On Saturday, the 2008 edition of the Belmont Stakes will be the fourth time in seven years that a colt will enter the race with a chance to etch his name among the greats of racing lore.
But then again, isn't this the place where they always lose? Just ask the likes of recent "almosts" like War Emblem, Funny Cide and Smarty Jones.
This year will be different because we have a colt named Big Brown that is locked, loaded and taking dead aim at a 30-year Triple Crown drought.
Within seconds of his victorious canter in Baltimore, though, the lads of the turf began the Big Brown bashing, citing mediocre winning times, low Beyers and, most of all, wins against godawful competition. Forget the winning times -- the time of a race is only relative to track records. Forget the Beyers -- they are not the measure of a champion, anyway. Most of all, forget the assembly of mules known as the 2008 3-year- old crop.
Big Brown isn't just superior to this year's dubious bunch -- save Afleet Alex, this dude is the best horse to lace 'em up in the last 10 years.
The aforementioned War Emblem, Funny Cide and Smarty Jones were all doomed well before the start of the Belmont. The public usually gets the great ones right, and let's not forget that before his odds-on backing at the Preakness, the Brownster was a 2-1 Derby fave. Smarty was the tepid 4-1 favorite in his Derby, Funny Cide was the seventh choice at 13-1, and the ill-fated and overmatched War Emblem was 20-1. Only two Triple Crown winners, Omaha and Assault, were higher than 2-1 on the tote on Derby Day, -- thus my assertion that, indeed, the public gets these things right.
There was part of me that thought Kent Desormeaux was wrapped too tight to win the Preak when the camera caught him a few minutes prior to "Boots and Saddles" running to the jock's room after forgetting his whip.
But Big Brown was so right in Baltimore that he needed no more than a tug on the rein and a chirp in the ear from KD to get serious and show the field his tail. He closed the race in 19 seconds -- damn fast for a colt that was on a hand ride. Kent could have raced sans the whip, no one would have noticed.
There was chatter last week about a quarter crack in the Brownman's hoof that had everyone's coronation plans on hold. Conditioner Rick Dutrow brought in, get this, "hoof lameness specialist" Ian McKinlay to repair the prized steed's tootsies.
This isn't the first bout with hoof cracks for Big Brown, as shortly after his Saratoga bow last September he was put on paddock rest to cure the same condition. Back then, he was in the care of the stable farrier, I'm sure, but now he's a $50 million horse. Carrie Bradshaw's hooves get less attention than this guy's.
The only way Big Brown can lose in Elmont on Saturday is if he just comes out rank or keels over during the race.
A more likely scenario is that Desormeaux returns to form and rides this colt like the boob we've known for years. Praising Desormeaux cannot become a habit for me, but, like he did in Louisville two weeks prior, Kent piloted a flawless ride in Baltimore.
I welcome this Triple Crown charade every few years and love to smoke the hopefuls -- but really, boys and girls, there is no way in hell it's going to happen this year.
I beat War Emblem with Sarava, a 70-1 shot, and then laughed all the way to a 20-1 bomb named Birdstone trouncing Smarty Jones two years later. So believe me, I'll be looking for a spoiler, and as a hopeless punter I'll be plunking bob somewhere in the hopes of cashing in. One thing is certain, though: I won't find a colt that can step up and beat Big Brown and grab that third jewel.
The world is now on fire with a Japanese runner named Casino Drive. He is the newly anointed "one" who the pundits are saying will give Big Brown a fight. But this is simply another in a long list of racing canards.
OK, this boy comes from the loins of impeccable bloodstock. I loved his daddy, Mineshaft, but the real gem is his momma: Better Than Honour. This gal gave us the two most recent Belmont winners, Jazil and Rags to Riches.
As far as history goes, we have indeed waited 30 years for a Triple Crown winner, but we have never seen a mare give us three classic winners in three years. So if it's rarity we're seeking, then we should root for Casino Drive.
But is pedigree enough for little brother to follow in his sib's footsteps? It better be, because I sure as hell don't see the form everyone is yapping about.
Casino Drive has raced twice. His first was a win over 12 Mothra maidens in Japan, where he won by 11 lengths. Someone saw something, because in May they shipped this pup across the hemisphere to race against Grade II company in the Peter Pan at the Belmont. He beat that bunch by five and was piloted by none other than Big Brown's jock, Desormeaux.
Forget the weird rider karma two can a colt with two races under his belt come to town and spoil the show? All of a sudden we have the reincarnation of Sham and Alydar? Hooey. I'll give you one thing about this boy to ponder: The great Edgar Prado will have the mount, the same Prado who piloted Sarava and Birdstone to those bomber upsets we spoke of earlier. Taking a look at the remainder of the hopeless bunch of runners to face Big Brown leaves one in a state of utter confusion. And even though the field is more suspect than an Obama speech, let's not blame Big Brown. He can only race against those who enter. Without a shred of fanfare, here they are.
Anak Nakal is the same Zito that finished seventh at Churchill Downs, albeit well up the track. Nick is convinced he has a shot, and I suppose of all the competitors he's at least got form. I will use him on top of the gimmick wagers in the event of disaster.
Zito may also saddle Da'Tara, the runner up of the Barbaro Stakes, an ungraded race on the Preakness Undercard. He just carded an ordinary work-out at the famed Oklahoma Training Track at the Spa. Of course, Zito called this pedestrian (49.7 seconds) half mile "tremendous." That's a tad too much praise for a colt entering a Grade I. Maybe Nick thought he was at Finger Lakes.
The 2007 winning trainer, Todd Pletcher, has the bug again, and brings Ready's Echo into the mix. This horse was just last week pointed to a turf race at Colonial Downs; now he's coming north to face Big Brown. His owner cited the prestige of the Belmont compared to the Colonial Turf Cup. Nice to see one of Todd's owners really getting the essence of this game. Woof.
Likable Calvin Borel will be piloting the late-running Denis of Cork. This son of Harlan's Holiday finished well at the Derby -- well behind Big Brown, that is -- a third place finish, beaten by more than eight lengths. I see nothing that inspires me here.
I suppose the Graham Motion colt, Icabad Crane, had no other choice than to return to the fray after his third place finish in Baltimore. I'll take Motion in a gunfight any day, and his colt is a New York-bred who can get the distance. Will use underneath.
Macho Again ran a good second in the Preakness and closed from the clouds to ruin my trifecta. Can't count the Steve Asmussen trainee out as an underneath runner, but he'll be of no value on the ticket, and off mine, poised to burn me again.
One that could prove dangerous is Tale of Ekati. Barclay Tagg's steed finished fourth at the Derby and won the Wood Memorial, but the little gem I'm looking back to is that Grade II Futurity win last fall right here at Belmont. Barclay doesn't saddle them for ego's sake. He only goes when he thinks he has a shot. Like Anak Nakal, Tale of Ekati is the only other colt I'd hedge.
But again, don't expect any of your hedge bets to work on Saturday. This third jewel is a lock, but an even more dire lock is that after the win Big Brown will be retired to stud at Three Chimneys Farms, perhaps even sooner than year's end.
That is the sad state of this game, folks. Just when we find a good one, the greedy bastards snatch them from our grasp and stick them in a breeding shed, gone from the public eye. And did I ever want to see Big Brown lock horns with Curlin at the Breeder's Cup Classic in October.
Bon chance.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | June 3 2008 |