eight Belles finished second, but broke down while galloping out after the race and had to be euthanized on the track.
The worry that Big Brown had to make the lead from the outside post position proved a non-factor. Kent Desormeaux had him in sixth down the stretch for the first time, and was sitting in fourth when they went around the first turn.
Big Brown was wide but clear, and Desormeaux always had him in a good striking position behind leaders Bob Black Jack, Cowboy Cal, and Recapturetheglory.
They ran the half-mile in :47.04, six furlongs in 1:11.14, and a mile in 1:36.56.
As the leaders headed into the turn for home, Desormeaux pushed the button and Big Brown, after taking a few strides to get in gear, simply ran away from the field.
Eight Belles was clear of the third horse, Denis of Cork, by 3 1/2 lengths, while Tale of Ekati finished fourth.
While both Big Brown and Eight Belles were galloping out after the race, Eight Belles broke both front ankles and collapsed. She was immediately euthanized on the track.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, the American Association of Equine Practitioner's on call veterinarian on site, said there was no alternative to the decision to end the life of the Unbridled's Song filly owned by Rick Porter, trained by Larry Jones, and ridden by Gabe Saez.
"That is an injury that is painful. There was no way to save her," Bramlage said.
"These things (the horses) are our family," a distraught Jones told the media shortly after returning to Barn 43. "They put their lives on the line and she was glad to do it."
Jones said the filly "ran the race of her life. She was easily second best. I was seeing flashbacks of last year and expecting the same result as last year."
Jones-trained Hard Spun finished second in the Derby before going on to finish third in the Preakness and second in the Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (gr. I).
The trainer said it appeared that the filly suffered a condylar fracture when trying to pull up. In attempting to keep herself up, she broke the other ankle, he said.
Jones said an autopsy will be performed and Porter had directed that the filly be cremated.
"She went out in glory; she went out as a champion to us," said the trainer, his voice breaking, in a press conference about two hours after the Derby. 'We're heartbroken; we'll miss her every day."
Jones and Saez were experiencing the highs and lows of racing, having won the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) the preceding day with Brereton Jones' Proud Spell.
Eight Belles was at the seven-eighths pole when she injured herself.
According to Bramlage, the filly suffered condylar fractures in both forelegs. The left was dislocated and opened the skin, contaminating the injury. She fractured "at least one sesamoid' in her right leg, Bramlage said.
"It was a catastrophic injury," Bramlage added. "It happened on the same stride right in front of the outrider."
Big Brown, by Boundary, is owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr. and trained by Rick Dutrow. He had captured all three of his previous starts, including a five-length win in the March 29 Florida Derby (gr. I).
The Derby winner was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Gary Knapp's Monticule from the Nureyev mare Mien.
Big Brown went off the favorite and paid $6.80, $5, and $4.80. Eight Belles returned $10.60 and $6.40, and Denis of Cork returned $11.60.
The final time was 2:01.92 for the race run before 157,770, the second-highest attendance in Derby history. The record of 163,628 was set in 1974.
"I can't describe the feeling," Dutrow said. "It is an unbelievable feeling. What you saw today is what made me so confident.
"It was just the way we envisioned things happening. We took the 20 post because we figured let's give our horse a chance. In case he doesn't break sharp, with the outside post we were guaranteed a good trip. He puts himself wherever he needs to be in the race. Every inch of the race was to our liking today."
Big Brown was the first horse to win the Derby from the 20 post since 1929.
Dutrow did say he was worried at one point during the running of the race.
"Going down the backside, he was lying fifth or sixth, and horses going on the inside of him," the trainer said. "I got a little bit nervous at that point. But Kent knew he had plenty of horse underneath him."
It was the first starter for Dutrow in the Derby and the third victory for Desormeaux, who also won with Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 and Real Quiet in 1998. Desormeaux said Big Brown was the best horse he has ever ridden.
"It was a beautiful, uneventful trip," Desormeaux said. "We were dreaming of this happening--an uneventful cruise down the front side the first time, with no alterations in course. He just slid over; he did it so within himself. He added power to the stride when I needed it."
Big Brown became the seventh horse to win the Derby and remain undefeated, joining Barbaro (2006), Smarty Jones (2004), Seattle Slew (1977), Majestic Prince (1969), Morvich (1922), and Regret (1915).
He was the second winner of the race, from 13 who tried, to win the Run for the Roses with only three prior starts. The last to try was Curlin just last year. He went on to be Horse of the Year. The other winner was the filly Regret in 1915.
Big Brown was sold as a yearling by Monticule at the Fasig-Tipton October sale, where Eddie Woods purchased him for $60,000. He was bought by Paul Pompa for $190,000 at the 2007 Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training from Woods.
After Big Brown broke his maiden at Saratoga on the turf by 11 1/4 lengths when trained by Pat Reynolds, IEAH bought into the horse and he was transferred to Dutrow's barn. Big Brown made his second start March 5 at Gulfstream Park in a race that came off the turf. He won that day by 12 3/4 lengths.
The second Derby choice, Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Colonel John, was farther back than usual and closed ground to finish sixth. Only one other horse was single digits in the wagering, Pyro, who wound up eighth.
The complete order of finish was: Big Brown, Eight Belles, Denis of Cork, Tale of Ekati, Recapturetheglory, Colonel John, Anak Nakal, Pyro, Cowboy Cal, Z Fortune, Smooth Air, Visionaire, Court Vision, Z Humor, Cool Coal Man, Bob Black Jack, Gayego, Big Truck, Adriano, and Monba.

THRILLING DERBY RACE ENDS ON TRAGIC NOTE
By Ray Kerrison, New York Post

May 4, 2008 -- LOUISVILLE, Ky. From the day they ran the first horse race 300 years ago or so in England till they sprung the latch on the Kentucky Derby last night, thoroughbred racing has operated on one unwavering principle: class will out.
Seldom has that fundamental been more dramatically or brilliantly exhibited than in the stretch run of the 134th Derby when the big brown running machine, Big Brown, roared off the turn, stormed to the lead and ran away from his 19 rivals to score an unforgettable triumph.
The ecstasy of it all lasted maybe 20 seconds. What should have been the soaring, crowning moment of Big Brown's career, for his owners, the IEAH Stables, his trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. and his jockey, Kent Desormeaux, suddenly turned somber, then sad and finally tragic.
The gallant filly, Eight Belles, who chased Big Brown under the wire, galloped out around the turn then in an instant slammed to the ground, her front ankles shattered, her life over.
"The injuries were catasrophic," said Dr Larry Bramlage, the track's "on call" veterinarian. "She didn't have a front foot to stand on. She was immediately euthanized. I have never seen anything like this before at the end of a race."
So, for the second time in two years, the sweet, magical appeal of racing was blown apart. Eight Belles' horrendous end triggered all the sad and bitter memories of Barbaro's breakdown in the Preakness at Pimlico, just two weeks after he had won the Kentucky Derby by six widening lengths, his long struggle to survive and then his end.
There is nothing more to say. The loss of life hovers over every sporting event, human and animal. Who can explain it? Certainly, there was no apparent negligence anywhere, either in the race itself, the state of the track, or the decision of his owner Rick Porter and his trainer Larry Jones to start the filly against 19 colts.

Big Brown delivers Derby win
Fatal injury to runner-up filly Eight Belles a tragic ending
BY JENNIE REES • • MAY 4, 2008
The Courier-Journal

Big Brown unleashed one of the most powerful displays in Kentucky Derby history yesterday, backing up his trainer's bold predictions with a 4¾-length victory over the filly Eight Belles at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. had been telling anyone who would listen that Big Brown would win the Derby.
"I just haven't seen any other horse with my eyes that can beat him," he said last week.
But even as Dutrow and Big Brown's owners celebrated in unbridled jubilation, a heart-wrenching scene was unfolding on the track's first turn. As jockeys were pulling up their mounts, Eight Belles, who had finished 3½ lengths in front of third-place Denis of Cork, collapsed a quarter-mile past the wire.
Jockey Gabriel Saez quickly jumped off. Attendants rushed to the filly's aid, but she had fractured her lower front legs as she was stopping and had to be euthanized by injection.
Big Brown gave Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux his third victory in America's greatest horse race. But Eight Belles was in his thoughts as well.
Order of Finish
1. Big Brown
2. Eight Belles
3. Denis of Cork
4. Tale of Ekati
5. Recapturetheglory
6. Colonel John
7. Anak Nakal
8. Pyro
9. Cowboy Cal
10. Z Fortune
11. Smooth Air
12. Visionaire
13. Court Vision
14. Z Humor
15. Cool Coal Man
16. Bob Black Jack
17. Gayego
18. Big Truck
19. Adriano
20. Monba
"I think this horse, he showed you his heart," Desormeaux said of Big Brown. "And Eight Belles showed you her life for our enjoyment today. I'm deeply sympathetic towards that team."
It was the first Derby fatality in the 41 years that Butch Lehr has worked on the Churchill Downs track, including 26½ years as track superintendent.
It was as shocking as Big Brown was stunning, a tour de force played out before a sun-soaked crowd of 157,770 -- second-largest in Derby history -- reveling in the breezy 65-degree weather.
Big Brown -- named by original owner Paul Pompa Jr. in honor of a big contract his Brooklyn trucking company has with UPS, Louisville's largest employer -- certainly showed what Brown can do. He became the first horse since 1915 to win the Derby in only his fourth career start. He also became the first winner to break from the No. 20 post since 1929.
Big Brown had raced on or near the lead in his prior starts, but he was content to be several lengths off the pace and as far back as sixth around the first turn and up the backstretch before kicking into gear. He never had a horse to his outside, racing four-wide around the first turn and with two horses to his inside on the second turn.
"He truly was in a gallop to the quarter pole," Desormeaux said. "He added power to the stride when I needed it."
That came through the last quarter-mile, when he exploded to the lead while covering 1¼ miles in 2:01.82. He paid $6.80 to win as the surprisingly heavy favorite.
Denis of Cork came from last after six furlongs and 13th after a mile to take third at 27-1 under Calvin Borel, who won last year's Derby aboard Street Sense.
"The winner is a monster," said David Carroll of Louisville, Denis of Cork's trainer. "And it was so sad what happened to Eight Belles. But I was very proud of our horse."
Tale of Ekati, the Wood Memorial winner who went off at 37-1 odds, took fourth. Second choice Colonel John, the Santa Anita Derby winner making his first start on dirt, finished sixth. Third choice Pyro, 18th for much of the race, came in eighth.
Todd Pletcher, the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, extended his losing streak in the Derby to zero for 21, with Cowboy Cal finishing ninth and Blue Grass winner Monba last.
Big Brown, a Kentucky-bred son of Boundary out of the Nureyev mare Mien, picked up $1,451,800 to bring his earnings to $2,145,000. He was purchased for $190,000 last year at Keeneland by Pompa, who sold a 75 percent interest to IEAH Stables after the colt won a 11/16-mile maiden turf race at Saratoga by 11¼ lengths.
Problems with cracks in his hooves sidelined Big Brown until he won March 5 by 12¾ lengths after not training the entire month of January. That victory led to a date in the $1 million Florida Derby, which he won by five.
Next stop is the May 17 Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, where Big Brown can continue his bid to become the first horse to sweep the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.
"The reality is just starting to set in," IEAH co-president Mike Iavarone said.
At the other end of reality was Eight Belles' trainer Larry Jones, the Hopkinsville native who the day earlier gained the most important victory of his career with Proud Spell in the Kentucky Oaks.
"She ran the race of her life," he said. "… She went out as a champion to us."
Last 10 Winning Favorites
Year Horse Odds
2008 Big Brown 2.40-1
2007 Street Sense 4.90-1
2004 Smarty Jones 4.10-1
2000 Fusaichi Pegasus 2.30-1
1979 Spectacular Bid .60-1
1977 Seattle Slew .50-1
1975 Foolish Pleasure 1.90-1
1974 a-Cannonade 1.50-1
1973 b-Secretariat 1.50-1
1972 Riva Ridge 1.50-1
a – coupled with Judger
b – coupled with Angle Light


Trainer Dutrow does it his wayHis Big Brown comes up golden
MAY 4, 2008
The Courier-Journal
By Rick Bozich

He did it, babe. Thumbed his nose at all that noise about Big Brown not being able to win the Kentucky Derby from the No. 20 post position. Sneered at the skeptics who said his crackling colt couldn't win the biggest race of them all off three career starts. Answered all the critics who said he'd never be able to overcome his persistent personal demons and train a prime-time horse.
"WE DID IT, BABE," Rick Dutrow Jr. screamed to everybody on the third floor of the Churchill Downs grandstand yesterday. And I do mean everybody. "WE WON THE KENTUCKY DERBY!" Dutrow screamed again. Typical Dutrow. He didn't wait until his colt flashed past the finish line to start celebrating Big Brown's powerful 4¾-length victory over the tragic Eight Belles. Dutrow was high-fiving and hugging and howling when Big Brown still had another furlong to run.
Then Dutrow screamed a little louder, looked into an NBC television camera and bellowed out a nasty expletive without knowing if the microphone was live. Dutrow's luck held. The mike was dead.
"Did you bet?" he yelled whenever he saw a familiar face as he made his way to the Kentucky Derby winner's circle. "Did you bet?"
Nearly every person whom Dutrow asked nodded his head. If they were a friend of Rick Dutrow's, how could they not bet on the man's Derby favorite? How? Dutrow bragged that he was going to bet $100,000, barked that three planeloads of people were coming from New York to bet Big Brown's odds down to 8-to-5.
Replay a few of the things Dutrow said to contribute to Big Brown hype. Told the Daily Racing Form that he knew nobody in the race was as good as Big Brown. Wrote a diary item in the New York Post in which he said he simply couldn't see another horse beating Big Brown.
Told everybody willing to listen that it didn't matter that a horse had not won the Derby from the 20th post position since 1929 or that nobody had won it off three career starts since 1915. Big Deal? Not to Big Brown -- or Rick Dutrow.
Then it happened. All of it. Well, except the betting part, that is. Dutrow didn't bet the $100,000.
"Just four dimes ($4,000), babe, that's all," he said. "I'd never bet on the horse before. I wasn't going to start now, not knowing the karma."
That's Dutrow, babe. The way he talks, the way he acts, the way he carries on.
Dutrow has lived a bit of a rogue's life for much of his 48 years. Started working at the racetrack before he finished high school, the full-of-nonsense middle son of Dick Dutrow, a no-nonsense trainer on the Maryland circuit.
Rick Dutrow has been in and out of the limelight -- and in and out of trouble. There was a falling-out with his father that the two never mended before Dick Dutrow died of cancer in 1999. At the time Rick was sleeping on a cot at Barn 1 at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York. It's all he could afford.
There were problems with substance abuse. Dutrow battled them. Dutrow has also found his way to the suspension list because his horses have failed medication tests. In 2005, he trained Saint Liam to a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic, but Dutrow missed 60 days that year on the suspension list. Opposing trainers roll their eyes at his impressive winning percentage.
"Sometimes I wonder if I had to go through some of the things I've gone through to get where I am today," Dutrow said.
Where Dutrow is today is the trainer of a horse who delivered a powerful winning performance in the Kentucky Derby. Dutrow was in such a hurry to show the world what kind of horse he had that he started leading the colt to the track about two seconds after the first call to the post came on the Churchill backstretch. Veteran trainers know that you wait until the third call. Not Dutrow. Not with this horse.
Big Brown started in the 20 hole, but he could have won starting from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
Instead of trying to roar in front of the entire field immediately, jockey Kent Desormeaux placed Big Brown four wide, behind Bob Black Jack, Cowboy Cal and Recaputuretheglory as the 20-horse field raced into the first turn.
Desormeaux knew he had the best animal. In fact, he let Big Brown slip back to sixth on the backstretch.
When it was time for the serious running to begin, it was a serious mismatch. Over the final half-mile, Big Brown went from about four lengths behind to nearly five lengths ahead. By the time Big Brown ran past him, Dutrow was already covered with hugs. He saved the last one for his 13-year-old daughter, Molly. The girl looked at her dad and shook her head.
"You did it, Daddy," she said.
"Yes, we did, babe," Daddy said. "Yes, we did."


GOLDEN 'BROWN' TOAST OF TOWN
'BIG' FAVE WINS FROM POST 20
By ED FOUNTAINE, New York Post

May 4, 2008 -- LOUISVILLE, Ky. - He said he could do it, and indeed he did!
Big Brown, the undefeated superstar that trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. swore all week could not lose yesterday's 134th Kentucky Derby, backed up Dutrow's boast in a big way, surging to the lead with a powerful rally turning for home, then drawing off to win the Run for the Roses by 4 3/4 lengths under a jubilant Kent Desormeaux.
On a sun-splashed, wind-blown afternoon at Churchill Downs before an overflow crowd of 157,770, Big Brown, favored at 2.40-1, dominated his 19 opponents as few Derby winners ever have, running the mile-and-a-quarter in a fast 2:01.92. Coming off a romp in the Florida Derby, the big, brown son of Boundary has won his four starts by a combined 333/4 lengths and looms the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.
"I just saw Brown kicking butt down the lane," said Dutrow, 48, who is based at Aqueduct. "I didn't see who was second, third. Doesn't matter. We were here to watch our horse. Big Brown is born to run."
Eight Belles, the only filly in the race, finished second, but broke both front ankles and collapsed pulling up around the first turn. She was euthanized immediately. Denis of Cork ran third.
Big Brown, who took home $1,451,800 of the Derby's $2,211.800 purse, overcame a mountain of hurdles to give Dutrow his first Derby victory in his first try. Sidelined by cracked hooves last winter, running with front bandages to protect his heels, he is the first horse since 1915 to win the roses off just three lifetime starts, and only the second to win from post 20. The last to do that was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.

Dutrow, Big Brown headed to Preakness
Thoroughbredtimes.com

Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. will return to very familiar ground when he saddles Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Big Brown in the Preakness Stakes (G1) on May 14 at Pimlico Race Course.
Dutrow informed Pimlico officials on Sunday morning that he indeed would run the unbeaten Derby winner in the second leg of Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
The Boundary colt is expected to arrive in Baltimore on the Wednesday before the race and take up residence in stall 40 of the stakes barn.
Dutrow's father, Dickie Dutrow, competed against veteran conditioners King Leatherbury, Bud Delp, and John Tammaro for training supremacy in Maryland in the 1970's. The elder Dutrow captured four training titles at Pimlico during that decade.
Dutrow's older brother, Tony, also was a top Maryland trainer before moving his stable to Philadelphia Park several years ago.
“I like our chances because we have the best horse,” said Dutrow Jr., who was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. “I am going to see a bunch of friends but I am going there with a horse that can win the race."
Racing Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux also has ties to Maryland and Pimlico. The 38-year-old won five riding titles at Pimlico from 1987-'89 and captured the Preakness aboard Real Quiet in 1998.
The only Derby finisher expected to come back to challenge Big Brown at this point is Recapturetheglory, who finished fifth in the Derby despite trouble in the paddock. Trainer and co-owner Louie Roussel indicated a final decision would be made on Monday.
“We are getting in the car and either driving eight to ten hours to Baltimore or New Orleans,” said Roussel, who trained Risen Star to victory in the 1988 Preakness.
Eight new shooters are possible for the Preakness, including Behindatthebar, El Gato Malo, Harlem Rocker, Kentucky Bear, Stevil, Tres Borrachos, and Yankee Bravo.
The Preakness is limited to 14 starters. Thirteen of the last 16 years have produced double-digit starters.

Big Brown turns Derby challengers yellow
BY ED McNAMARA
May 5, 2008
New York Newsday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An hour after the Kentucky Derby, someone asked Pimlico executive Mike Gathagan: "Any chance of seeing the first walkover in the Preakness?"
Not surprisingly, after Big Brown dominated the Derby by 4¾ lengths, none of his challengers Saturday at Churchill Downs will show up May 17 in Baltimore. Like the guys Mike Tyson knocked out when he was young, they won't be back for more. "Right now, we don't have any [from the Derby]," Gathagan said yesterday morning. His list of probable new shooters includes Tres Borrachos, Kentucky Bear, Behindatthebar, El Gato Malo, Yankee Bravo, Giant Moon and Stevil, with Withers winner Harlem Rocker a maybe.
Rick Dutrow, Big Brown's trainer, is far more concerned with the date of the Preakness than with the potential opposition.
"When a horse comes off a huge race and has to run back in two weeks, it's tough," Dutrow said on a sunny, cool morning in front of Barn 22, where Big Brown will remain in stall 12 until shipping to Maryland next week. "I'd like to have more time, but it's not happening.
"The Preakness is a different game. You can't always know where your horse is with only two weeks between races. I can't stand it, but it doesn't matter. I have to do it. Maybe there'll be some hotshot speed horse there. Maybe it'll rain. But I like our chances because we have the best horse."
On paper, that was clearly the case in the Derby, where the questions about Big Brown were lack of experience and his extreme outside draw. Not since 1915 had a Derby winner had only three previous career races, and not since 1929 had post 20 produced the winner. Big Brown is so talented, and his opponents were so overmatched, that he was able to overcome losing ground for more than a mile before blowing open the race in upper stretch.
"It just wasn't a strong Derby field, other than our horse," Dutrow said. "On paper, it looked like a mismatch to me, and that's why we were so confident."
Dutrow loves "to party with his people," who include Joe Torre and Don Zimmer, but said he didn't do much celebrating Saturday. He began feeling ill Friday and couldn't get to sleep until 7 a.m. on Derby Day. He also loves to bet big but didn't get down on Big Brown after saying he would "go all in" for $100,000.
"You know what, I'll never bet on this horse," Dutrow said Saturday night. "I've never bet on him and I never will. The reason why I didn't bet on him is it's the Kentucky Derby and I didn't need any extra incentive."
The Preakness will be a triumphant homecoming for Dutrow, who grew up in Maryland and at 16 began working for his father. Dick Dutrow, who died in 2000, dominated for many years at Laurel and Pimlico, training more than 3,600 winners, including standouts King's Swan and Lite the Fuse. Rick's older brother, Tony, also is a successful trainer in Maryland. Despite the memories and connections, Rick is in no hurry to get to Pimlico.
"None of the barns there are any good," Dutrow said, "so we'll just stay here. I'm going to see a bunch of my friends there, but I'm not going there to see my friends. I'm going there to win a race."

Big Brown's next challenge awaits in May 17 Preakness
By BETH HARRIS | AP Racing Writer
2:41 AM EDT, May 5, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Looks like Big Brown's resounding Kentucky Derby victory has scared away a lot of the competition.
Almost none of his 19 Derby rivals want to run against the undefeated colt again, so at least eight new horses will try to derail Big Brown's shot at the Triple Crown with a victory in the Preakness in two weeks.
The only Derby holdover may be Recapturetheglory, who was fifth Saturday, although trainer Louie Rousell II was leaning toward giving his colt a 30-day vacation.
The fresh horses worry trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., who is leery about such a quick turnaround for Big Brown.
"You've got to come right back off that huge, huge race. I know it looks like he's the best horse, but Pimlico's a different game," he said Sunday. "Maybe there's going to be some hotshot speed horse in there, maybe it will rain, it will be sloppy, maybe some other horse will really like it."
Big Brown defied Derby history with a 4 3/4-length victory that made him the first horse since the filly Regret in 1915 to win off just three career starts and the second to win from post position No. 20.
Dutrow plans to stay at Churchill Downs and train Big Brown until shipping to Baltimore on May 14.
"He'll go to the Preakness as one of the most overwhelming favorites," said trainer Nick Zito, whose Derby horses finished seventh and 15th, respectively. "You can't say enough good things. He was tremendous."
Big Brown accelerated to the lead at the top of the stretch and was never challenged while putting away the rest of the field with an explosive finishing kick under jockey Kent Desormeaux.
"I don't know who's going to beat him," said Graham Motion, who trained 19th-place Adriano. "To win off three starts ... even Curlin could not do that."
Dutrow had pretty much guaranteed Big Brown's Derby win, but he was subdued a day later while considering the new challenge.
"I said on paper before the race it looks like a mismatch to me, but Pimlico is a different game," he said. "I really liked him in this race because everything was perfect; now things start to change."
Told that Dutrow doesn't like Pimlico's track, Zito joked, "If he hates it so much, tell him to stay home and I'll take his place."
Big Brown is 4-0 in his brief career, winning by a total of 33 3/4 lengths. But Dutrow was cautious in assessing his colt's potential to sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont and give racing its first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.
"I don't see that he beat a great Derby field, so I wouldn't know how to judge things," he said. "Like Secretariat (in 1973), that was best crop I've ever seen in my life, and he beat 'em -- he took 'em to the cleaners every time he ran against them. I'm not one to compare him against past horses. It just wasn't a strong Derby field other than our horse."
Big Brown's likely challengers in the Preakness include Lexington Stakes winner Behindatthebar, trained by Todd Pletcher, and San Rafael winner El Gato Malo.
Zito plans to send Stevil, fourth in the Blue Grass. He'll be joined by Kentucky Bear, third in the Blue Grass; Count Fleet winner Giant Moon; Withers winner Harlem Rocker; California Derby winner Yankee Bravo; and Tres Borrachos, third in the Arkansas Derby.
Dutrow was overwhelmed by 48 text messages and 29 voicemails congratulating him on his first Derby victory. "I don't return any of them," he said, smiling.
There were few smiles over at Larry Jones' barn less than 24 hours after filly Eight Belles finished second and then broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track.
"I keep looking and she ain't in there, so I know she ain't coming back," the trainer said, nodding toward his barn.
After an autopsy, the dark gray filly will be cremated. Jones was unsure of owner Rick Porter's plans to inter her ashes, although he said Churchill Downs had offered a spot at the track.
Jones accepted condolences from passers-by while still mystified about what caused Eight Belles' breakdown.
"If she'd have broke one leg, she could have definitely had a shot at trying to be saved," he said. "But with both of them going, there was no chance in the world. She was on the ground, she was never going to get up."
Dutrow sympathized with Jones' loss, having been through similar situations.
"So much goes into being around them all the time and knowing them and seeing how they go out there and perform for you," he said. "It hurts."
In his own way, Jones will be rooting for Big Brown to win the Triple Crown.
"It would let our filly go out in a blaze of glory," he said.

Triumph, and Then Tears, at the Derby
By BILL FINLEY, New York Times
Published: May 4, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After running the race of her life, the filly Eight Belles finished second behind Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, then collapsed after the finish line and had to be euthanized.
According to the veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage, Eight Belles, the only filly in the field, broke her front ankles when pulling up after finishing four and three-quarters lengths behind Big Brown.
“There was no way to save her,” said her trainer, Larry Jones. “She couldn't stand. There was no way to even think about trying to save her.”
Jones was visibly shaken as he spoke to reporters at his barn on the Churchill Downs backstretch after the race. A veteran horseman who won Friday's Kentucky Oaks with Proud Spell, he had difficulty handling what happened to Eight Belles.
“These things are our family,” Jones said. “We put everything into them that we have, and they give us everything they have. They put their lives on the line, and she was glad to do it.”
Eight Belles was also entered in the previous day's Oaks, but the owner Rick Porter had so much confidence in her that he decided instead to take on the male horses in the Kentucky Derby. It was a daunting task. Only three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby in its 134-year history, and none since Winning Colors in 1988.
Jones said he feared some would come to the conclusion that taking on males in a race as difficult as the Kentucky Derby was a mistake. He insisted that the difficulty of the Derby and the challenges Eight Belles faced had nothing to do with the outcome.
“He's taking it pretty rough,” Jones said of Porter. “I'll tell you, you're going to get criticized and second-guessed. There is going to be somebody who will come up with the idea that the filly shouldn't have been in there.
“It wasn't the race. It wasn't the fact that there was 19 boys in there. She ran. She never got bumped. She never did anything. She could have done this racing against Shetland ponies. It wasn't in the race where it happened. He's taking it hard, and he's going to be second-guessing himself from now on.”
Porter was right: Eight Belles was up to the challenge of competing against 19 of the best 3-year-old male horses in the country. Ridden by Gabriel Saez, she was no match for the Richard Dutrow Jr.-trained Big Brown but was easily second, finishing three and a half lengths in front of Denis of Cork.
“You don't know why it happened,” Jones said “She ran a whale of a race, the race of her life. She ran great.”
Eight Belles came to a stop about three-sixteenths of a mile past the finish, where Saez dismounted. After briefly standing, Eight Belles collapsed to the track. The horse ambulance and a crew of veterinarians quickly arrived, but the veterinarians said there was nothing they could do to save her.
“She didn't have a front leg to stand on to be splinted and hauled off in the ambulance, so she was immediately euthanized,” said Bramlage, an on-call veterinarian representing the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Typically, horses break down during the race or shortly after crossing the finish line. It is so rare that a horse breaks down well beyond the finish that Bramlage said it was the first time he had seen a catastrophic accident happen that way.
“The difficult thing to explain with her is it's so far after the wire, and she was easing down like you'd like to see a horse slow down by that point,” he said. “And then all of a sudden, it goes over the brink in both legs. I don't have an explanation for it because I have no background to draw on.”
Eight Belles was an undistinguished 2-year-old filly who had won one of five starts. She turned a corner this year, winning her 3-year-old debut by 15 lengths. She kept progressing, winning all four of her starts, including the Fantasy and the Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn.
Porter decided to enter the Oaks as a backup plan in case Eight Belles drew a poor post position in the Derby.
When she drew No. 5, Porter and Jones declared that she was a certain Derby starter. They said they remained confident throughout the week that she belonged in the Derby.
“She went out in glory,” Jones said. “She went out a champion.”
Eight Belles won five of nine career starts, earning $308,650.
Though horse racing has had a number of high-profile breakdowns in recent years, the Kentucky Derby had not been plagued by serious accidents or injuries over the last few decades.
On Friday, Chelokee, a horse trained by Michael Matz, broke down in the Alysheba Stakes. Bramlage reported Saturday that Chelokee was doing well and may survive.
Matz was the trainer of Barbaro, who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby but broke down in the Preakness and was eventually euthanized.

Quick Turnaround as Hopes Build for Big Brown
By BILL FINLEY, New York Times
Published: May 5, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — His customary bravado nowhere to be found Sunday morning, a subdued Richard Dutrow Jr. looked ahead to the May 17 Preakness Stakes and did not necessarily like what he saw.
His horse Big Brown dominated 19 rivals in the Kentucky Derby and will face a weaker field in the Preakness at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. But Dutrow said the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, could give Big Brown trouble because it comes just two weeks after the Derby.
“I can't stand it,” Dutrow said when asked about the traditional two-week gap between the races. “But it doesn't matter because we've got to do it. It's very difficult and I'm kind of worried about it. Now he's coming right back off a huge, huge race. I know it looks like he's the best horse, but Pimlico's a different game because of the two weeks.”
Like most trainers, Dutrow normally prefers to give his horses several weeks of rest after a race, and Big Brown has never had less than 24 days off between starts. Dutrow must now be careful to keep his horse sharp over the next several days while not overworking him. There were no such challenges coming into the Derby after five weeks off.
“I said that the Derby looked like a mismatch on paper to me,” Dutrow said. “But Pimlico is a different game. I really liked him in this race because everything was perfect. Now, things have started to change.”
The short period between the Derby and the Preakness may be all Dutrow has to worry about. With Big Brown having scared off virtually all of his competitors from the Derby, the group that will assemble to face him in the Preakness is a weak one. Besides Big Brown, the only horse coming out of the Derby that might run in the Preakness is Recapturetheglory. Recapturetheglory, trained by the Louisiana native Louie Roussel, was fifth in the Derby.
“We are getting in the car and either driving 8 to 10 hours to Baltimore or New Orleans,” Roussel said.
Besides Big Brown and Recapturetheglory, Pimlico officials listed eight horses who might start in the Preakness. The best among them may be Behindatthebar, the winner of the Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland. The others are El Gato Malo, Giant Moon, Harlem Rocker, Kentucky Bear, Stevil, Tres Borrachos and Yankee Bravo.
Against that group, Big Brown could be among the shortest-priced Preakness favorites ever.
“I'd say Big Brown is the most overwhelming favorite we've had for the Preakness in a long time,” said Nick Zito, the trainer of Stevil. “He'll be the most overwhelming favorite I've ever seen. That's good. You hope for racing that the horse continues on.”
Denis of Cork was third in the Derby and is now awaiting the Belmont Stakes.
“It's going to be extremely difficult for anyone to beat Big Brown,” said Denis of Cork's trainer, David Carroll. “He can do it all. It doesn't matter where he draws. It doesn't matter if he has the lead. It doesn't matter if he goes wide. He's just an awesome horse.”
With so many expecting that Big Brown will win the Preakness, talk is already surfacing that he could become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Dutrow does not doubt that his horse has the talent to win the Triple Crown, but re-emphasized that doing so will be far from easy.
“He's going to have to show that he's great to win the Triple Crown because of the timing of these races,” he said. “They're packed in and he's got to ship all over the place. He's got to face a lot of new horses and some of them might be sitting there waiting on him. It's not going to be a party, but we do have the best horse.”
That might be all that matters. It seems like the only one who thinks Dutrow's talented horse can lose the Preakness is Dutrow himself.

Filly's Death Casts Shadow Over Big Brown's Derby Victory
By JOE DRAPE, New York Times
Published: May 4, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Both came here chasing history and hinting at greatness. Big Brown was unbeaten and trying to become the first horse in 93 years to win the Kentucky Derby after three lifetime races. Eight Belles, a filly, had ticked off four victories, emboldening her owner to run her against the boys in America's greatest horse race.
When Big Brown entered the stretch, seemingly finding a gear seen only on sci-fi rocket ships, the 157,000 here to celebrate thoroughbred racing, had their breath taken away by the big colt's dazzling burst. When Eight Belles broke from the pack to give determined chase, many checked their programs, “Was that really the filly?”
Big Brown hit the wire nearly five lengths ahead of Eight Belles, but moments later, there was heartbreak. While Kent Desormeaux was galloping out Big Brown, Eight Belles fell.
She had fractured both of her front ankles, said the Derby's on-call veterinarian, Dr. Larry Bramlage, and was euthanized on the racetrack.
“You could tell when Kent came back that he didn't look like he just won the Kentucky Derby,” her trainer, Larry Jones, said. “He was a little bit solemn.”
Two years earlier, Barbaro's breakdown in the Preakness and his death months later helped speed the adoption of synthetic racing surfaces, Eight Belles's death is bound to raise new questions about the safety of traditional dirt tracks like Churchill's and lead to second-guessing over whether a filly, which usually runs against other fillies, should have competed against colts.
“Fillies race against colts on an intermittent basis and it's not like we see this as a routine,” Dr. Bramlage said. “In fact, I've never seen it before. I don't think you can blame the injury on the racetrack or say that Polytrack would have prevented it. She was done with the race, we're all the way through the end, and I don't think the forces on her legs pulling up would be any different on dirt or artificial surface."
Questions are also bound to be raised about the makeup of the horses themselves, and whether commercial breeders focus too much on pedigrees that produce precocious and fast, but not necessarily sound, runners.
It was a sorrowful end note to what had been 2 minutes 1.82 seconds of scintillating horse racing, punctuated by the bravura performance of Big Brown. For two weeks, the colt's trainer, Richard Dutrow Jr., had sounded like Muhammad Ali before a big fight as he predicted victory and scoffed at historical precedent. He even threatened to back up his boasts with a monster bet at the window, as he had done previously — winning $384,000 on his horse Saint Liam at the 2005 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Against 19 rivals, Big Brown was trying to become the first horse since the filly Regret in 1915 to pull into Churchill Downs so lightly raced and leave a Derby champion. Big Brown had missed months of training because of sore hoofs in his front feet. He was breaking from the outside post, No. 20, which had produced only one winner in Kentucky Derby history — Clyde Van Dusen, in 1929.
None of it, however, had fazed Dutrow. Almost as soon as Big Brown burst from the starting gate, you could understand why. The big bay colt had run from the front in his previous victories, but on Saturday he and Desormeaux glided unhurriedly outside five other horses.
“He truly was in a gallop to the quarter pole,” Desormeaux said. “No distractions. No alterations in course. Just slide over.”
Ahead of him, Bob Black Jack, Cowboy Cal and Recapturetheglory were leading the charge, but were hardly setting a challenging pace as the half mile went in 1:11.04. In the clubhouse, Dutrow and Big Brown's co-owner Michael Iavarone were puzzled.
“Is he too far back?” Iavarone asked Dutrow.
“He's perfect,” Dutrow answered. It was only long after the race that Dutrow, hair mussed and shirt soaked with a celebratory beverage, acknowledged that he was, indeed, worried and had lied to his owner.
Desormeaux, however, was unconcerned as he sat atop a colt that repeatedly has given him goose bumps, something his previous Derby winners, Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000, had never been able to do.
“He was just galloping, floppy eared, off the bridle, cruising,” he said. “I just left him alone and let him canter until I needed him.”
As they entered the far turn, Desormeaux nudged Big Brown ever so slightly.
“Whoosh,” is how Desormeaux described his colt's reaction.
It was too early, however, to unleash him. Desormeaux let Big Brown pull him like a water skier around the far turn. Cowboy Cal, Recapturetheglory, Cool Coal Man — all disappeared behind him. “Big Brown just kicked in the afterburners,” said Recapturetheglory's rider, E. T. Baird.
Only Eight Belles had anything left in her tank to give chase. Her rider, Gabriel Saez, took aim at Big Brown and Desormeaux, and with a quarter-mile to run in the mile-and-a-quarter race got within two and a half lengths. Suddenly, however, Big Brown picked up speed and bounded away.
There was plenty of discussion afterward about whether Big Brown was talented enough to become the 12th Triple Crown champion. It has been 30 years since Affirmed swept the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, and horsemen and horse lovers have been longing to crown another great champion.
Enough of them apparently thought Big Brown was ready to take the first step to immortality here and made him the better than 2-1 favorite. Their faith was rewarded with a $6.80 payoff for $2 bet to win. His owners, International Equine Acquisitions Holdings and Paul Pompa, made out well, too: They collected more than $1.4 million.
“He is the most talented horse I've ever been on,” said Desormeaux, who also is a Hall of Famer. “He's intelligent. That's the difference. He'll stand like a statue if I ask him to.”
Dutrow, too, believes he has an extraordinary horse. He confessed that he did not go “all in” with a big bet as promised. Ultimately, he said he decided that winning the Derby on his first trip here was high stakes enough. Still, he did not apologize for his pre-race bombast.
“I said what I said because they asked me the questions because Big Brown was telling me how to answer,” he said. “I knew he was sitting on a big race.”
It is inevitable, however, that Big Brown's effort will be dimmed by what befell Eight Belles. As the news of her demise made its way here, tears fell and the joy became more muted.
James Clemons, 58, a machine operator, was in line waiting to cash his $2 bet to place on Eight Belles, a ticket worth $10.60, when he heard about her death.
“Oh, man,” he said, beginning to choke up. “She's one of the best fillies around. She showed she could run with the boys.”
For Jones and the grooms and exercise riders who had cared for Eight Belles, it was a devastating end to what had been a wonderful weekend.
Before they began the long walk to the paddock for the Derby, Jones told his staff to remember that they already had an experience of a lifetime. “As long as she comes back to the barn, we've had a good weekend,” he said.
Then Jones's voice trailed off. Beneath the brim of his white cowboy hat, tears welled.
“She went out in glory,” he said, his voice breaking. “She went out a champion to us.”

Big Brown storms home to capture Kentucky Derby
By Frank Angst, Thoroughbredtimes.com

So much for experience.
Despite racing wide through much of the race, Big Brown cruised to a 4 ¾-length victory in the $2,211,800 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) on Saturday at Churchill Downs to join Regret (1915) as the only two horses to win the Derby after just three previous starts.
The celebration of the seventh undefeated Derby winner was tempered by the breakdown of filly Eight Belles, who delivered a spectacular run to finish second in the 1 1/4-mile race. After the finish, Eight Belles broke both of her front ankles and was euthanized on the track.
While the tragedy of Eight Belles will linger in the memory of the 157,770 in attendance, Big Brown's spectacular victory sent hearts soaring as he joined Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 as the only horses to win the Derby from post 20.
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. expressed confidence in Big Brown throughout the week, despite the lack of experience and wide post.
“Big Brown was telling me how to answer the questions,” Dutrow said.
After breaking well from the widest post, Big Brown eased toward the rail and entered the first turn about four wide with Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up Bob Black Jack posting a quarter-mile in :23.30 seconds.
Confident in Big Brown, who also won the Florida Derby (G1) from the far outside post, Racing Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux kept the Boundary colt wide through the backstretch as Bob Black Jack went a half-mile in :47.04.
Just into the far turn, Desormeaux asked for a bit more and Big Brown responded, surging to the lead at the quarter pole. Much like his Florida Derby triumph, Big Brown continued to surge to the wire with little threat from any other rival as he completed the race in 2:01.82.
“I had a beautiful, uneventful trip,” Desormeaux said after securing the third Derby triumph of his career. “There were no alterations … just slide over. He added power to his stride when I needed it.”
Michael Iavarone, co-president of majority owner IEAH Stables, said they were looking forward to starting Big Brown in the Preakness Stakes (G1), where he will join Barbaro (2006) and Smarty Jones ('04) as the third Derby winner in the 21st century to enter that race with an unblemished record.
Big Brown, who earned $1,451,800 with the victory, started his career with an 11 ¼-length victory in a turf race at Saratoga Race Course on September 3.
With his training slowed by foot problems, Big Brown opened the season with a 12 3/4–length win on March 5 in a one-mile allowance race that was moved from turf to dirt at Gulfstream Park. He then won the Florida Derby by five lengths and has now won his four races by a combined 33 3/4 lengths.
Eight Belles secured her own bit of history, becoming just the fifth filly to finish first or second in the Derby, but the celebration turned to despair after she broke down after the finish.
Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, said the injury is extremely painful and euthanasia was the only option.
“One of the outriders saw both ankles collapse as she was running out,” Bramlage said.
Owned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms, Eight Belles is trained by Larry Jones, who won the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Friday with Proud Spell. No trainer has ever won the Oaks and the Derby in the same year with two fillies.
Grade 3 winner Denis of Cork, who finished fifth in the Illinois Derby (G2), bounced back with a third-place finish in the Derby, rallying from last place in the final half-mile.
Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) winner Tale of Ekati made a move in the far turn to secure a fourth-place finish. Following him was Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory in fifth and Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Colonel John in sixth.
Rounding out the finishers were Anak Nakal, Pyro, Cowboy Cal, Z Fortune, Smooth Air, Visionaire, Court Vision, Z Humor, Cool Coal Man, Bob Black Jack, Gayego, Big Truck, Adriano, and Monba.
Saturday's crowd is the second-largest in Derby history, ranking behind only the centennial 1974 edition that attracted 163,628. After a Kentucky Oaks Friday that saw more than one inch of rain fall in Louisville, the clouds parted on Saturday morning for a sunny Saturday with temperatures around 70 degrees. The off-track was upgraded to fast after the fourth race.
Desormeaux, who won the Derby with Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000, is looking forward to the Preakness.
“You saw him out there,” Desormeaux said. “I'll let him do the talking. … Talent-wise, he's the best horse I've ever ridden.”
Check the video player on the ThoroughbredTmes.com website to see a complete replay of the Kentucky Derby.

Woods Celebrates Big Brown's Derby Win
by Deirdre B. Biles, The Blood-Horse.com
Date Posted: May 4, 2008
Last Updated: May 4, 2008

One of the happiest people at Churchill Downs May 3 was Florida pinhooker Eddie Woods. He bought Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Big Brown for $60,000 at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale and resold the colt the following year for $190,000 at the Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training.
“It was exhilarating, unbelievable!” declared Woods after leaving the winner's circle celebration. “I always thought he would win it, but to actually see it happen, it was a totally different ballgame.”
When Woods bought Big Brown he thought the colt's future was on the turf. In fact, the son of Boundary broke his maiden on grass by 11 ¼ lengths at Saratoga last year.
“Look at his pedigree, it's turf,” Woods said. “But obviously, he's a phenomenal athlete. He's overcome everything. Boundary is a good sire, but they (his offspring) don't go that far. This horse (Big Brown) is a turf horse; he shouldn't run on the dirt. He's doing things he shouldn't be doing.”
When Wood was preparing Big Brown to be sold as a juvenile, "he was always really nice,” the pinhooker said. “The nicest thing about him was he went everywhere with his ears pricked, always, right from the first time we ever saw him at Fasig-Tipton.”
Bright, alert, and eager, Big Brown grew up to be a classic winner and he has a shot to sweep the Triple Crown, something that hasn't been done since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978.
Big Brown has won all four of his career races, including the Florida Derby (gr. I) and an allowance event at Gulfstream Park.