~MarauderManiac

Yes, I'm a little poetic here.
Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes as if it was the easiest thing. He was really born to run and many (including myself) said he'd take the Triple Crown.
Then the Belmont came, and it didn't work out for Brownie. He seemed to be in good health the whole race. Da' Tara in the lead started pulling away from the rest of the horses and Desormeaux told Big Brown to go. But he didn't.
Brownie didn't use his extra gear as he used to. He didn't have anything left. So Desormeaux eased him down to a slow gallop and Brownster ran under the wire last of all.
Why?
We can only guess.
Maybe because he had lost a bit training due to his quarter crack.
Maybe because he didn't stay the distance.
You can probably add a lot more, but I'll stop here.
Big Brown is the 11th horse to win the Derby and Preakness, but then loose in the Belmont since 1978. Spectacular Bid, Real Quiet, Smarty Jones, Big Brown and all the others. But why have so many faied where Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and the other Triple Crown winners succeded? What does it take to get a Triple Crown winner?
We've had 11.
Sir Barton, gallant Fox, Omaha, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault, Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed. In the thirties they were three, in the fourties they were four and in the seventies they were three.
No racehorse has captured the Triple Crown since 1978. That's 30 years. What's happened to the horses?
Maybe they get worse and worse? I don't think so.
We'll probably just wait and see if any new superhorse appeares. My hopes are on Nicanor and Lentenor, full brothers of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro.
Barbaro showed the whole world that he was a superhorse. If you aske me, I'll say that he would have won the Triple Crown if it hadn't been for what happened two weeks later.
The horses were loaded into the starting gate before the 131 Preakness Stakes. But suddenly Barbaro broke out of the gate manually and galloped away. Edgar Prado pulled him up, and he was reloaded. The bell rang, and this time they broke cleanly. But after only few meters, Barbaro was pulled up for the second time in this race. His right hind leg was broken. After that Barbaro touched the hearts of millions as he struggled to live undergoing surgery after surgery. Unfortunately, the painful hoof disease led to him being put down.
But Barbaro's brothers are alive and kicking. Lentenor is still a baby, but Nicanor is in training. He's got the same trainer as Barbaro had, Michael Matz and Peter Brette is the excercise rider. He also rode Barbaro.
We'll just hope and see if Nicanor can end the thirty years of waiting for a Triple Crown winner. He'll probably start racing in the autumn.

Back to Big Brown. I'd really like to see him race against Curlin in the Breeder's Cup or another race. A match race would also be cool. I think Big Brown's performance in the Belmont was something we won't see again from him. His father was a sprinter, and Brownster's speed is something you don't see every day. Maybe the shorter races (up to a mile and an eight) is the best for him. I really look forward to seeing Big Brown's upcoming races. because this horse is a one of a kind.

EDIT: Pictures taken during the Belmont Stakes showed that Icabad Crane stepped on Big Browns shoe early in the race so that the shoe was half way dislodged. This means that the poor colt ran the entire Belmont Stakes with a loose shoe.

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